K-Means Clustering

What is "k-means clustering," and how might it help healthcare administration leaders in their health services organization?

One of the more common methods of clustering is  the use of k-means, where "k" is the number of clusters that are meant  to describe the population of interest. For example, what if you were  interested in segmenting patients based on satisfaction levels? K-means  clustering could be used in the same way to help describe this given  population.

This technique might assist leaders in  determining what characteristics need to be considered in order to study  crime and unemployment. In striving to address the problem, k-means  clustering is an effective tool for leadership to consider.

For this Assignment, review the resources for  this week, and examine the k-means clustering approach. Reflect on how  you might apply this approach to an issue or challenge in a health  services organization. Then, complete the problems for the Assignment.

For Chapter 17, problem 21, you will need to download the file P17_21.xlsx from the textbook companion website http://www.cengage.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=9781305947542.  Under “Book Resources”, click on “Student Downloads” to view the  downloadable files. Click “Problem Files” and download the zipped file  1305947541_538885.zip. Open the zipped file, and select folder “Problem  Files” and then select folder “Chapter 17” to access the file P17_21.xlsx.

The Assignment: (3–5 pages)

• Complete Problem 21 on page 938 of your course text.