Allocation and routing of mobile computed tomography equipment

Abstract We consider the problem of allocating and routing mobile medical equipment to hospitals, as faced by an equipment leasing company. The equipment is leased to hospitals across the United States for periods ranging from a few weeks to many months. The problem is to satisfy the requirements of hospitals with different demand schedules given the equipment available. The objective is to maximize total revenues generated less the transportation costs incurred. The problem is here modeled as a network flow formulation. A spreadsheet-based decision support system was developed and implemented in a firm with no expertise or prior experience in such modeling efforts. Details of the system and its implementation are provided.