Association of a Lean Surgical Plan of the Day With Reduced Operating Room Time for Head and Neck Free Flap Reconstruction.

Importance: Inefficiency in the operating room (OR) is detrimental to the patient, the hospital, and the surgeon. Head and neck procedures requiring microvascular reconstruction are complex, lengthy operations in which prolonged operative time is associated with higher complication rates and increased costs.

Objective: To use Lean methodology to identify potential OR efficiency improvement opportunities for head and neck surgical cases involving free tissue transfer, to implement an intervention, the free flap plan of the day, and to evaluate OR times after implementation.