Mark S. Daskin and Sanjay Mehrotra
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
Winter, 2009
Northwestern University
IE 490 – Operations Research in
Healthcare
OVERVIEW:
The US healthcare industry is in a crisis. Costs are expanding at a rate that is roughly
double the rate at which the gross national product is increasing. The US spends more
per capita on healthcare than does any other country. At the same time, we rank well
below many other western countries on key healthcare metrics including life expectancy
and infant mortality. Roughly one in every six Americans lacks healthcare insurance;
this contributes to serious disparities in access to healthcare throughout the country.
On an international front, many developing countries are plagued by such diseases as
tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Basic healthcare in many countries is severely lacking.
Operations research has begun to impact the healthcare industry in significant ways. This
impact has ranged from short term local operational improvements within individual
physician offices, clinics and hospitals, to the design of improved clinical procedures.
Epidemiological studies have benefited from the use of operations research techniques as
has the analysis of national healthcare policies. Naturally, healthcare supply chain
management has been impacted by the use of operations research methodologies.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the many
applications of operations research in healthcare and to motivate students to
contribute to this growing literature.
COURSE PREREQUISITES:
The course will focus on reading and discussing a broad range of literature related to
applications of operations research in healthcare. Students are expected to have a
background in optimization, statistics and stochastic processes. Students who have taken
IE 450-1 and who are currently registered in (or have taken) IE 460-1 should have
adequate preparation for the course. Students who have taken IE 407, or graduate
equivalent, should also be adequately prepared for the course. Students who do not meet
these criteria should discuss their preparation for the course with one of the instructors
prior to enrolling in the course.
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Mark S. Daskin and Sanjay Mehrotra
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
Winter, 2009
Northwestern University
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Students are expected to have read all papers prior to the class in which they will
be discussed and to participate actively in the discussion of the papers. Prior to
each class, students will be asked to hand in a short summary of the papers to be
discussed that day. This summary should be no more than one paragraph per
paper and should be written in a style that is suitable for a literature review.
2. In addition, students will be asked to present papers during the class. The
presentations should be structured in two parts:
a. a short 15-20 minute overview of the research in a style that would be
suitable for an INFORMS meeting presentation
b. a more detailed (though maybe not longer) discussion of one or more of
the technical aspects of the paper
3. Finally students will be required to do a term project that uses operations research
techniques to analyze some aspect of healthcare. Possible projects include: (1) a
detailed literature survey of papers related to one of the course topics, (2) a model
designed to improve some aspect of the healthcare delivery system in a hospital or
clinic, (3) a discussion and demonstration of operations research applied to a
public policy question in healthcare. Clearly, these are only example topics!
Key deadlines for the project are as follows:
a. Monday, January 19, 2009 – students should hand in a one page project
proposal
b. Wednesday, February 18, 2009 – students should hand in a progress
report on their project
c. Monday and Wednesday, March 9 and 11, 2009 – students will present
their projects in class
d. Wednesday, March 11, 2009 – written project reports are due
COURSE GRADING:
As indicated above, students are expected to (a) participate in each class, (b) present
papers to the class when assigned and (c) do a term project. These three components of
the course will be weighted as follows:
Class participation
Paper presentations
Term project
20%
40%
40%
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Mark S. Daskin and Sanjay Mehrotra
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
Winter, 2009
Northwestern University
INSTRUCTORS:
Mark S. Daskin
Dept. of IE/MS, D237
Northwestern University
m-daskin@northwestern.edu
847-491-8796
Sanjay Mehrotra
Dept. of IE/MS, D236
Northwestern University
mehrotra@iems.northwestern.edu
847-491-3155
TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE:
Day of the
Lecture Week
1
Monday
2
Wednesday
3
Monday
4
Wednesday
Monday
5
Wednesday
6
Monday
7
Wednesday
8
Monday
9
Wednesday
10 Monday
11 Wednesday
12 Monday
13 Wednesday
14 Monday
15 Wednesday
16 Monday
17 Wednesday
18 Monday
Wednesday
Date
1/5/09
1/7/09
1/12/09
1/14/09
1/19/09
1/21/09
1/26/09
1/28/09
2/2/09
2/4/09
2/9/09
2/11/09
2/16/09
2/18/09
2/23/09
2/25/09
3/2/09
3/4/09
3/9/09
3/11/09
Topic
Due Dates
Introduction to Healthcare and System Modeling
Priortization and Resource Allocation
Healthcare Prevention and Safety
Hospital and Insurance Revenues
Martin Luther King Day -- No class
Predictive Modeling
1-2 page project proposal
Treatment Planning
Treatment Decisions
Treatment Timing and Govt Policies
Healthcare Systems Logistics
Facility Scheduling
Long-term Staff Scheduling
Short-term Staff Scheduling - 1
Short-term Staff Scheduling - 2
Patient and Outpatient Scheduling - 1
Patient and Outpatient Scheduling - 2
Emergency Preparedness
Social Networks and Learning
Information Technology
Student term project presentations
Written term project
reports due
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Mark S. Daskin and Sanjay Mehrotra
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
Winter, 2009
Northwestern University
NU DISABILITY POLICY
(For further information, please check the following web site:
http://www.northwestern.edu/disability/index.html)
Northwestern University is proud to welcome and support a diverse student body. By
removing some of the barriers to education that students with disabilities often
experience, we hope to create a learning environment that encourages and challenges all
students.
Northwestern University provides a variety of services to assist students with disabilities
in becoming active members of the University community. Services vary according to the
type and level of impairment experienced by each student. The majority of these services
are coordinated by the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD).
Appropriate services and accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Students with questions about eligibility for services are encouraged to contact SSD.
Depending on students' needs and limitations, documentation, history of accommodations
and educational environment, SSD may provide the following as appropriate: scribe and
reader services; note-taking services; materials in e-text and audio format; testing
accommodations, such as extended time and alternative test environment; interpreter and
captioning services; assistance in activity relocation; assistance in obtaining elevator and
lift keys; access to adaptive equipment and software.
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