The ideal number of medical or surgical patients will vary depending on factors like the size, resources and budget of the facility. In general, for large hospitals that have multiple operating rooms, the recommended ratio is about 60-50% of medical and 40-50% of surgical. This would mean an average daily running number between 12-16 ORs. The ideal number of ORs that are not in use can differ depending on which hospital you go to, but it usually falls between 0 and 2 because too many would increase costs while providing no additional benefits.