GI Unit Leadership: Shaping a High-Performing Endoscopy Unit (Virtual) | February 2026-Case-based Interactive Discussion

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The moderated session of the GI Unit Leadership course delved into optimizing endoscopy unit efficiency beyond traditional OR-based metrics like first case on-time starts. Panelists emphasized studying each unit’s unique workflow, pain points, and strengths, advocating for organic, endoscopy-specific metrics such as “true completion time” that better reflect procedural realities, including inpatient add-ons. Discussions highlighted the significance of collaboration with anesthesia teams through regular huddles—especially in hospital settings—to anticipate day-to-day staffing and scheduling challenges, fostering a unified team culture.<br /><br />Addressing cost management, a case study on rising hemoclip expenditures underscored measuring individual physician usage, educating providers on procedure reimbursements versus supply costs, and aligning clinical decisions with evidence-based practices. Strategies to handle difficult providers—whether late arrivals or those struggling with scope navigation—focused on communication, empathy, flexible scheduling, and peer support like master classes to improve skills.<br /><br />Data tracking leverages EHR systems (Epic, Cerner, etc.) with dashboards and increasingly, AI tools for efficient analysis without adding documentation burdens. The course also touched on sustainable (“green”) endoscopy initiatives and concluded with panelists sharing leadership lessons centered on humility, continuous learning, communication, empathy, and fostering a patient-centered culture.<br /><br />Overall, the session offered practical, nuanced strategies blending data-driven insights, teamwork, education, and culture-building to shape high-performing, efficient endoscopy units.

Keywords

endoscopy unit efficiency

workflow optimization

true completion time

anesthesia collaboration

cost management

physician education

EHR data tracking

sustainable endoscopy