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An approach to optimize block surgical schedules

Sangdo Choi and Wilbert E. Wilhelm

European Journal of Operational Research, 2014, vol. 235, issue 1, 138-148

Abstract: We provide an approach to optimize a block surgical schedule (BSS) that adheres to the block scheduling policy, using a new type of newsvendor-based model. We assume that strategic decisions assign a specialty to each Operating Room (OR) day and deal with BSS decisions that assign sub-specialties to time blocks, determining block duration as well as sequence in each OR each day with the objective of minimizing the sum of expected lateness and earliness costs. Our newsvendor approach prescribes the optimal duration of each block and the best permutation, obtained by solving the sequential newsvendor problem, determines the optimal block sequence. We obtain closed-form solutions for the case in which surgery durations follow the normal distribution. Furthermore, we give a closed-form solution for optimal block duration with no-shows.

Keywords: Operations research in health service; Block surgical schedule; Sequential newsvendor; Normal distribution; No-shows (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ejores:v:235:y:2014:i:1:p:138-148

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2013.10.040

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European Journal of Operational Research is currently edited by Roman Slowinski, Jesus Artalejo, Jean-Charles. Billaut, Robert Dyson and Lorenzo Peccati

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