Planning Logistics in Healthcare Networks: Analysis and Resolution

Healthcare networks bring together a wide range of public and private entities (hospitals, specific service units, healthcare professionals, …) at local or regional level that seek for management effectiveness, decisional efficacy and coordination. This thesis analyzes the problem statement: "How can those organizations integrate their internal logistic network?" Theories, concepts and integration guidelines from supply chain management theory have been applied to investigate this problem. On healthcare networks already in place, the application of centralized planning procedures is the more appropriate management strategy to rationalize and pilot the change processes. Hence, a general tactical level model is stated as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model supporting decisions on the global view of network layout and the coordinating policy among facilities in such networks. Apart from the adoption of optimization tools to provide a framework for costefficient operations, we have identified that information sharing and service level agreements are the key aspects in the effective accomplishment of logistics integration. We have conducted a case study at the Andalusian Regional Network of Clinical Laboratories (ANCL), a large healthcare network with geographically dispersed hospitals, clinics, and testing laboratories, that initiated an organizational strategy to enhance accessibility to services, quality of care and cost savings. Different solution strategies have been addressed in the MILP model that arises, in order to embed this model into a graphical, interactive and responsive Decision Support System (DSS) tool to support ANCL planners’ analysis of What-If scenarios. Drawing on the ANCL case study, it appears that the integration of the Information Tecnologies (IT) Systems at the different facilities and locations within the network and the centralization of the logistic planning procedure can be of invaluable help for aligning operational models and organizational behavior around demand, capacity and network configuration. This suggests that although such integration projects are difficult, costly and complex, they seem worth undertaking.

Author dc:creator

• Andrade Pineda, José Luis

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• González Rodríguez, Pedro Luis
• Canca Ortiz, José David

Statement dc:rights

• Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0 España

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11441/31876

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:idus.us.es:11441/31876