Modeling and analyzing a physician clinic environment using discrete-event (visual) simulation

This paper examines the design and development of a discrete-event (visual) simulation model of a physician clinic environment within a physician network. Biological & Popular Culture, Inc. (Biopop) sought to partner with healthcare professionals to provide high-quality, cost-effective medical care within a physician network setting. Towards this end, a discrete-event (visual) simulation model that captures both the operations of a family practice healthcare clinic and a centralized information center is presented. The research presented in this article focuses on the family practice healthcare clinic. This simulation model is built in an object-oriented, visual manner utilizing the visual simulation environment. Application of the object-oriented paradigm allows simulation objects in the model to be easily reused. The simulation model provides a tool for risk-free evaluation of operating policies in the clinical environment. Results of a fractional factorial design to determine those input factors which significantly affect overall clinic effectiveness are reported.