Balancing the cost and quality equation around surgical procedures is a critical part of provider finances. There is mounting evidence that providing surgeons with individualized cost feedback can help in bringing costs down. By using electronic health record (EHR) data to correlate supply costs to patient procedures, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco were able to develop a cost scorecard showing the median surgical supply direct cost for each procedure type performed within one “intervention” group of surgeons. A recent study published in JAMA Surgery showed that after a year of receiving the monthly scorecards, the group’s year-over-year savings stood at 9.95% for a total savings of $836,147. This session will examine the practice of utilizing both cost and quality scorecards in mitigating expenses while enhancing outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore the reasons why many surgeons are unaware of their operating room costs.
2. Review effective scorecards and examine the association between providing surgeons cost feedback and surgical supply costs.
3. Present successful initiatives and specific tactics that have helped reduce surgical costs without negative patient outcomes.