Few first-rate biologists start their careers with only one ‘A-level’ (High School qualification) and a job in a copper wire factory. Fewer still go on to command a research budget of £250 million a year. But then Mike Dexter, who takes over this summer as director of the UK’s Wellcome Trust, the world’s biggest medical research charity, has always done things his own way. Dexter joins the Trus...

BACKGROUND We examined patient interest in a telehealth model in which the patient supplies the hardware and Internet connectivity to meet with a healthcare provider from his or her home via video call (video appointment). We hoped to understand prospectively the desirability, feasibility, and viability from the patient perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS A phone survey was conducted of a rand...

Methods Patients participated in unstructured, home interviews before their first appointment and approximately 2 weeks after the appointment. They were asked to explain how they had arrived at their current situation. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using constant comparison methods. Validity of findings was checked in second interviews (after the first appointment), and through 8 add...

SunAmerica is a major financial services company that primarily sells fixed and variable annuity products. Its assets (owned or under management) currently total approximately 11 billion dollars. SunAmerica was confronted with the industrywide problem that all agents, broker-dealers, and corporations must be appointed to the State Board of Insurance in each state for each product line to be sol...

Appointment schedules aim at achieving a proper balance between the conflicting interests of the service provider and her clients: a primary objective of the service provider is to fully utilize her available time, whereas clients want to avoid excessive waiting times. Setting up schedules that strike a good balance is severely complicated by the fact that the clients’ service times are random....

The unique methods of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) dentistry provide an exciting alternative to the traditional laboratorycreated porcelain veneers that have been a proven solution for smile makeovers. Design techniques have continued to evolve, with new three-dimensional (3D) graphics software that makes the process more intuitive and easier to understand. Impro...

BACKGROUND Visit preparation interventions help patients prepare to meet with a medical provider. Systematic reviews have found some positive effects, but there are no reports describing implementation experiences. Consultation Planning (CP) is a visit preparation technique in which a trained coach or facilitator elicits and documents patient questions for an upcoming medical appointment. We in...

We develop a convex programming approach to the appointment system design problem in a single server facility, using a (stochastic) network flow model to capture the waiting time performance measure of each patient in the system. We solve a robust min-max problem, using a representative “worst case” distribution matching the prescribed means and covariance estimates of the service durations of ...

Introduction. The practice of modern pediatric dentistry requires delivery of quality care in combination with adherence to excellent business as well as time management principles. A definite appointment schedule should be presented to the parents on the first or second appointment. More importantly, the prescribed schedule should be followed to the best of the professional abilities of the pe...