The INFORMS Analytics+ Conference showcased how companies are turning advanced analytics and AI into measurable operational results
In most emergency departments, beds are a hot commodity. But some patients don’t actually need a bed for their treatment – and accurately identifying those people is a low-lift but effective way to increase efficiency without sacrificing care quality, finds a study recently published in the journal Management Science.
The researchers developed a simple decision tree, informed by mathematical and machine learning models, to help staff decide whether a patient truly needs a bed or can be routed to a “vertical processing pathway” – that is, an area where they can be treated sitting up. Many hospitals already have such an area but don’t necessarily have a systematic way to decide which patients are treated there.
American teenagers start their school day too early.
Medical experts have been clear for years: sleep cycle changes during puberty make it hard for teenagers to learn in the early morning. Later school start times have been linked to better sleep, improved mental health, stronger academic performance and even safer driving.
Most school district leaders know about this problem and care about fixing it. But changing the schedule can feel operationally impossible.
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In this week’s episode a professor and department chair comes on to discuss how the current supply chain crisis changes how professors educate about the supply chain.
RALEIGH, N.C. — With just 10 days until Christmas, many are hoping all those online orders will arrive on time.
New COVID-19 restrictions for international travel and other activities are fueling consumer demand for highly accurate polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests with rapid turnaround times. Some clinics can deliver a PCR test result within hours, which these days can be as essential as a plane ticket for air travel. The downside? It will likely cost you hundreds of dollars.
“Consumers have to be more agile, and adaptive in their holiday purchases, and should have started shopping early. Turkeys, for example in some parts of the country and regions may not be available at the weight desired. Bacon supplies have increase in price, and steel for cans is also hard to come by. So canned products from pumpkin to cranberries, plus baking, pie and turkey pans are not as available. Families this year are expecting to gather in greater numbers than the year before. And there’s clearly excitement surrounding that, so adaptability, solid planning, and early shopping will all be key.”
Because of shipping backlogs caused by the supply-chain crisis, some hospitals are reporting shortages of lifesaving specialized medical devices, including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, and breathing tubes. "This is already 2021, but shipping companies cannot give an accurate hour-by-hour estimation about when goods will arrive or where they are," said Tinglong Dai, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who specializes in health care operations. And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
OR/MS Today is the INFORMS member magazine that shares the latest research and best practices in operations research, analytics and the management sciences.
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Analytics magazine showcases articles and research reports based on big data, AI, machine learning, data analytics and other new-age technologies.
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