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IEMS 444: Healthcare Management Science


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Description

The Covid pandemic has clearly demonstrated the inefficiencies in US and International Health Systems. Despite significant efforts millions have died due to inefficiencies in these systems. Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering and Operations Research techniques (broadly called Management Science here) have the potential to impact the healthcare delivery systems, and national policies in significant ways.  This impact can be on the cost as well as quality of health delivery through local operational improvements within individual physician offices, clinics and hospitals, to the development of improved clinical procedures, and improving national policies.  Epidemiological studies also benefit from the use of operations research and management science techniques. 

 The purpose of this course is to provide PhD students with an overview of the many applications of management science in healthcare and to motivate students to contribute to this field of study.

 

Course Prerequisites: 

The course will focus on reading and discussing a broad range of literature related to applications of operations research in healthcare.  Students are expected to have a background in optimization, statistics, and possibly stochastic modeling.  Students who have taken IE 450-1 and who are currently registered in (or have taken) IE 460-1 should have adequate preparation for the course.  Students who have taken IE 407, or a graduate equivalent, should also be adequately prepared for the course.  Students who do not meet these criteria should discuss their preparation for the course with the instructor prior to enrolling in the course.

 

Course Requirements: 

  1. Students are expected to read relevant papers prior/after to the class in which they will/are be discussed and to participate actively in the discussions.  After each class, students will be asked to hand in a short summary of the papers discussed that day.  This summary should be no more than one page.
  2. Students will be assigned one or two papers every week.  The students will then do two things: (1) write a summary of the paper, and (2) Critique the assigned research paper(s) for its contributions and limitations.
  3. Students are required to complete two or three projects. One project will be based on reading an assigned research paper and critiquing this paper. The other projects will involve data analysis and model development towards finding a solution based on real-world situations.