Profitability analysis with the fuzzy logic: A hospital example

Abstract

Implementation of the fuzzy logic is a modern approach for cost-volume-profit analysis and decision-making process under risk and uncertainty (Yuan, 2009). The implementation of the fuzzy logic approach especially makes sense for profit or loss estimations in developing countries, where uncertainties and risks are often observed (Roztocki & Weistroffer, 2005). This study aimed to estimate the profit or loss of indirect Coombs blood test, which is among the 100 blood tests run by the laboratory department of a healthcare organization located in Istanbul, Turkey, that started operations in 2018. Another purpose of the research was to compare the profit or loss estimated by fuzzy logic with the actual values. Research questions of the study were: 1) Can fuzzy logic be used in the health sector’s profitability estimates? 2) What is the estimated success rate of fuzzy logic in the case of uncertainty and complexity? 3) If the fuzzy logic can be used in the health sector’s profit forecasts, how close are the estimated profit sums achieved by the fuzzy logic to the actual profit sums? Based on the findings of the study, profit estimated by the fuzzy logic is in a close range to actual values with a low error rate