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Transcript16 lines
- [00:00]
A
This is Scott Becker with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. We're thrilled today to be joined by a brilliant leader from a great system. We're joined today by Sam Davis from the Rush University Medical Center. The Rush System for Health is an amazing system, just committed to absolute greatness, one of the top in the nation in many specialties and areas and also fantastic at serving the community they are part of. Rich Rush is an extraordinary institution. We're also thrilled to visit with Sam Davis. Sam is the epitome of a lifelong learner who continues to try and get better and better what he does. He's currently pursuing a Doctor of Nursing practice in Transformative Leadership at Rush University. He already holds a Master's in Health Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the Citadel, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Governors University. He's having a remarkable career. He's a leader Associate Vice President of Perioperative and Interventional Clinical Services at Rush University Medical Center. As we'll talk a lot today about what Rush is trying to do to transform and develop more agile and sustainable surgical model. Sam, before we get started, let me ask you, in your own words, to talk a little bit about yourself and your work at Rush.
- [01:22]
B
Thank you, Scott. I'd be happy to. My name is Sam Davis. I'm the Associate Vice President of Perioperative and Interventional Clinical Services at Rush University Medical Center. I've been in perioperative leadership for over 15 years and my career has always centered around surgical operations, team development and operational excellence. At Rush, I oversee our surgical, interventional and procedural areas spanning over our operating rooms, interventional, radiology, endoscopy and our hybrid suites. My focus is on aligning operational performance with clinical strategy, ensuring we are always efficient, scaling, scalable and ready to grow. And that means working closely with surgeons, our clinical leaders and our executives to make data informed decisions that support our access, quality and sustainability.
- [02:13]
A
Thank you, Sam. You spend a lot of time directly and at Rush on building a more agile and sustainable surgical model. When you look at that and try to get more efficient in use of ORs and how you manage surgery and a lot more. What were some of the key realizations or pivot points that helped move this work from idea to reality? And was there a spot in sort of developing this alignment where you really started to shift and see momentum? Can you talk a little bit about that?
- [02:42]
B
Yeah, sure. I would say one of the first big realizations we had was that historical metrics like our standard block utilization didn't really Tell the full story. Two surgeons might both show 70% utilization, but one could be leaving behind a trail of unused, fragmented time that we weren't really capturing. So when we introduced the concept of collectible time and started measuring block performance through a more surgeon centric lens, it gave us a whole new level of insight. And the real shift in momentum came when we built visibility and access into our workflows. So we started using prescriptive tools to show surgeons how to improve their performance and paired that with consistent engagement from our perioperative and executive teams. When people saw that their feedback translated into real scheduling changes and more or access, we really saw a cultural turning point and it became a shared mission, not just an administrative effort.
- [03:42]
A
Thank you. And you look at sort of as you've evolved in this, you at some point decided to get very focused on using artificial intelligence in your surgical operations. How did you assess the right partner for us and how did you go about looking at how to sort of implement AI in your operating room solution and talk about that if you could?
- [04:04]
B
Yeah, sure. We were at a point where our growth goals and our operational needs were outpacing what traditional EHR reporting and manual processes could support. So there were delays in getting data inconsistencies and interpretation, and a lot of just wasted time spent extracting information instead of acting on it. AI offered the ability to shift from retrospective reporting to real time prescriptive decision making. We chose IQ because they weren't just a tech company. They really understood the surgical environment. Their platform was built around the workflows of surgeons and our surgery schedulers. And it allowed us to make evidence based decisions more quickly, particularly about releasing blocks, reallocating our time and forecasting volume, all within a framework our teams could actually use. So it wasn't just about technology for its own sake. It was about enabling transformation at scale.
- [05:06]
A
Thank you and take a moment, if you would. Sam Rush has been very intentional in the use of data and the use of analytics. I mean, it's literally a banner system in terms of just operational excellence and trying to continue to get better. How did you create a culture where data wasn't viewed as the enemy by doctors, nurses and team members and administrative teams, but embrace as a source of clarity for how you operate things, how did that evolve?
- [05:33]
B
Yeah, I'll be honest with you, Scott. I think that shift definitely took some time, but it started with transparency. So early on we made sure that everyone, including our surgeons, our schedulers and our nursing leaders, I was working from the same definitions and seeing the same data. So we eliminated the ambiguity that often causes friction between those departments. Then next, we built a rhythm around the data. We established regular performance reviews, shared our scorecards, and brought metrics into our daily operations. Again, this just wasn't for accountability. It was also about empowering people to make decisions themselves. And so what really turned the corner was showing impact. So when a surgeon released block and saw a new colleague, let's say, fill that time with them with a complex case, or when a department reduced cancellations by adjusting their scheduling patterns, the connection between the data and real world outcomes became undeniable. That's when the culture started to embrace it as a tool and not just as a threat.
