The increase in cost of supplies and services is outpacing the increase in revenues at many hospitals. To address this cost increase hospitals are seeking more efficient ways to store and manage vast inventories of medical supplies. A parsimonious and efficient inventory system which we call...

We consider an appointment-based service system (e.g., an outpatient clinic) for which appointments need to be scheduled before the service session starts. Patients with scheduled appointments may or may not show up for their appointments. The service of scheduled patients can be interrupted by...