Improving Operating Room Efficiency Through Reducing First Start Delays

March 11th, 2025

Delays in first-case start times in the operating room can lead to increased costs, healthcare team frustration, and delayed patient care. This presentation outlines a novel process improvement strategy aimed at removing barriers to ultimately reduce delays and improve first case starts.

Elise Ann Scoggins, MHA

Elise is the Sr. Director of Strategic Programs & Ops Planning for Interventional Platform, Imaging and Pharmacy, where she oversees the Program Management, Performance Improvement and shared spaces (e.g., locker rooms and breakrooms) teams. She is responsible for large/complex projects (e.g., 300P Renewal, Black Box, etc.) and integrating process/performance improvement to address complex process breakdowns within departments (e.g., Room Turnover, Case Carts, Patient Ready, etc.). Before joining Interventional Platform, Elise worked in Facilities, Services & Planning as a Senior Business Manager supporting Hospital & Clinic Activations (Transition Strategy), Property Services, and the labor budget for 500P. Elise earned her bachelor’s degree in Health Administration & Policy from Creighton University (Omaha, NE) and her master’s of Health Administration from Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO). After she earned her degrees, she stayed in the Midwest for 7 years, working in strategic planning at SSM Health (Catholic Hospital System in 4 states) and BJC (one of America’s largest integrated academic healthcare systems in the United States). Working in strategic planning, exposed her numerous aspects of healthcare from service line expansion, new hospital/outpatient center planning, developing patient classification process to track INP, Obs, OP volumes, volume/growth/market projections, launching new application-based products to track physician referrals

Dominique Watt MBA, MSN, RN, CPHQ, CNL, LSSBB

Dominique began her nursing career in 2007 and joined Stanford Healthcare in 2010. She has evolved into a leadership role since 2013, focusing on clinical operations, process improvement, education, and clinical effectiveness. An energetic and creative healthcare leader, Dominique is dedicated to delivering high-quality patient care and fostering a compassionate environment for both patients and staff. She excels in team development and effective communication, ensuring that patient-centered care and employee engagement remain central to her approach. Outside of work, Dominique enjoys traveling, walking, watching sports, and spending time with her family