Optimal Network of General Hospitals in Slovenia

Abstract

This article explores how the minimum number of general hospital locations can be determined with optimal population coverage. Due to the increasing financial problems of hospitals and the poor organization of general hospital healthcare, Slovenia is currently working to reform the healthcare system. Defining the optimal network of hospital providers is one of the key elements in reforming the healthcare system. To define the optimal network of general hospitals, the allocation-location model was used, and the maximize attendance model was used as the central method. The chief purpose of maximize attendance model is to optimize the demand attendance with respect to distance and time spent getting to the point of demand. In the analysis of optimal locations and the number of Slovenian general hospitals, we used data on the locations of settlements with their number of inhabitants and data on the Slovenian road network, based on which we defined average travel speeds on the categorized road network. The hypothetical locations of general hospitals and the number of optimally located general hospitals that provide access to the nearest provider were determined in three different time intervals. We found that the same accessibility to hospital services as provided by the existing network of general hospitals can be achieved with only ten optimally located general hospitals within a 30-min time interval. This means that two general hospitals could be rationalized or reorganized, which would bring significant savings in the field of hospital activity, which creates a large loss in the health system in Slovenia.