Using Agent-Based Modeling to Inform Regional Health Care System Investment and Planning

An agent-based model is used to simulate a developing region population, disease burden, health care infrastructure and estimate the impact of resource investment decisions on population health and health care costs. In this approach, the primary agents are individual health care facilities, capturing population characteristics, facility catchment population, and facility diagnostic capacity and strategies. Health facility investment decisions are represented by new hospital placement and capacity in selected jurisdictions. Impact on outcomes is simulated over a time horizon of up to 20 years. Data visualization is applied and used to compare multiple scenarios to help inform public health planning, investment and policy decision-making.