Using Expert Systems for Simulation Modeling of Patient Scheduling

Modeling the scheduling of patient appointments is an important issue in simulating a health care delivery facility. A simulation model must include the control logic of appointment scheduling software and the explicit and implicit decision rules used by the human scheduler in selecting an appointment time. Expert systems provide one way of modeling such control logic and decision rules. We describe a structure for an expert system that models patient appointment scheduling and the integration of such an expert system within a simulation model. An example expert system for a small animal veterinary clinic is presented.