Operation

Health care operations management includes extensive focus on the following areas: workflow, physical layout, capacity design, physical network optimization, staffing levels, productivity management, supply chain and logistics management, quality management, and process engineering. According to Langabeer (2008), health care operations management is a discipline that integrates scientific principles of management to determine the most efficient and optimal methods to support patient care delivery. Health care operations management can therefore be defined as the quantitative management of the supporting business systems and processes that transform resources (or inputs) into health care services (outputs). Inputs are defined as the resources and assets such as labor and capital, including cash, technology, personnel, space, equipment, and information. Outputs include the actual production and delivery of healthcare services. Quantitative management implies a heavy use of analytical and optimization tools as well as extensive use of process and quality improvement techniques to drive improved results.

Roles and goals of health care operations managers

1. Reduce costs- Identifying costs and eliminating unnecessary waste and effort, improving utilization, and generally stabilizing and reducing the overall cost of delivering services are important goals of operations management.

2. Reduce variability and improve logistics flow- looking for the most efficient and optimal paths for movement of resources, whether those resources are physical or information flows is another important goal of operations management. Variability is the inconsistency or dispersion of inputs and outputs. Variability threatens processes because it results in uncertainty, too many or too few resources, and generally inconsistent results. Improving flow means seeking higher throughput or yields for the same level of resource input. Other goals of operations management include...