How physician leaders are reshaping surgical ops: Lessons from WakeMed, Lee Health + more


Wednesday, January 28th, 2026 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CT

OR inefficiencies are a known drain on resources — but many hospitals still struggle to drive sustainable change.

In this live panel, physician executives from WakeMed, Lee Health and Cone Health share what it really takes to transform surgical services and achieve lasting operational gains.

They'll discuss how their organizations are tackling entrenched issues in perioperative resource management — from underused block time to poor throughput and OR delays — and how they're using technology, governance and change management strategies to improve coordination and capacity.

Insights include:
 
  • How to optimize surgical operations through better resource allocation
  • The governance models enabling physician-led change and measurable OR performance improvement
  • Real-world approaches to reducing delays, improving throughput and increasing block utilization

Presenters:

Matthew K. Tsuei (1) - Sydney Mason

Matthew Tsuei, MD

President, Central Carolina Surgery, A Duke Health Practice; Former Chair, Cone Health iQueue Committee

Dr. Chuck Harr - Sydney Mason

Charles Harr, MD, MBA

Chief Medical Officer, WakeMed

Copy of Thomas R Hunt - Sydney Mason

Thomas Hunt, MD

Vice President & Chief Physician Executive, LeeHealth 

Surgeon RT_Ihab Dorotta_LomaLinda - Sydney Mason

Ihab Dorotta, MD

Chief of Quality and Patient Safety and Chief of Clinical Operations, Loma Linda University Health

Please also check out our upcoming Virtual Transform Series.