Proximie Argues Digitising Operating Rooms Is Critical to Address $32B Surgical Inefficiency

Hospitals across the U.S. and U.K. have continued to grapple with mounting surgical backlogs, staff shortages, and rising financial pressure, with operating rooms emerging as a central point of strain. In the U.S., hospitals have reduced surgical schedules due to workforce constraints, while more than seven million patients in England remain on NHS waiting lists, many experiencing same-day cancellations as staffing gaps persist. These disruptions have imposed significant personal costs on patients and staff, while also carrying an estimated annual financial impact of $32.7 billion for U.S. hospital systems.

Operating rooms represent the most resource-intensive hospital environments, accounting for up to 40% of total costs. Despite this, inefficiencies such as late starts, overruns, equipment conflicts, and scheduling challenges continue to erode productivity. Proximie founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram has argued that these challenges are systemic rather than temporary, pointing to survey data showing that many OR professionals have left their roles in recent years due to poor work-life balance driven by late finishes and workplace stress.

Proximie has positioned OR digitisation as a structural solution to these pressures. By enabling real-time visibility into surgical workflows, digitised OR platforms are designed to address unreliable data, scheduling complexity, and procedural inefficiencies. According to the company, technologies including artificial intelligence, automation, and computer vision can be applied to identify bottlenecks, reduce downtime between procedures, and improve utilisation during underused periods.

The implications extend beyond cost containment. Workforce shortages are projected to worsen, with the U.S. expected to face a shortfall of 30,000 surgeons by 2034, while nurse staffing levels remain below pre-pandemic benchmarks. In the U.K., more than three million patients have waited beyond the NHS 18-week elective surgery target, and globally nearly one in five healthcare workers have left the profession since 2020. Proximie has emphasised that recruitment alone is insufficient, arguing that predictable, data-driven operating environments are necessary to retain experienced staff and protect clinician wellbeing.

Evidence from early adopters has suggested tangible financial impact. A major U.S. healthcare provider identified that approximately 24% of total OR time—averaging 38 minutes per procedure—could be optimised outside incision time, translating into a potential $90 million annual upside. Proximie’s broader vision of a digitally connected surgical ecosystem has been recognised externally, with CNN dubbing the platform the “Future of Surgery,” reflecting growing industry focus on technology as a lever for operational and workforce resilience.

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