A novel think tank program to promote innovation and strategic planning in ophthalmic surgery

Background: Continuous quality improvement is a pillar of all surgical groups. Innovation is a critical aspect to continuously improve, but traditional staff retreats have several disadvantages which limit their utility in identifying needs and developing innovative solutions. To address these challenges, we designed the novel Think Tank Program to spur innovation and strategic planning for an academic ophthalmology department including the Kellogg Eye centre 6 operating rooms. Methods: The Think Tank program is a structured seven-phase program for faculty in small teams to identify, innovate, and implement meaningful change. Participants brainstormed problems and possible solutions to those problems, formed teams, acquired data, and implemented meaningful change in clinical care, research, education, and administration. Results: The program generated 19 novel proposals and significant faculty engagement and discussion in improving the department. A case example of improving the operating room (OR) utilization resulted in improved OR utilization from 63.8% to 74.6% over a 3 month period before and after implementation. It also resulted in a reduction of cancelled or rescheduled surgeries within 2 weeks or surgery from 29.8% to 15.2%. This resulted in an estimated positive financial margin of over $141,000 to the institution in addition to improvement in patient, surgeon, and staff satisfaction with the quality of care. Conclusions: Engaged faculty, critical data analysis, and value proposition analysis with data-driven metrics and accountability can result in a significant increase in OR utilization and reduction in surgical cancellations. Think Tank serves as a model transformative program to assist practices and institutions to best fulfil their mission while actively engaging and retaining their members.