A SIMULATOR TO IMPROVE WAITING TIMES AT A MEDICAL IMAGING CENTER

Abstract

Medical Imaging Centers (MIC) are critical units in every hospital or medical center because they are an important step in generating a patient’s diagnostic. This paper shows a simulator designed to facilitate the development of simulation studies of MIC, which departs from traditional modeling because it uses a pull paradigm for the patients. A group technology approach was used to minimize the number of objects in the simulator, which includes objects that have the functionality of the equipments and processes found in these facilities, so that the analyst only needs to provide the parameters of the center. All the data is provided to the simulator through a Graphic User Interface (GUI), requiring no programming capacities. As an application of the simulator, an example is provided where the simulator is used to improve the waiting times and equipment rate of utilization at a research hospital in Chile.