Question

A patient arrives at a medical center and has to make decisions about their treatment schedule. Upon arrival, the patient has to choose whether they will go to the waiting room for their regular provider, where the expected wait time is 45 minutes, or to an overflow waiting room where the expected wait time is 10 minutes. If they go to the waiting room for their regular provider, when they are called in they have to choose if they will see an MD or an NP. It is expected that it will take an MD 30 minutes to enter the exam room, and an NP will enter after 10 minutes. The appointment duration with an MD averages 15 minutes, and for an NP the average time is 25 minutes. After an appointment with either an MD or an NP, the patient goes to Billing Station 1 where it takes them 10 minutes to checkout, after which they can go home. If the patient first chooses to go to the overflow waiting room, when they are called in to see a provider they will meet with a PRN, who will enter the exam room after 15 minutes. After being screened by the PRN, the patient must choose if they want to see an MD, an NP, or a PA. It is expected that it will take 60 minutes for an MD to enter the exam room, 15 minutes for an NP, and 40 minutes for a PA. The average exam times for an MD or NP are the same as above, and the average exam time for an NP is 20 minutes. If the patient has an appointment with a PA, they can choose to go to Billing Station 1, or they can go to Billing Station 2 where it takes on average 25 minutes to check out. After check-out, the patient can go home. Formulate a network model that will allow the patient to determine the sequence of decisions they should make to minimize their total time in the medical center. [Hint: it can be modeled a shortest path problem.]

Answer 1

Network Model

A network model is a database model that is designed as a flexible approach to representing objects and their relationships.

Below image is the graphical explanation of the above scenario using network model

NETWORK MODEL I Patient 45min lomin waiting room Oreatlow room! 15 min 30min/ zomin . INP [PRN PRN L I 15 20 THO Wp [PAL 15 min 25 mun 20 min Bidang Station I 10 nün checkout lomin Checkout 25min checkout Billing station il Billing station 2 .

Now we will calculate the total time with help of network model ollagram. Note - waiting room denoted as wR and Overflow room as or in table WR to MD WR to NP Time take in minutes station I Waiting room MP » Bruing = 45+ 30+15+10 = 100 min - = 1 hour 40 min Waiting room NP Bluing station 1 - 45 + lot 25+10 - gomin = 1 hour 30 min OR to Billing Time taken station 1 & OR in minutes to Billine 2 1 Oveshtroom -> PNR -> AP -> Bilina 1 - 10+15+ Go +15+10 = 110 min = 1 hour so min

Overfull room - PNR = 10+15+15 NP Bluing 1 +25+10 = 1 hour 15 min Overfull room PNR PA y Biling 1 = 10 +15+40+20+ 10 - = 95min - I show 35 min. Simililarly if we add is min more fore Biruing station 2 the time will increase is min for each te path. Hence model according patient to the network can choose > Overtull room 2) NP 3 Biling station 1 This will help his time patient to minimise