Why IHO

The tools and methodologies offered by Operations Management have been successfully applied for military and industry needs over several decades. Businesses have used tools such as queuing models and simulation to design operations and material flow to minimize cost and maximize quality. These same tools have not been applied for similar effect in the healthcare setting. One reason is healthcare professionals’ lack of understanding of Operations Management, and similarly operations experts’ lack of understanding of healthcare’s unique characteristics. The Institute for Healthcare Optimization has been built on a multidisciplinary foundation that brings together the science of operations management, clinical knowledge, analytic skills and an understanding of organizational behavior.

• Our strength in Operations Management has helped us stay true to the science by developing our innovative Variability Methodology, which makes it possible to apply other standard OM tools such as queuing modeling
• Clinical expertise helps us translate operations science principles into practical implementable solutions
• Analytic skills allow us to take the emotion out of management decisions by synthesizing information of varying quality from fragmented IT systems
• Experience with organizational behavior in the healthcare setting enables us to facilitate new patient flow designs and processes

Each of these elements is potent in itself, but it is the combination that drives substantive and lasting improvements in healthcare delivery.