WakeMed’s double-digit increase in OR and procedural capacity — without new construction
Health systems nationwide are confronting a difficult challenge: surgical demand is rising, but capital and staffing resources for new construction are limited. To meet this challenge, many are turning to AI-driven strategies that maximize existing assets.
That was the case for Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals — a system with three acute care hospitals, one of the nation’s busiest emergency departments and mounting pressures from population growth, limited expansion options and post-pandemic staffing shortages.
By adopting LeanTaaS’ iQueue for Operating Rooms and taking a systems-based approach to scheduling, WakeMed achieved major efficiency gains that benefited patients, physicians and staff. The result: an 11% increase in prime-time OR case minutes, a 21% increase in prime-time procedural case minutes and a 13.5% increase in proactively released block minutes — all without building a single new room.
During a recent webinar hosted by Becker’s Healthcare and LeanTaaS, Charles Harr, MD, chief medical officer and executive healthcare strategist at WakeMed, explained how the health system unlocked these significant capacity gains.
Here are four key takeaways from his discussion:
- Capacity gains came from optimization, not expansion.
Dr. Harr explained that Wake County is the second-fastest growing county in the U.S., and 36% of WakeMed’s patient volume comes through the ED — compounding capacity pressures.
“We’re busy. Even if we wanted to build brick-and-mortar, it’d be at least three or four years before anything could come up,” he said. “We’re having to learn how to do things smarter rather than in expanded spaces.”
iQueue gave WakeMed visibility into open time and utilization, enabling more predictable, balanced schedules. This improved throughput without requiring additional ORs or staff.
- Data-driven transparency improved surgeon satisfaction and equity.
Before AI-driven optimization, manual scheduling created inefficiencies and frustration across teams at WakeMed. Real-time visibility into open block time transformed the process.
“Our schedulers were ecstatic,” Dr. Harr said. “A third of our surgeons adopted it, jumping in with both feet.”
With this data-driven approach, the health system also reallocated block time based on usage and patient need, rather than tenure.
“Being fair does not mean that everybody gets the same set of rules,” Dr. Harr explained. “It means you are transparent about how you made the decisions … You’ve got to make that decision based on the needs of the patient and the service, and you’ve got to be willing to say what those needs were and why you prioritized it.”
- Optimization extended beyond the OR.
WakeMed expanded iQueue into interventional cardiology, electrophysiology and endoscopy — all of which now require anesthesia. This created better alignment of anesthesia resources and improved on-time starts.
Dr. Harr described how the OR front desk team now manages 24 procedural locations, dynamically assigning anesthesia and procedural staff based on real-time needs.
“We had to manage what we were seeing more efficiently in the space that we have,” he said. “We were able to do that through the schedule and flexibility. We didn’t have to change our staffing levels — we just had to make sure that they were reasonably busy during the day and didn’t have downtimes when there was nothing to do.”
- Performance metrics became the foundation of governance.
Through the partnership with LeanTaaS, WakeMed gained actionable insights into on-time starts, block utilization and case distribution. Crucially, the health system released block time 13.5% more often — and earlier — giving surgeons and patients more time to plan. Dr. Harr credited the partnership with enabling consistent, automated decision support.
“Every discussion we have is centered around data. That’s what we live and die by,” he emphasized.
Dr. Harr closed the session by underscoring the broader impact of the initiative: efficiency and retention.
“LeanTaaS’ technology enables surgeons, proceduralists, anesthesia teams and administrative teams to work together to create a system that is affordable and helps us retain staff,” he said. “It keeps them happy and productive, and allows us to meet our commitment to manage their time. We know there’s a lot of work left to do, but it has energized us that we have the right tools.”
Interested in hearing more real-world case studies like WedMed’s? Join Becker’s Healthcare and LeanTaaS at Transform Hospital Operations Virtual Summit this Sept.16–17. Explore the packed agenda and participating health systems, and save your seat — here.
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