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.
Diversity alone won’t get the votes for funding public education. It takes communities that are more integrated and connected, where residents have a sense of shared stake.
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As the largest Cyclospora outbreak in U.S. history continues to unfold, restaurant operators are once again facing the reputational fallout of a food safety issue that may have originated long before produce reached their kitchens.
Food safety experts say the nationwide cyclospora outbreak could have lasting impacts on consumer buying behavior as cases continue to rise.
When reports of foodborne illness begin appearing across multiple states, identifying the contaminated product is rarely straightforward. Investigators often start with little more than patients describing meals they ate weeks earlier, then painstakingly reconstruct supply chains that can span continents before determining where contamination likely occurred.
President Donald Trump is back at it with his tariff threats for pharma, promising massive levies on generic drug imports starting in 2028.
The president’s proposal — which was announced on Truth Social and has yet to be solidified via an official proclamation or notice — is framed as a push to encourage domestic drug manufacturing.
Trump outlined a 100% tariff on generic drugs originating from outside the U.S. starting on Aug. 1, 2028, which would be increased to 200% the following year.
But the conditions that have long kept generic drug manufacturing out of the U.S. largely haven’t changed and Trump’s most recent plan might only succeed in making drugs more expensive while failing to bring factories stateside, according to Tinglong Dai, the Bernard T. Ferrari professor of business at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.
The recent Cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce is a reminder of just how difficult modern foodborne outbreak investigations have become. News reports often ask a simple question: Did investigators find the parasite in the lettuce? When a laboratory result is withdrawn or proves inconclusive, it can create the impression that the investigation has stalled or that the suspected food is no longer implicated.
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