The care for planning and control in a framework for hospital management

The paper presents a hierarchical framework for medium/short term planning and control of Healthcare delivery systems which deals with standardization, rationalization and effective measurement of assets capacity. The incorporated architecture is transposing information and communication methodologies, in the shape of Enterprise Resources Planning (i.e., ERP), from the production domain to the Hospital Resources Planning (i.e., HRP) frame. It is designed to translate successful control functions at all different levels of planning in a hospital. This is required for system’s flexibility, strategic decision support, material and resources and production control, patient volume admission and treatment schedule, budgeting analysis. Basically the vision coordinates procedures of operation management: Master Schedule (i.e., MS), Material and Resources Requirement Planning (i.e., MRP), Distribution Requirement Planning (i.e., DRP), Decision Support Systems (i.e., DSS), Finally Assembly Schedule (i.e., FAS). These modules need to be liaised, in an effective while efficient way, by a central engine of information sharing. Furthermore, based on the main holistic vision of the hospital, the material and resource planning\&control for a patients’ admission schedule are elaborated in terms of required inputs, designed outputs, control mechanisms, correlated links and knowledge claims. A capacity driven system is fleshed out. This work provides an extremely valuable methodological architecture to healthcare systems that recognizes the strategic role of coordination between resources and requirements. It summarizes the principal factors and relationships that such a modeling tool should incorporate. Implications of the proposal are discussed evaluating hardware and software requirements, gains and gaps in terms of costs, services and quality. The framework is planning to be as a reference base in detailed short term planning for earnings in health care services. Recommendations for future implementation and research development have been finally formulated