OR utilization has been discussed for years by hospital C-suites and private anesthesia groups, yet meaningful collaboration remains rare. One major barrier is the lack of shared, reliable data to support productive conversations and informed decision-making.
Most hospitals set an overall OR utilization target—typically between 75% and 85%, inclusive of turnaround time. However, few organizations specifically analyze anesthesia utilization, despite anesthesia being the specialty most frequently requiring financial support to meet coverage requirements.
For hospitals that employ anesthesia providers, reviewing anesthesia-specific OR utilization is critical. It enables leaders to better manage staffing, improve operational efficiency, and identify underutilized rooms that drive unnecessary costs. With a growing national shortage of anesthesia providers—a challenge expected to worsen in the coming years—accurate utilization data is no longer optional. It is essential for workforce planning and financial sustainability.
Private anesthesia practices also benefit from access to detailed OR utilization data. This information supports transparent, data-driven conversations with hospital administrators and helps demonstrate when staffing and call coverage requirements necessitate financial support. Importantly, many EHRs and hospital systems designed to track utilization often fail to capture non-OR procedures and labor, resulting in an incomplete picture that disadvantages anesthesia groups.
Whether you’re a hospital employing anesthesia providers or an independent anesthesia practice, Fusion Anesthesia Solutions can help.
Developed in collaboration with a client focus group, Fusion’s Utilization Dashboard is an interactive tool designed to deliver actionable insights and serve as the foundation for meaningful discussions between hospitals and anesthesia groups. Fusion combines basic facility information and coverage requirements with billing data to create a comprehensive utilization view.
Users can analyze utilization by:
- Facility
- Day of week
- Time of day
- OR
- Procedure Category
- Additional drill down features to include/exclude labor
The dashboard updates in real time, presents data through multiple graphical views, and allows for full export to Excel for deeper analysis.
Recently, we partnered with a client who employs their anesthesia providers and used Fusion’s Utilization Dashboard to identify staffing inefficiencies. The data revealed underutilized ORs between 3:00 and 5:00 PM. Using these insights to guide conversations with their anesthesia team, the organization transitioned from a 10-hour shift to an 8-hour shift—resulting in more than $350,000 in annual overhead savings.
Fusion is more than a billing and practice management company. We take a consultative approach, leveraging insights from billing data, client meetings, and ongoing conversations to develop tailored solutions for both hospitals and private practices.
If you’re not actively discussing OR utilization, you’re missing a critical opportunity to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen collaboration.
Let Fusion help you start the conversation.
Contact Fusion Anesthesia Solutions at sales@fusionanesthesia.com to schedule a demo.