Scheduling methodologies for booking patient appointments with oncologists

Submitted by: Martin Puterman

Professor Puterman and his team are currently focused on creating scheduling methodologies for booking patient appointments with oncologists. For example, they may break down the schedule of radiation treatment appointments into individual components so as to better understand the process. They then analyze the results to determine what series of events or order of activities leads to the best outcome.  Sometimes Dr. Puterman will build a computer simulation of a system currently in place and run potential scenarios that could occur at any given time in order to ascertain the impact of each one. Once he is certain that his research has yielded optimal routines, he works with clinicians to apply his findings in their practice.  He has received many awards for his work and cut down wait times substantially.