Case Study 04 – Department Scale-Up
Staffing 14–20 ORs Per Day for a Group Serving 6 Million Patients
Large medical group — Midwest and Southeast, U.S.
Total surgical rooms staffed daily
ORs staffed directly by ARK per day
To full staffing — delivered on time
The Challenge
A Rapid Expansion Requiring Unprecedented Scale
In July 2023, a large medical group serving 6 million patients throughout the Midwest and Southeast received notice from one of their medical center leadership teams regarding the addition of 14 rooms to their daily lines of service. This expansion required the anesthesia program to accommodate a total of 36 surgical rooms daily. The medical group was given five months to complete the staffing increase. To meet increased demands, they turned to ARK Staffing Solutions to fully staff the new rooms and provide a PRN staffing pool for W2 physician vacation coverage.
ARK directly managed the clinical schedule with administrative privileges on the medical group’s internal software — ensuring the most integrative, managed solution for this ongoing need.
The Solution
Talent Procurement and Direct Schedule Management
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Leveraged our extensive network of anesthesia providers to deliver interim staffing coverage at this site immediately upon engagement.
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By January 2024, all new points of service were met by in-network partners and the referrals they provided.
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Directly staffed 14–20 ORs per day, Monday to Friday, with 10 to 12-hour shifts.
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Obtained administrative privileges on the medical group's internal software and took full oversight of the credentialing process with the staffing office and affiliated departments.
HOW THE PROCESS WORKED
Facilitated Locum-to-Perm Pipeline
ARK and the Regional/C-suite leadership of the medical group developed a transparent, trusting relationship over recent years and collaborated early on a plan to evaluate and accept over 25 active anesthesiologists to cover this emergent need. Key components of this relationship included biweekly conference calls where ARK leadership met with internal facility leadership to discuss logistics, candidates in process, clinical and practical areas of improvement for active contractors, and to facilitate locum-to-permanent conversions.
ARK Staffing has been instrumental in stabilizing our anesthesia program. They are our go-to vendor partnership for all physician anesthesia locums staffing.
– Healthcare Executive at facility
The Payoffs
Expanded Capacity for Better Patient Access
- Active C-suite partnership still in place — ongoing biweekly leadership collaboration continues today.
- Decreased wait times for patients needing surgical procedures across the expanded service area.
- More ORs running reliably enables more surgeries scheduled, leading to better patient outcomes and revenue.
- PRN staffing pool proactively prevents future coverage gaps from patient volume fluctuations.
About our brands
ARK Staffing Solutions and its sister company CRNA Together are your expert partners in locum tenens staffing, specializing in Anesthesiology, Radiology, Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine, and CRNA. Our Bridge Program delivers structured, mid-to-long-term staffing coverage with a full-schedule guarantee — ensuring uninterrupted clinical care for hospitals and health systems during transitions, expansions, and staffing gaps.
