Research Reports from the Department of Operations
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
4-1-1973
Abstract
This study investigates strategies for managing variable patient arrival rates in hospital outpatient clinics, particularly during peak times when waiting rooms overflow. A potential solution, inspired by scheduling theory, is partitioning patients by service time, with a focus on minimizing mean flow time (the total wait and service time). Using a stochastic scheduling model, the study explores a "quick service counter" approach where customers with shorter processing times are served by dedicated servers, preserving seniority to ensure fairness. Service times are assumed observable in advance, as in scenarios like supermarket checkout or preliminary hospital screening. The model simplifies complex queueing theory by examining static, just partitioning strategies applied to n customers served by m identical servers. Numerical results provide insight into the potential efficiency gains from such strategies, offering practical guidance while acknowledging the model’s approximations.
Keywords
Operations research, Queueing theory, Scheduling, Health facilities--Administration, Health services administration, Stochastic processes, Mathematical optimization
Publication Title
Technical Memorandums from the Department of Operations, School of Management, Case Western Reserve University
Issue
Technical memorandum no. 294
Rights
This work is in the public domain and may be freely downloaded for personal or academic use
Recommended Citation
Chandrasekaran, R.; Emmons, Hamilton; and Subba Rao, S., "Service Time Partitioning to Minimize Mean Flow Time" (1973). Research Reports from the Department of Operations. 511.
https://commons.case.edu/wsom-ops-reports/511