An integrated rolling horizon approach to increase operating theatre efficiency

Abstract: Demand for healthcare is increasing rapidly. To meet demand, we must improve the efficiency of our public health services. We present a mixed integer programming (MIP) formulation that simultaneously tackles the integrated Master Surgical Schedule (MSS) and Surgical Case Assignment (SCA) problems. We consider volatile surgical durations and non-elective arrivals whilst applying a rolling horizon approach to adjust the schedule after cancellations, equipment failure, or new arrivals on the waiting list. A case study of an Australian public hospital with a large surgical department is the basis for the model. The formulation includes significant detail and provides practitioners with a globally implementable model. We produce good feasible solutions in short amounts of computational time with a constructive heuristic and two hyper metaheuristics. Using a rolling horizon schedule increases patient throughput and can help reduce waiting lists.