AI-Powered Operating Room Technology Helps Erlanger Add 220 Surgeries Per Month

Erlanger Health System in Tennessee has significantly improved operating room (OR) efficiency using an AI-powered surgical scheduling and capacity management platform, allowing the hospital to perform an additional 220 surgeries per month. The investment paid for itself in less than three months and is now projected to generate a five-times annual return on investment, according to the health system’s surgical services leadership.

The Problem: Unused Operating Room Time

Like many hospitals, Erlanger had highly skilled surgical teams and advanced technology, including robotic surgery systems. However, many operating rooms were not being used efficiently. Available OR time often went unused because scheduling was still largely manual and based on a first-come, first-served system. This made it difficult to match surgeon availability, operating room slots and patient demand in a strategic way.

Hospital leaders realised that although capacity appeared available on paper, it was not being used effectively. As a result, patient access was limited and expensive surgical infrastructure, such as robotic systems, was not being fully utilised.

The Solution: AI-Based Surgical Growth Platform

To solve this problem, Erlanger implemented an AI-powered surgical growth platform developed by Qventus. The system does more than just scheduling — it uses data to predict which operating room time slots are likely to go unused and helps reassign those slots to the most appropriate surgeons and cases.

The platform can identify unused OR block time up to a month in advance and automatically prompt surgeons to release time they are not going to use. Once the time is released, the system offers those slots to other surgeons based on factors such as historical scheduling patterns, surgeon preferences and the hospital’s strategic priorities.

This process, which previously took hours of phone calls and manual coordination, can now be completed in minutes.

The Results: More Surgeries, Higher Efficiency, Strong ROI

After implementing the AI system, Erlanger was able to increase surgical volume by 220 additional cases per month. The hospital also achieved break-even on its investment in less than three months, and projections show the system could generate five times the annual return on investment.

The platform also gave hospital leadership better visibility into operating room utilisation, case trends and growth opportunities. Importantly, the system works alongside existing hospital systems, meaning staff did not have to change their entire workflow.

Why This Matters

Operating rooms are one of the most expensive and valuable resources in a hospital. When OR time is unused, hospitals lose revenue and patients may have to wait longer for surgery. By using AI to optimise scheduling and capacity management, hospitals can treat more patients, reduce waiting times and improve financial performance at the same time.

Erlanger’s experience shows how artificial intelligence is increasingly being used not only for clinical diagnosis but also for hospital operations and management. In this case, AI helped transform operating room scheduling from a manual process into a data-driven system, improving efficiency, increasing patient access and delivering strong financial returns.