Decision Support Framework for Home Health Caregiver Allocation: A Case
  Study of HHC Agency in Tennessee, USA
Seyed Mohammad Ebrahim Sharifnia Faezeh Bagheri Rupy Sawhney John E. Kobza Enrique Macias De Anda Mostafa Hajiaghaei-Keshteli Michael Mirrielees
Population aging is a global challenge, leading to increased demand for
healthcare and social services for the elderly. Home Health Care (HHC) emerges
as a vital solution, specifically designed to serve this population segment.
Given the surging demand for HHC, it's essential to coordinate and regulate
caregiver allocation efficiently. This is crucial for both budget-optimized
planning and ensuring the delivery of high-quality care. This research
addresses a key question faced by home health agencies (HHAs): "How can
caregiver allocation be optimized, especially when caregivers prefer
flexibility in their visiting sequences?". While earlier studies proposed rigid
visiting sequences, our study introduces a decision support framework that
allocates caregivers through a hybrid method that considers the flexibility in
visiting sequences and aims to reduce travel mileage, increase the number of
visits per planning period, and maintain the continuity of care - a critical
metric for patient satisfaction. Utilizing data from an HHA in Tennessee,
United States, our approach led to an impressive reduction in average travel
mileage (up to 42% depending on discipline) without imposing restrictions on
caregivers. Furthermore, the proposed framework is used for caregivers' supply
analysis to provide valuable insights into caregiver resource management.