Abstract: Lean Healthcare, Kaizen and Six Sigma are rapidly transforming healthcare operations from 'new ideas' to a 'way of life', at the same time while the concepts of Lean are fairly straightforward, applying the tools to daily work can be counter-intuitive and thus require a credible model to be effectively applied. In traditional lean approach consultants take advantages from Value Stream Mapping, the adoption of 5-S and Visual Controls as well as batch reduction and cellular flow. Often these activities took very long time to be adopted mostly due to internal change resistance and lean implementation projects struggle for achieving their goals. In order to control budgets while ensuring proper level of assistance to their citizens a NHS requires modeling the various clinical processes (such as surgery, clinics, nursery) Modeling & Simulation Experts propose both very detailed and high fidelity discrete-events models and approximate Systems Dynamics micro-world. In the presenter experience none of such approaches definitively proven their superiority and a mixed approach has to be adopted. This talk presents an innovative approach where Systems Dynamics and State Transition Diagrams are integrated building a flexible and general model able to reproduce complex healthcare operations in a tradeoff between complexity and flexibility. The talk presents a complete case study applied to real life hospital. Methodology is presented and discussed.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
He earned his degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Genoa and he completed his master thesis in Genoa Mass Transportation Company developing an automatic system integrating ANN (Artificial Neural Networks) and simulation with the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) for supporting purchasing activities. He had consulting experience in modeling applied to environmental management for the new Bosch plant facility TDI Common Rail Technology in construction near Bari. During his service in the Navy as officer, he was involved in the development of WSS&S (Weapon System Simulation & Service) Project. He completed is PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2001 defending his Doctoral thesis on “Advances in Industrial Plant Management” by applying Artificial iontelligence and Distributed Simulation to several Industrial Cases. Since 1998 is active in Distributed Simulation by moving US DoD HLA (High Level Architecture) Paradigm from Military to Industrial application. In 2000 he succesfully led a research group first demonstrating practical application of HLA in not dedicated network involving a 8 International University Group. He is currently involved, as reseacher, in the DIP of Genoa University, working on advanced modeling projects for Simulation/ERP integration and DSS/maintenance planning applied to industrial case studies (Contracting & Engineering and Retail companies). He is active in developing projects involving simulation with special attention to Distributed Discrete Event and Agent Based Continuous Simulation (SwarmSimulation Agents). He is teaching Modelling & Simulation, VV&A, Distributed Simulation (HLA), Projecty management in Master Courses Worldwide and he is teaching Industrial Plants Design in University of Genoa Masters' Courses. He is Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Logistics.