Simulation Modeling of Healthcare Delivery

Abstract

Healthcare has delivered incredible improvements in diagnosis and treatment of diseases but faces challenges to improve the delivery of services. Healthcare is a complex system using expensive and scarce resources. Benchmarking, experience, and lean management techniques currently provide the basis for developing service delivery models and facility planning. Simulation modeling can supplement these methods to enable a better understanding of the complex systems involved. This provides the basis for developing and evaluating options to provide improved healthcare delivery. Simulation modeling enables a better understanding of the processes and the resources used in delivering healthcare services and improving healthcare delivery systems. Options to improve the cost effectiveness can be evaluated without experimenting with patients. This chapter reviews the current challenges and methods including the use of simulation modeling. Analysis of emergency patient flows through a major hospital shows the capability of simulation modeling to enable improvement of the healthcare delivery system. This chapter enables healthcare managers to understand the power simulation modeling brings to the improvement of healthcare delivery.