Prediction accuracy versus rescheduling flexibility in elective surgery management

The availability of downstream resources plays a critical role in planning the admission of patients undergoing elective surgery, with inpatient beds being one of the most crucial resources. When planning patient admissions, predictions on their length-of-stay (LOS) made by machine learning (ML) models are used to ensure bed availability. However, the actual LOS for each patient may differ considerably from the predicted value, potentially making the schedule infeasible. To address such infeasibilities, rescheduling strategies that take advantage of operational flexibility can be implemented. For example, adjustments may include postponing admission dates, relocating patients to different wards, or even transferring patients who are already admitted. The common assumption is that more accurate LOS predictions reduce the impact of rescheduling. However, training ML models that can make such accurate predictions can be costly. Building on previous work that proposed simulated \ac{ml} for evaluating data-driven approaches, this paper explores the relationship between LOS prediction accuracy and rescheduling flexibility across various corrective policies. Specifically, we examine the most effective patient rescheduling strategies under LOS prediction errors to prevent bed overflows while optimizing resource utilization.