Pharmaceutical Order Processing

Caremark PCS (Formerly Advanced PCS)

The pharmacy benefits group for Caremark looked to simulation to help improve customer service and reduce turnaround time on prescription orders.

Orders arrive to the central processing location in Scottsdale, AZ via telephone, fax, internet, and mail. Each order can then proceed through one of hundreds of possible paths depending on the type of order, the source, if it is a refill or new prescription, and other random factors. Each path will contain anywhere from 4 to15 steps. At each step the order must be processed, and delays may occur. 

The sheer volume and complexity of the orders made capacity planning and staffing very difficult. Simulation has helped reduce order turnaround time, improve staff utilization, and reduce costs.

Patient Flow Simulation

US Government Department of Indian Health Services

A generalized discrete event simulation tool was utilized for the analysis of client flows in a system of 13 outpatient clinics for the US Government's Indian Health Services (IHS) Organization in Billings, MT. This tool, used by IHS analysts, with support from NovaSim, helped to redesign their client flows in order to better serve client needs.

Emergency Department Simulation

Johns Hopkins Medical Institute

A comprehensive study of three Emergency Departments within the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System. This project involved initial process analysis, a large data collection and analysis effort, as well as the development of a discrete event simulation model. Using the first site as a baseline, we developed a generalized tool that was then applied to the final two Emergency Departments in the system. As part of this project, we have had to work with and understand the bed allocation policies in the larger hospital setting.

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