Assessment of Logistics Capabilities Maturity of Home Healthcare Providers

Abstract

In home healthcare (HHC) services, patients receive coordinated medical care at home based on previous medical prescriptions. Given geographical dispersion of patients and medical staff within an urban area, the design, provision, and control of HHC service delivery imply a set of complex logistics capabilities that impact service quality. Consequently, the maturity of such capabilities is a key factor to guarantee that patients receive the prescribed medical attention, by the right medical staff, at the right time, and at the right place. Thereby, this chapter presents and assessment of the logistics capabilities maturity of HHC providers certified by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to provide HHC services in the metropolitan area of the second largest city in Colombia. Results show that an average maturity level of 3.2/5.0 for logistics processes, and 4.0/5.0 for service processes, evidence the need to improve service delivery.