Transferability of industrial management concepts to healthcare networks

The paper presents the preliminary results of a RTD project devoted to the transfer of concepts and methods, originally developed in the industrial area, to the subject of healthcare services where a profitable application is envisaged. The approach is based on drawing out the analogies between supply chains, composed by a network of resources connected by transport devices, and the local networks of healthcare services (family doctors, specialists, ambulatories, first aid centers, hospitals) to which patients are directed. The crucial task of efficiently and effectively managing a territorial network of healthcare service centers is modeled by using control theory concepts, and application conditions are discussed.