Simulation Study of an Ideal Primary Care Delivery System

Abstract

Health care delivery systems have gone through rapid changes in the last decade. As a result of these changes, researchers have conducted many studies on hospital resource planning, more specifically, on hospital bed planning. In this article, the strategic emphasis is on the primary care bed needs in the state of Oklahoma. Unlike most studies, this study focuses on designing an ideal primary care service delivery system, rather than evaluating the effec tiveness of the current system. The state is parti tioned into a minimum number of primary care ser vice centers satisfying accessibility constraints to assure quality service. A simulation model of the system is used to determine the minimum number of primary care beds needed in the state to provide service at targeted service levels at these centers. The results of the ideal scenario will give health care managers and planners a new perspective and help them in making strategic planning decisions in the future.