The Stochastic Healthcare-Facility Configuration Problem

该奖项的研究目标包括随机医疗设施配置问题（SHFCP）的模型；新的知识基础，以优化SHFCP和模拟工作量，容量和追索权；通过计算测试来评估方法，并从重点案例研究中获得见解。SHFCP规定了设施配置，包括每个设施的位置和大小（允许开业、扩建、收缩和关闭）以及它提供的服务——考虑到不确定的患者需求。目标是一种可扩展的方法来规划医疗设施配置，例如，根据需求和人口变化进行调整。这项工作是及时的，因为美国寻求扩大获得医疗保健服务的机会。由于居民的数量、人口结构和健康状况，农村医疗保健问题尤其严重；家庭医生短缺；以及旅行距离。该方法可被医疗保健管理人员用于规划服务水平，也可被政府官员用于评估政策。方法的方法需要随着解决方案方法学发展原型模型，并派生工作负载、能力和预期追索权的模型。计算测试将根据卫生保健合作者提供的信息评估效果并进行案例研究，重点放在农村卫生保健作为测试平台。这项研究将产生五个重大的广泛影响。前两个包括对整个社会的好处，这些好处来自解决实际shfcp的能力，以及配置其他系统和解决对社会重要的其他领域的随机问题的结果的普遍性。第三是传播，根据《数据管理计划》向公众提供数据；通过出版物、演讲和大学教学，使研究成果广泛传播；安置学生。第四，将积极从代表性不足的群体中招募研究助理。第5个影响与教育有关：补助金将涉及本科生和高中教师

The research objectives of this award include a model of the stochastic healthcare facility configuration problem (SHFCP); new knowledge bases to optimize SHFCP and to model workload, capacity, and recourse; and computational tests to evaluate methodology and gain insights from focused case study. SHFCP is to prescribe facility configuration, including the location and size (allowing openings, expansions, contractions, and closures) of each facility along with the services it offers - given uncertain patient needs. The goal is a scalable methodology to plan healthcare facility configuration, for example, adjusting to demand and demographic changes. This work is timely as the U.S. seeks to expand access to healthcare services. Rural healthcare is especially problematic due to the number, demographics, and health of residents; shortage of family doctors; and travel distances. The methodology can be used by healthcare administrators to plan levels of service and by government officials to evaluate policies. The method of approach entails evolving a prototype model along with solution methodology and deriving models of workload, capacity, and expected recourse. Computational tests will evaluate efficacy and undertake case study, based on information provided by healthcare collaborators and focused on rural healthcare as a testbed. The research will have five significant broad impacts. The first two comprise benefits to society at large, which accrue from the capability to solve actual SHFCPs and the generality of results in configuring other systems and solving stochastic problems in other areas important to society. The third will result from dissemination, providing public access to data according to the Data Management Plan; making research results widely available through publication, presentations, and teaching in universities; and placing students. The fourth is that research assistants will be actively recruited from under-represented groups. The fifth impact deals with education: supplementary grants will engage undergraduate students and high school teachers