Hospitals with the highest operating room costs

Which hospitals spend the most on operating room costs?

NewYork Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center spends the most on its ORs, with total operating room costs coming in at $746 million. Mayo Clinic Hospital – Saint Mary’s Campus has the second highest total operating room costs with just over $453 million, and Massachusetts General is in third place with nearly $391 million.

Overall, the 20 hospitals on this list spent nearly $6 billion on total operating room costs. The average total operating room costs for hospitals on the list is $302 million.

The wide variance in cost per operating room is not driven by any single factor. Some drivers of operating room expense include highly specialized equipment, facility fees, types of surgery performed, and salaries for surgeons and anesthesiologists – all of which can vary greatly between state and even hospital network.

Operating room expenses are one of the largest contributors to the total operating expenses for hospitals, and the average tends to be higher in the northeast, which might be why three of the top five hospitals on the list above are in New York and Massachusetts. In fact, NewYork Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center also tops the list of hospitals with the highest total operating expenses.

How many operating rooms do the hospitals with the highest operating room costs have?

The average number of ORs for hospitals on the list is 20. In comparison, the average number of ORs in all active hospitals in the HospitalView product is seven.

Interestingly, the number of ORs does not appear to correlate to higher total operating room costs. Hospitals with as many as 78 operating rooms to as few as 11 are included on the list.

Why do hospitals spend so much money on operating rooms?

The reasons behind why hospitals spend so much on operating rooms can vary. Some of the key expenses for operating rooms include salary costs, supplies, equipment and facility space. ORs require expensive equipment such as operating room tables, anesthesia machines, and other surgical devices that can add to the total hospital spend. Additionally, ORs need to be sanitized frequently for patient safety which can add to the expense.

What is an operating room?

An operating room, sometimes referred to as an OR, operating theater or surgical theater, is an area of a hospital where surgical procedures are carried out in a sterilized environment. An operating room typically contains medicines, equipment, and other supplies that surgeons and anesthesiologists need during an operation. ORs are designed with different specifications to meet the unique needs of a hospital and its patient populations.

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