A network flow model for inventory management and distribution of influenza vaccines through a healthcare supply chain

Influenza epidemics impose great losses in both human and financial terms. Billions of dollars are spent annually on vaccination programs aimed at fighting seasonal influenza outbreaks. A key question arising in large-scale vaccination programs is how to minimize the program costs while maintaining a required standard of public benefits. We suggest an operational research approach for solving this problem using supply chain concepts and techniques. Specifically, we consider a constrained cost minimization problem from the perspective of a healthcare organization (HCO). The HCO is assumed to consist of distribution centers clinics and to be a major provider of vaccination services. We seek to decrease the total monetary expenses of the HCO while taking into account public benefits of the vaccination program. A mathematical model based on network flow analysis is suggested. A real-world application of the developed methodology is presented.