A simulation case study: Reducing outpatient waiting time of otolaryngology care services using VBA

Abstract

Patients' waiting times in healthcare services are often long and unacceptable, and place great stress on clinic staff. This paper describes the development and use of a detailed simulation model of an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) outpatient clinic at the University of Illinois Medical Center. Arena simulation software combined with Arena Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) are used to model the ENT clinic and their appointment system. VBA allows various appointment schedules to be examined and the interaction between the appointment system and patient waiting times to be evaluated. It has been shown that an alternative appointment schedule significantly reduces patient waiting times without a need for extra resources.