Data-driven optimization of health supply chains in the acute elderly care
Problem Context
Access to healthcare will be under severe pressure in the coming years. Due to the aging population and the shortage of healthcare personnel, waiting times are increasing and costs are rising. This calls for smarter use of available capacity. Although waiting times have long been high on the political agenda, a clear understanding of how healthcare chains actually function is lacking: where the bottlenecks are, how capacity is utilized, and which interventions are effective. Thanks to recent developments in data analysis and modeling, and the availability of large amounts of healthcare data, there is now an opportunity to better address these challenges.
Approach
The project builds on the results of the successful NWO project DOLCE VITA and takes it to the next phase. The core activities are:
- Developing data-driven models that describe the complex interactions in the care chain for older adults (hospital, short-term, and long-term care). 2. Design a Decision Support System (DSS): a dashboard with analysis tools that helps healthcare professionals and policymakers test "what-if" scenarios, such as the consequences of policy choices or new interventions.
- Iteratively refine the models based on practical feedback, ensuring they align with the daily reality in elderly care.
- Pilot testing of the DSS, followed by validation and practical application.
Expected results
The project will deliver new planning models, integrated into a user-friendly DSS suite. These tools help to better plan patient flows in elderly care, reduce waiting times, and deploy capacity more efficiently. The approach will be validated in practice and could lead to hundreds of millions in annual cost savings. The project thus contributes to a future-proof healthcare system in which elderly people receive more timely and appropriate care.
Consortium logic
The strength of this project lies in the collaboration between academic partners, technology developers, and healthcare organizations. SIGRA, a partnership of over 150 healthcare institutions in the Amsterdam region, is leading the implementation. Thanks to their experience with scaling up and adoption, the DSS is being put into practice step by step. This ensures that the knowledge developed doesn't remain on the shelf but actually contributes to better care and policy.
