Analyzing the impact of scheduling appointments on various KPIs of the MRI unit at AUBMC

Abstract

Nowadays, many organizations and firms strive to reach ambitious goals that not only benefit the organizations themselves, but also improve the quality of life of their surrounding society. However in their quest for growth, many processes and systems gain additional complexity that not only is difficult to map, but also makes problem analysis a tedious task. In some cases, this task is further complicated by inherent stochastic features and human behavior. In this work, we consider the MRI unit within the radiology department at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. As is the case with some other healthcare organizations, this unit is characterized by stochastic patients’ arrival time, no shows, various priorities and lack of reliable service-time statistics. After performing on-site observation and historical data analysis, we model the flows and devise an automated way to simulate daily appointments and operations within the concerned unit. This work also demonstrates how scheduling appointments can improve the MRI process efficiency and increase its perceived value.