Surgical delays not only jeopardise patient outcomes but also strain hospital resources and increase operational costs. In response, healthcare providers across the United States are turning to artificial intelligence to modernise and streamline operations in the operating room (OR). From predictive scheduling tools to real-time analytics and anatomy-mapping platforms, AI is transforming how surgeries are planned and performed, enabling hospitals to maximise efficiency and enhance patient care.
Automating OR Operations to Reduce Delays
At Tampa General Hospital in Florida, a new AI-enabled surgical operations platform is helping to drastically cut time lost to inefficiencies. Implemented in over half of the hospital’s 52 ORs, the system integrates cameras and AI to provide continuous, automated tracking of surgical activity. Unlike the manual time stamp entries previously used, this technology captures detailed metrics in real time, offering precision on case durations and turnover times based on individual surgeon histories.
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The data collected allows administrative teams to construct optimised daily schedules and make adjustments based on live feeds. Without needing to interrupt surgical teams, they can monitor when procedures are concluding and prepare for the next operation. This has resulted in significant time savings—over 3,000 minutes per week—and enabled the hospital to accommodate an estimated 600 additional procedures annually. More importantly, this AI-driven approach enhances patient access to timely care and improves overall resource utilisation.
Other institutions are following suit. At MarinHealth Medical Center in Northern California, AI is being applied to improve procedural accuracy and safety. A vascular surgeon at the facility uses an AI-based anatomy-mapping platform that processes CT scan data into 3D visuals of affected blood vessels. This technology not only provides real-time guidance during procedures but also reduces reliance on X-rays and contrast dye, making surgeries safer for both patients and staff. By enhancing clinical precision, the tool also shortens operating times and contributes to better outcomes.
Driving System-Wide Efficiency with Predictive Analytics
AI’s growing presence in surgical settings is underpinned by its capacity to support multiple aspects of OR management. Efficiency remains a primary focus—improving throughput, cutting waiting times and ultimately increasing hospital revenue. But hospitals also aim to boost compliance with safety standards and improve care quality through detailed case analysis and enhanced surgical education.
Stanford Health Care, for example, has developed an AI-powered platform called the OR Black Box, designed to address safety, quality and efficiency simultaneously. Although AI adoption is still ongoing across the industry, many experts see widespread implementation in U.S. ORs as inevitable. As healthcare systems embrace digital tools to automate laborious administrative tasks and support clinical decision-making, the potential for AI to standardise and elevate surgical care becomes more tangible.
A 2024 report by Philips underscores this momentum: 84% of U.S. healthcare leaders anticipate automation will significantly reduce administrative workload, while 76% believe it will allow clinicians to focus on high-skill tasks. These figures reflect a sector eager to harness technology to improve operations and empower its workforce.
Scheduling Smarter with AI at Scale
Few systems demonstrate the scale of AI’s impact more than Banner Health. Operating nearly three dozen hospitals across six states and overseeing close to 350 ORs, the organisation faced complex logistical challenges tied to surgical scheduling. Historically reliant on manual processes—calls, emails and faxes—Banner Health’s system for managing surgical “block times” was inefficient and vulnerable to last-minute changes. Variability in surgeon availability further complicated scheduling.
In late 2023, the health system introduced an AI-driven automation solution capable of analysing surgical data and behavioural trends to deliver predictive scheduling insights. This new approach enables staff to view real-time availability and plan accordingly, mirroring consumer-friendly systems like OpenTable. The technology adapts to each surgeon’s typical patterns, factoring in how often they cancel or how long they take to complete procedures. The result is a more responsive, flexible schedule that makes optimal use of available OR time.
This tailored scheduling model not only increases utilisation but also reduces patient wait times and ensures surgeons can deliver care when and where it’s needed. Banner Health is now exploring additional AI capabilities to enhance quality and safety, including the possible implementation of a video monitoring solution akin to that used by Tampa General. The integration of such tools points to a future where AI supports every phase of the surgical journey—from planning to performance and review.
Hospitals across the United States are turning to artificial intelligence to address long-standing inefficiencies in surgical operations. By automating time tracking, enhancing procedural accuracy and enabling predictive scheduling, AI is helping health systems improve access, reduce costs and elevate patient care. With adoption accelerating, the role of AI in the operating room is likely to expand even further, becoming a cornerstone of surgical performance, safety and resource management. From regional hospitals to large-scale networks, the message is clear: the operating room of the future is intelligent, efficient and data-driven.
Source: HealthTech
Image Credit: iStock
