Topic:

Time&Date:

10:30 am - 12:00 am, March 14, 2025 (Friday)

Venue

Room D604, Teaching Complex D Building

Speaker:

Jiatao Ding 

Nanyang Technological University

Effective technology management is crucial for organizations seeking to leverage technological innovation to improve decision-making and operational performance. While predictive technologies powered by advanced algorithms promise enhanced accuracy and efficiency, real-world evidence suggests that their benefits cannot be realized without proper operational customization-adapting tools to specific organizational contexts. This interplay between technological innovation and operational customization is particularly crucial in acute care, where virtual triage tools have been increasingly adopted to assist patients with self-triage and make informed decisions about the appropriate care options, i.e., primary care or emergency care. Despite their potential as scalable and cost-effective solutions, the impact of virtual triage on patient behavior and system performance remains underexplored. To address this gap, we develop a modeling framework to evaluate the effects of virtual triage adoption, focusing on the nuanced interaction between technological advancement and operational customization. Our analysis reveals a fundamental trade-off between the informativeness and volume of virtual triage recommendations, which significantly influences patient compliance. Additionally, we show that improvements in predictive performance of virtual triage may lead to adverse outcomes. Instead, tailoring virtual triage tools to align with system-specific characteristics offers a pathway to realizing their intended benefits. These findings emphasize the necessity of coupling technological advancements with operational customization to unlock the full potential of virtual triage. More broadly, our work underscores the importance of context-sensitive technology management, calling for regulatory oversight and collaborative efforts between technology providers and operational stakeholders to ensure effective implementations.

Key words: technology adoption, innovation management, predictive technology, virtual triage, healthcare, acute care, queueing game

Biography:

Jiatao Ding is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management at Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University. He holds a PhD in Technology and Operations Management from INSEAD. His research focuses on leveraging emerging technologies to enhance the efficiency and equity of healthcare systems. Jiatao’s work has been recognized with several awards, including a finalist for the INFORMS William Pierskalla Best Paper Award and the INFORMS TIMES Best Dissertation Award, as well as second place in the INFORMS IBM Best Student Paper Award and third place in the INFORMS DEI Best Student Paper Award.