Title: Study of Multi-Commodity Network Flow problem for the Patient Distribution System

Authors: R.A. Malairajan; K. Ganesh; M.N. Qureshi; S.P. Anbuudayasankar; Tzong-Ru Lee

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Anna University of Technology Tirunelveli, Tuticorin Campus, Tuticorin 628008, India ' Global Business Services – Global Delivery, IBM India Private Limited, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara 390002, Gujarat, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amirta Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore 641112, Tamil Nadu, India ' Department of Marketing, National Chung Hsing University, 250, Kuo Kuang Road, Taichung City 402, Taiwan

Abstract: The Patient Distribution System (PDS) is one of the urgent problems, similar to the Multi-Commodity Network Flow (MCNF) problem, which need rational attention. Medical tourism has become a buzz word for low cost treatment; a number of patients travel to different countries for getting treatment for various diseases. Mathematically, the model is formulated as an integer multiple commodity flow problem. Studies show that the proposed scheme allocates patients and yields better revenue generation for hospitals. Hospitals may potentially boost revenue by advancing to more intelligent resource allocation schemes, as compared to the traditional ones.

Keywords: multi-commodity flow problems; network flows; multiple commodities; flow demands; patient distribution systems; process management; mathematical models; medical tourism; low cost treatment; patients; diseases; health services; integers; patient allocation; revenue yields; revenue generation; hospitals; intelligent resource allocation; traditional resource allocation; India; logistics systems; logistics management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2012.047059

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2012 Vol.12 No.1, pp.70 - 88

Published online: 28 Nov 2014 *

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