Breaking perioperative silos: How data and automation are transforming surgical supply strategy

As hospitals across the country continue to confront financial headwinds, it’s clear that the operating room — long viewed as a high-cost, high-complexity zone — is now one of the most important areas for clinical and financial transformation. Few hospital departments face more pressure than the OR: It generates up to 70% of revenue but also drives a significant share of cost.

But the reality is that too many systems are still trying to solve modern performance challenges with outdated processes, disconnected tools and limited visibility. Additionally, surgeons, supply chain and finance often work from different priorities, systems and data sets. That misalignment leads to:

• Outdated preference cards that no one trusts
• High-cost items selected without price visibility or contract compliance
• Manual bill-only workflows that open the door to vendor-driven spend
• Clinical variation that’s invisible until after costs are incurred

Considering that clinical variation alone can increase case costs by up to 30%, one of the greatest opportunities lies in the perioperative space.

High-performing use cases

Below are examples of some the nation’s most forward-thinking health systems that are tackling these challenges head-on by practicing procedural optimization. They bring together data-driven insights — such as Vizient Procedural Analytics — to identify variation, automate inventory management, and connect tools and teams through cross-functional collaboration to drive value, reduce waste and elevate care.

Afterall, success doesn’t come from better spreadsheets. It comes from connected systems and aligned people.

Reduce implant variation with transparency: One suburban system discovered a wide range of implant costs for the same knee procedure, with some options 2–3 times more expensive despite identical outcomes. Clean benchmarking data made the variation visible and once surgeons saw the data and understood the impact, they initiated the change themselves. The result was standardization, lower costs and stronger alignment — all driven by data.

Optimize preference cards to restore trust: Cards that don’t reflect current practice lead to costly mistakes and broken workflows. In one case, a $300 stapler with a rotating head was being used for every case, even though it wasn’t needed. No one questioned it because it was on the card. Once flagged through data analytics, a quick conversation led to its removal with no impact on care. Cleaning up cards not only reduces waste — it rebuilds frontline confidence and can even save health systems millions.

Automate bill-only workflows: Without automation, high-dollar implants can enter the OR without compliance checks and show up later as surprise costs. One surgeon selected an implant based on a vendor rep’s suggestion. It wasn’t on contract and was twice as expensive as a compliant alternative. No one knew until the bill came through. With automation, the discrepancy could have been flagged before the surgery — saving time, cost and audit risk.

Use data to reduce supply variation: In another health system, data revealed significant variation in usage of surgical hoods and togas between teams. And they were able to decrease category costs from almost $1 million to $400,000. Once you identify where variation lives, you can have meaningful physician conversations and align on what’s truly needed. Smarter data unlocks more consistent, cost-effective care.

Empower physicians to lead change: In one bariatric program, two surgeons were using high-cost procedural packs. Clean benchmarking data showed those extras weren’t necessary and the surgeons led the change. A 40% reduction in supply cost with no compromise on care resulted, and it didn’t happen through a mandate — it happened through transparent, physician-led dialogue.

Start with data, lead with trust

Too often, the focus is on the data and not on how the data is used. The goal isn’t to dictate or restrict. It’s to improve perioperative performance and equip surgeons to make better decisions. Because when data is clean, comparative and presented collaboratively with respect — change happens.

When teams see value, the culture starts to shift. And that’s when change begins to really accelerate.