Major healthcare institution saves $5,000 annually per operating room

Major healthcare institution

Hospital gains visibility into OR conditions

A major healthcare institution improved visibility into environmental conditions in its operating rooms by piloting OpenBlue. The initiative strengthened compliance with Environment of Care standards while supporting energy reductions across the campus.

Impact Highlights

Saved $5,000 annually per operating room

Reduced energy waste with automated HVAC adjustments

Enhanced visibility across OR conditions

Limited visibility into operating room conditions

The hospital had more than 30 operating rooms but lacked real-time visibility into critical environmental conditions such as pressure, temperature, and humidity. Balancing risk, efficiency, and compliance was difficult, and an earlier attempt to implement room adjustments was abandoned because it disrupted clinical workflows. Underutilized ORs further compounded operational inefficiencies.

Pilot of automated room adjustments

The hospital piloted OpenBlue in two operating rooms, installing occupancy sensors and digital displays outside each OR to show real‑time room status and environmental conditions. The system connected to surgical schedules automatically adjusted temperature, humidity, and pressure based on room usage. Automated HVAC setbacks were applied when rooms were unoccupied, and cloud‑based reporting enabled trend analysis and visibility into system health. The solution operated fully automatically, requiring no intervention from clinical staff.

Improved compliance, efficiency, and cost savings

The OpenBlue pilot delivered operational and environmental improvements by automating adjustments and providing more comprehensive visibility into OR conditions. With enhanced access to real‑time data, including temperature, humidity, and pressure, the hospital strengthened compliance with Environment of Care (EC) standards and Joint Commission guidelines. The automated system also minimized workflow disruption by functioning without clinical staff involvement.

Key results included

Saved $5,000 annually per operating room
Reduced energy waste with automated HVAC adjustments
Enhanced visibility across OR conditions, including temperature, humidity, and pressure, through real-time displays and automated monitoring

About the Major Healthcare Institution

A major acute care hospital campus with 30+ operating rooms is a well‑established facility offering a wide range of medical services, including emergency care. It is part of a larger network of hospitals and clinics.

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About the facility

Major acute-care hospital campus
30+ operating rooms
Pilot: 2 Ors; 2 occupancy sensors installed per OR and room display outside each OR.

Solutions:

OpenBlue

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