Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2013 - (Page 110)

Discrete event Simulation for healthcare Organizations: a Tool for Decision making Eric Hamrock, senior project administrator, operations integration, Johns Hopkins Health System, Baltimore, Maryland; Kerrie Paige, PhD, president, NovaSim, Bellingham, Washington; Jennifer Parks, assistant director, case mix information management, Johns Hopkins Health System; James Scheulen, chief administrative officer, emergency medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital; and Scott Levin, PhD, associate professor, emergency medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and operations integration, Johns Hopkins Health System E X E C U t i V E S U M M a r Y healthcare organizations face challenges in efficiently accommodating increased patient demand with limited resources and capacity. The modern reimbursement environment prioritizes the maximization of operational efficiency and the reduction of unnecessary costs (i.e., waste) while maintaining or improving quality. as healthcare organizations adapt, significant pressures are placed on leaders to make difficult operational and budgetary decisions. In lieu of hard data, decision makers often base these decisions on subjective information. Discrete event simulation (DeS), a computerized method of imitating the operation of a real-world system (e.g., healthcare delivery facility) over time, can provide decision makers with an evidence-based tool to develop and objectively vet operational solutions prior to implementation. DeS in healthcare commonly focuses on (1) improving patient flow, (2) managing bed capacity, (3) scheduling staff, (4) managing patient admission and scheduling procedures, and (5) using ancillary resources (e.g., labs, pharmacies). This article describes applicable scenarios, outlines DeS concepts, and describes the steps required for development. an original DeS model developed to examine crowding and patient flow for staffing decision making at an urban academic emergency department serves as a practical example. for more information about the concepts in this article, contact mr. hamrock at ehamroc1@jhmi.edu. 110

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2013

Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2013
Contents
Interview
Equity of Care
Integrated Health Systems
Are Real Teams Healthy Teams?
Discrete Event Simulation for Healthcare Organizations: A Tool for Decision Making
Hospital Ownership and Community Benefit: Looking Beyond Uncompensated Care
How Satisfied Are Healthcare Systems with Their Ownership of Retail Clinics?

Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2013