Carilion Clinic Earns Top Honors for Surgical Governance Model

The award celebrates Carilion's shift toward a multidisciplinary governance model that prioritizes shared strategic priorities over siloed departmental goals. By establishing a Surgical Services Executive Committee, the health system created a mechanism to standardize operational metrics and improve block scheduling, which directly contributed to higher first-case on-time starts and reduced operating room turnover times.

Stephen Lovern, vice president of surgery and anesthesia at Carilion, noted that the objective was to institutionalize continuous improvement rather than chase short-term metrics. By embedding accountability and transparency into the daily workflow, the system has ensured that clinicians remain at the center of decision-making. Surgical Directions CEO Leslie Basham praised this approach, noting that Carilion successfully leveraged internal expertise to create a durable structure that remains effective long after the initial consulting engagement concluded.