- [06:41]
A
Thank you. And as you look at that evolution and you start to see the return on investment that you've measured in terms of increased surgical volume and efficiency, the stat I have is that your team achieved a 12x return on investment. Talk a little bit about what's beyond those numbers. What outcomes are you most proud of? What's worked the most? What's led to surgeon and nurse and team satisfaction? What are you most proud of and what are you most excited about as these projects evolve?
- [07:11]
B
Yeah, I would definitely say the financial and the operational goals have been absolutely incredible. So we've seen a 5% growth in our case volume and 8% more case minutes, and then a 12 times percent return on our investment over the last several years. But what I'm most proud of is the culture and collaboration we've built along the way. So we have a multidisciplinary team that are now engaged in solving problems together, aligned around a common data language and empowered to act. I think I'm also especially proud of how we've redefined access so more surgeons, including new and growing service lines, have access to prime or time because of the efficiencies we've created. And that means more patients get care faster and we're maximizing every room every day. I think, looking ahead, I'm especially excited about expanding this model into our procedural areas and modernizing our staffing workflows. We're exploring predictive staffing solutions that could transform how we align people to cases, which will in turn help us respond to demand more dynamically while supporting staff engagement and their well being.
- [08:26]
A
Thank you. I mean, simply remarkable. I mean, getting more people, more prime hours and getting more patients in to get taken care of must be so critical. And your surgeons and your nursing teams, by being able to put more cases at the right times of day versus stretching their own lives out, having to come in early in the morning or late at night. They must be so thrilled with that as well.
- [08:49]
B
Oh, yeah, absolutely. Having the ability to be able to come in and get cases when they need it or when patients need them the most has been integral for us. And you know, again, it's really created access to all of our surgeons and being able to communicate appropriately when we can get those on. It's really contributed to a lot of our efficiencies that we've developed in the or.
- [09:12]
A
Let me ask you another question and then I want to ask you one more question after this. First, is, is there anything else that you'd like to mention today that we didn't get a chance to touch on in terms of these issues? Operating human efficiency, your use of tools, you work with Lean toss. Anything else you wanted to mention that we didn't discuss then? I do want to ask you about your commitment to lifelong learning. I think that's the very best thing you could see in somebody. You're key proponent of it in a leader in lifelong learning. Amazing how you've constantly tried to push for learning and self improvement. I'd love you to take a moment on that as well. The commitment there too. But any thoughts or ideas you'd like to mention that we didn't talk about? And then if you wouldn't mind spending a moment on your commitment to lifelong improvement. I just love that.
- [10:03]
B
Absolutely. First, you know, I just emphasize that this kind of transformation is as much about people as it is about platforms. So we were successful because we listened to our surgeons, brought our frontline teams into the process, and stayed focused on the patient. At Rush, we definitely believe operational excellence is a form of clinical excellence and that that belief has guided every step of this journey. I would also like to say how grateful I am to the teams that made this possible. It really wouldn't be possible without them. From the perioperative staff to our IT and our analytics partners, particularly our executive leaders who supported this vision from day one. You know, I just like to say transformation is a team sport and I'm very proud of the team that we built. But going into commitment of my lifetime of learning, you know, I would say, Scott, that that's one thing that's really near and dear to my heart. You know, I think sometimes we see ourselves as experts in what we do, but there's always something that's evolving and changing. And, you know, from my perspective, I want to be on top of what's new, what's next, how I can be innovative in healthcare. And so my focus is always ensure that I am continuing what I can to help build my repertoire and my expertise in learning. So yeah, I think that's kind of one of the biggest things that really keeps me driven with wanting to learn something new every day.
- [11:38]
A
It's truly remarkable leadership. Sam again, such a pleasure to visit with you today. Rush is on extraordinary job of improving their operating room efficiency, their throughput and doing it closely with technology. But as you mentioned, it doesn't have you have all the technology the world but if you're not leading teams in a great way and teams getting aligned with it, the technology is useless. And what a terrific job you folks have done at Rush on this. We're a huge fan of the Rush system. We're a huge fan of Lean Toss quite frankly as well. Thank you so much again. Sam Davis, thank you so much for joining us on the Becker's Healthcare podcast.
- [12:15]
B
Thanks Scott for having me. Really appreciate the conversation today.