Modeling inter-sector health policy options and health gains in a long-term care network: A location-allocation stochastic planning approach

Abstract

Although not a common practice, proper planning of health care networks should consider the attainment of health gains and the impact of inter-sector health policy options. This study proposes a multi-objective stochastic model to support location-allocation decisions in the long-term care sector that integrates these aspects. The model aims at maximizing expected health gains and minimizing expected costs, using the augmented e-constraint method for analyzing this trade-off. The impact of inter-sector policy options on this trade-off is explored. A case study in Portugal is analyzed.