Handbook of Healthcare System Scheduling

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. 

From the reviews:

“This book provides a comprehensive review of the application of sophisticated scheduling methods throughout the healthcare delivery system. … A number of the chapters outline outstanding research needs. Each chapter provides numerous references to relevant literature to enable interested readers to explore individual topics in greater detail. … Handbook of Healthcare System Scheduling will help to encourage further research into this important area and greater application of sophisticated scheduling methods within our medical care delivery system.” (George Miller, Interfaces, Vol. 43 (3), May-June, 2013)

“This book promotes healthcare efficiency and improved patient care by examining the multiple dimensions of scheduling. The purpose is to improve healthcare delivery through better scheduling of healthcare resources. … The purpose is achieved through a discussion of the technical aspects of scheduling that includes patterns of human behavior. This is ideal for those involved in healthcare operations and management. … This solution-oriented book should please and enlighten healthcare managers and those involved in healthcare operations.” (Robin T. Reesal, Doody’s Book Reviews, October, 2012)

Randolph Hall is a Professor in the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Vice Provost for Research Advancement, at the University of Southern California.  He has previously edited books on Transportation Science and Patient Flow, as well as written the text Queueing Methods for Services and Manufacturing.  He has worked with numerous hospitals on redesign of care delivery under the sponsorship of the California Healthcare Foundation, LA Care and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.  Dr. Hall holds a Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering, and a B.S. in industrial engineering and operations research, from the University of California at Berkeley.