At our facility during downtime hours, we have a list of things that need to be regularly done.
1. pre-op phone calls/assessments are done 3-5 days prior to their DOS, these are usually done during downtime hours.
2. post op phone calls are done 24-72 hours after DOS by the nurses during center hours when case volume is slow or patients are gone from the facility.
3. in the OR the staff restock rooms, pick cases for the upcoming days, dust bins, cabinets, shelfs, etc.
4. twice a yr (in December and June) we do a supply inventory audit this is done during downtime hours and usually takes 8 hours or more so we like to chose a time when there will be little to no case volume.
5. downtime is also a great time to complete continuing education such as BLS; ACLS; PALS at the center.
6. our staff also go up to our billing/scheduling office to assist in filing, etc out medical record files