Investigating Roemer’s law: Would increased hospital capacity drive higher utilisation?
Publication Type
Case
Publication Date
2-2025
Abstract
Set in August 2024, the case describes the task Cindy Chua, a Senior Data Analyst at a large public hospital in Singapore, has on hand. She was tasked to forecast the hospital’s growth capacity in the next few decades. As she worked on a dataset of inpatient discharges at selected general hospitals in Singapore from 1987 to 2024, she pondered two pertinent questions: (1) Has opening new hospitals in Singapore resulted in an overall increase in hospital inpatient utilisation? (2) What impact does increased hospital capacity have on the relative utilisation of existing hospital inpatient facilities? In her analysis, she investigates whether Roemer’s Law applies to Singapore and how it might impact a hospital’s long-term capacity growth.
Through this case, students will gain a better understanding of key healthcare system concepts and the historical trends in hospital utilisation, and they will develop practical skills in addressing unstructured healthcare system problems while being introduced to the idea of unintended consequences of healthcare initiatives.
Instructors can teach this case in senior undergraduate and postgraduate classes focusing on healthcare analytics in an information system degree.
Keyword(s)
Resource management, Demand analysis, Supply analysis, Data-driven decision making, Market share, Action planning
Discipline
Databases and Information Systems | Health Information Technology
Research Areas
Intelligent Systems and Optimization
Data Source
Generalised Experience
Industry
Hospitals and hospital management
Geographic Coverage
Singapore
Temporal Coverage
2024
Education Level
Postgraduate; Undergraduate
Publisher
Singapore Management University
Case ID
SMU-24-0033
Additional URL
https://cmp-shop.smu.edu.sg/products/investigating-roemer-s-law-would-increased-hospital-capacity-drive-higher-utilisation?variant=42580488880170
Comments
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