Data-Driven Surgical Supply Lists Cut Waste, Cost

THURSDAY, Dec. 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Data-optimized surgical supply lists can reduce hospital cost and waste and increase operational efficiency, according to a study published online Nov. 26 in JAMA Surgery.

Sean Perez, M.D., from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and colleagues conducted a quality improvement initiative (2019 through 2023) to optimize surgical preference cards for urology, colorectal, and surgical oncology services based on historical supply use captured through surgical receipts. The analysis included data from 1,298 preference cards and 432 procedures (3,088 unique preference card–procedure combinations).

The researchers found that the current surgical preference cards incurred a mean cost per case of unused items of $1,294.41, amounting to $3.7 million across all cases in the study. All three optimization strategies (by optimizing items listed on existing surgical preference cards, creating new preference cards for each procedure, and creating new preference cards that stratify existing preference cards by procedure) reduced the cost of unused items and produced less intraoperative burden. Colorectal surgery had the greatest relative reduction in the cost of unused items, with cost savings of $488,774.88 (55.8 percent reduction).

“We hope this study encourages health systems to take a more data-driven approach to preference card maintenance,” senior author Karandeep Singh, M.D., also from UCSD, said in a statement. “Optimizing these lists means surgeries are prepared more efficiently and resources are used responsibly, without compromising safety or quality.”

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)