Abstract:

As the aging population increases， the treatment demand from chronic disease patients is rising， posing unprecedented challenges to traditional healthcare systems. Chronic disease patients typically require long-term and regular consultations， significantly increasing the operational burden of healthcare systems. In this context， internet hospitals， as an emerging healthcare service model， provide a new solution to alleviate this issue. Particularly in the special situation in China， where patients often remain during doctors' lunch breaks， the integration of online and offline outpatient processes in internet hospitals shows great potential. By increasing the proportion of online consultations in the current process and optimizing the allocation of medical resources， overall efficiency can be improved， and costs can be reduced. An optimization plan based on a Simulink simulation model is proposed， aiming to explore the optimization of integrated online and offline outpatient processes in internet hospitals. Through the construction of a Simulink simulation model， detailed comparisons of the processes before and after optimization are conducted， analyzing the effects of the optimization plan on cost reduction and resource utilization. The research data is sourced from daily outpatient registration numbers from chronic disease departments in top-tier hospitals， statistical data from the National Health Commission， survey data on the willingness to use online medical services， and relevant literature， which provide reliable bases for model parameter allocation. Factors such as patient demand， the proportion of online and offline services， and doctors' workload are incorporated into the Simulink model to ensure that the optimization plan fits the actual situation. The results show that the optimized process can not only improve the efficiency of medical resource utilization but also effectively reduce the operational pressure on hospitals. Particularly when facing a large number of chronic disease patients， the proportion of online services plays a crucial role in enhancing efficiency. Additionally， sensitivity analysis of the optimization plan was conducted， and the results indicate that the proportion of online and offline services needs to be dynamically adjusted with changes in patient demand. When medical resources are not saturated， more patients should be encouraged to choose online follow-up consultations to improve overall efficiency. However， during peak patient flow periods， excessive reliance on online services should be avoided to prevent overcrowding of the online consultation system. It helps deepen the understanding of the relationship between online and offline services in internet hospitals is this study， further enriching the theoretical framework of integrated online and offline services. The research results not only provide practical optimization strategies for internet hospital managers， helping them flexibly adjust the proportion of online and offline services based on varying patient needs but also offer strong support for the allocation of hospital medical resources， aiming to improve overall service efficiency and the patient experience.

Key words: discrete event simulation, internet hospitals, integrated online-offline healthcare