Health Operations Management : Patient Flow Logistics in Health Care

Health operations management is defined as ‘the analysis, design, planning, and control of all of the steps necessary to provide a service for a client’. In other words, it is concerned with identifying the needs of clients, usually patients, and designing and delivering services to meet their needs in the most effective and efficient manner.

Addressing this key healthcare industry challenge, this informative textbook crosses geographical boundaries to outline the logical steps of health operations management, focusing on the management of patient flows and resources. Until now, healthcare professionals, practitioners and students interested in this topical issue consulted general operations management textbooks, but with discussions of related fields (such as healthcare quality assurance and performance management) this dedicated volume now provides a much more relevant read.

Featuring theoretical framework and practical case studies, this book also covers subjects such as hospital planning and supply chain management in healthcare, and will be a valuable reference for students and researchers in the fields of healthcare management, operations management and patient flow logistics.

Jan Vissers is professor in Health Operations Management at the institute for Health Policy and Management of Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His other affiliations are Eindhoven University of Technology and Prismant – an institute for health care management research and development in Utrecht.

Roger Beech is a Reader in Health Services Research, Keele University, and the Academic Lead for Research, Central Cheshire Primary Care Trust.