Handbook of Healthcare Logistics


Book Description

This book presents healthcare logistics solutions that have been successfully implemented at a variety of healthcare facilities. In each case, a major challenge is presented, along with the solution approach and implementation steps, followed by the impact on hospital operations. Problems encountered when implementing the results in practice are also discussed. Much of the work presented is drawn from the experiences of members of the Center for Healthcare Operations Improvement and Research (CHOIR) at Twente, along with the CHOIR spin-off company, Rhythm.




Handbook of Healthcare System Scheduling


Book Description

This edited volume captures and communicates the best thinking on how to improve healthcare by improving the delivery of services -- providing care when and where it is needed most -- through application of state-of-the-art scheduling systems. Over 12 chapters, the authors cover aspects of setting appointments, allocating healthcare resources, and planning to ensure that capacity matches needs for care. A central theme of the book is increasing healthcare efficiency so that both the cost of care is reduced and more patients have access to care. This can be accomplished through reduction of idle time, lessening the time needed to provide services and matching resources to the needs where they can have the greatest possible impact on health. Within their chapters, authors address: (1) Use of scheduling to improve healthcare efficiency. (2) Objectives, constraints and mathematical formulations. (3) Key methods and techniques for creating schedules. (4) Recent developments that improve the available problem solving methods. (5) Actual applications, demonstrating how the methods can be used. (6) Future directions in which the field of research is heading. Collectively, the chapters provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of models and methods for scheduling the delivery of patient care for all parts of the healthcare system. Chapter topics include setting appointments for ambulatory care and outpatient procedures, surgical scheduling, nurse scheduling, bed management and allocation, medical supply logistics and routing and scheduling for home healthcare.




Handbook of Healthcare Operations Management


Book Description

From the Preface: Collectively, the chapters in this book address application domains including inpatient and outpatient services, public health networks, supply chain management, and resource constrained settings in developing countries. Many of the chapters provide specific examples or case studies illustrating the applications of operations research methods across the globe, including Africa, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Chapters 1-4 review operations research methods that are most commonly applied to health care operations management including: queuing, simulation, and mathematical programming. Chapters 5-7 address challenges related to inpatient services in hospitals such as surgery, intensive care units, and hospital wards. Chapters 8-10 cover outpatient services, the fastest growing part of many health systems, and describe operations research models for primary and specialty care services, and how to plan for patient no-shows. Chapters 12 – 16 cover topics related to the broader integration of health services in the context of public health, including optimizing the location of emergency vehicles, planning for mass vaccination events, and the coordination among different parts of a health system. Chapters 17-18 address supply chain management within hospitals, with a focus on pharmaceutical supply management, and the challenges of managing inventory for nursing units. Finally, Chapters 19-20 provide examples of important and emerging research in the realm of humanitarian logistics.




Handbook of Research on the Applications of International Transportation and Logistics for World Trade


Book Description

In today’s developing world, international trade is a field that is rapidly growing. Within this economic market, traders need to implement new approaches in order to satisfy consumers’ rising demands. Due to the high level of competition, merchants have focused on developing new transportation and logistics strategies. In order to execute effective transportation tactics, decision makers need to know the fundamentals, current developments, and future trends of intercontinental transportation. The Handbook of Research on the Applications of International Transportation and Logistics for World Trade provides emerging research exploring the effective and productive solutions to global transportation and logistics by applying fundamental and in-depth knowledge together with current applications and future aspects. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as international regulations, inventory management, and distribution networks, this book is ideally designed for logistics authorities, trading companies, logistics operators, transportation specialists, government officials, managers, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and students.




The SAGE Handbook of Strategic Supply Management


Book Description

The Handbook is the first substantive, multidisciplinary academic work to make coherent analysis of supply systems from the perspective of purchasing and supply, operations management, logistics, supply chain management, service management, industrial or relationship marketing, and inter-organisation networks. Selected by a team of leading international scholars, chapters examine key issues in the context of globalization and the move towards co-operative interorganisation network working. Expert contributors examine supply at different systems levels and differentiate between supply policy, strategy, management and operations. Organised into themed parts, the insightful introduction provides the framework for the Handbook that is divided into themed parts; it positions empirical research in the current academic context and highlights possible directions for future exploration. The Handbook will be the touchstone of any researcher interested in broadening and deepening their understanding of supply systems.




Medical Tourism Facilitator's Handbook


Book Description

In addition to coordinating health travel logistics and gathering medical records, medical tourism facilitators play the role of travel agent, appointment setter, concierge, hotel reservationist, tour operator, and hand-holder to clients seeking health services domestically and abroad. Addressing the issues that are likely to emerge as clients travel, the Medical Tourism Facilitator's Handbook is a must-have resource of hard-to-find tools, checklists, terminology, and other helpful information for hospital-based, lay facilitators, travel agents, and even retired physicians and nurses. Supplying the advice of a recognized expert in global healthcare, the book provides a detailed and empathic understanding of patient needs and expectations. It covers the full range of best and worst case scenarios that can occur when clients travel to obtain health services. Using a conversational tone, it includes coverage of international travel logistics, where to find answers to immigration concerns, confidentiality/privacy issues, and unanticipated care in transit in the event of complications or missed connections. The book delivers a fast-moving presentation of useful information and teaches readers how to decode the language, what to look for in terms of safety and quality, how to decode hospital facilitator agent agreements, and how to anticipate clients’ needs and expectations. It also includes access to a regularly updated website with helpful worksheets and reference material so you will be prepared to handle any scenario that might present itself when your clients travel.







Supply Chain Engineering and Logistics Handbook


Book Description

This handbook begins with the history of Supply Chain (SC) Engineering, it goes on to explain how the SC is connected today, and rounds out with future trends. The overall merit of the book is that it introduces a framework similar to sundial that allows an organization to determine where their company may fall on the SC Technology Scale. The book will describe those who are using more historic technologies, companies that are using current collaboration tools for connecting their SC to other global SCs, and the SCs that are moving more towards cutting edge technologies. This book will be a handbook for practitioners, a teaching resource for academics, and a guide for military contractors. Some figures in the eBook will be in color. Presents a decision model for choosing the best Supply Chain Engineering (SCE) strategies for Service and Manufacturing Operations with respect to Industrial Engineering and Operations Research techniques Offers an economic comparison model for evaluating SCE strategies for manufacturing outsourcing as opposed to keeping operations in-house Demonstrates how to integrate automation techniques such as RFID into planning and distribution operations Provides case studies of SC inventory reductions using automation from AIT and RFID research Covers planning and scheduling, as well as transportation and SC theory and problems




Handbook of Research on Global Supply Chain Management


Book Description

Supply Chain Management (SCM) has always been an important aspect of an enterprise’s business model and an effective supply chain network is essential to remaining competitive in a global environment. By properly managing the flow of goods and services, businesses can operate more efficiently while managing most of the workload behind-the-scenes. The Handbook of Research on Global Supply Chain Management is an in-depth reference source that covers emerging issues and relevant applications of information pertaining to supply chain management from an international perspective. Featuring coverage on topics such as the global importance of SCMs to strategies for producing an effective supply chain, this comprehensive publication is an essential resource for academics and business professionals alike interested in uncovering managerial insight and logistics solutions.




The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management


Book Description

Designed for students, young managers and seasoned practitioners alike, this handbook explains the nuts and bolts of the modern logistics and distribution world in plain language. Illustrated throughout, this second edition includes new chapters on areas previously not covered, such as: intermodal transport; benchmarking; environmental matters; and vehicle and depot security.