Patient organizations supporting health care and co-creating value : insights from a simulation model

Purpose: Patient organizations (POs) belong to the non-profit world and carry on several activities alongside health care. However, literature devotes scarce attention to POs’ management specificities in the interaction with health-care delivery. This paper aims to describe the contribution of POs to health care from an operational point of view; investigate the effect of POs’ managerial choices on health-care performance; and provide useful insights for patient organizations and health-care management. Design/methodology/approach: The paper combines qualitative case study research and system dynamics (SD). After a literature review about patient organizations’ role, modeling steps are described. In first place, the analyses of institutional documents, interviews and observations are condensed in a stock-and-flow diagram. The latter is translated into a set of differential equations to simulate the effect of alternative resource allocations. Findings: The case study emphasizes PO’s educational and administrative role in supporting health-care delivery. Simulated policy scenarios, while confirming the positive contribution of patient co-created health, disclose potential divergencies in public and private/third sector decision-making, to be read considering key feedback mechanisms within the system. Originality/value: This study proposes a holistic view of patient organizations’ engagement in health care. The findings highlight synergies and trade-offs of alternative managerial decisions involving POs and health-care providers, disclosing the benefits of joint resource planning.