Simulation analysis of an outpatient department of internal medicine in a university hospital

Soaring health care costs and greater emphasis on preventative medicine have compelled researchers to examine new ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency in outpatient services. Extended waiting times for treatment in the outpatient department followed by short consultations has long been a complaint of patients. This issue is becoming increasingly important in Japan with its progressively aging society. In this context, a discrete event simulation model was developed to examine doctor schedule mixes (DSMs) and various appointment schedules (ASs) in a mixed-patient type environment in an outpatient department of internal medicine of a university hospital. It could identify some of the best DSMs by integrating a simulation model into an optimization program. Combining one DSM found via an optimization program with some ASs, the patient waiting time could be reduced drastically without adding extra resources.