Medical device management and theft inhibitor techniques

• US 10,002,235 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius KABI USA LLC (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Ivenix, Inc. (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Gray, George W., McQuaid, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughan, Michael R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savenkov, Vadim
• Application Number:
  US14/794,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20160045661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/27 preventing use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14 Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A healthcare enterprise has an associated management resource that manages operation of one or more medical devices in the healthcare enterprise. To determine what functionality to enable in a respective medical device, the respective medical device establishes a communication link to communicate in a network environment. Subsequent to establishing the communication link, the medical device initiates communications over the communication link from the medical device to the remotely located management resource. The communications include a unique identifier value assigned to the medical device. Depending upon feedback (such as granting or denial of authorization) from the management resource with respect to the unique identifier value, the medical device operates in one of multiple different operational modes such as a fully functional mode or a reduced functionality mode.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a medical device;

accessing configuration information assigned to the medical device;

initiating communications over a communication link from the medical device to a remotely located management resource over a network to register the medical device for use in a private medical network environment to which the medical device is assigned for use, the communications initiated over the communication link in response to detecting that the configuration information indicates that the medical device is assigned a lock mode in which the medical device requires confirmation by the remotely located management resource to execute a first modal operation of the medical device;

receiving authorization from the remotely located management resource, the authorization indicating that the medical device has been verified for execution of the first modal operation in the private medical network environment;

providing continued first modal operation of the medical device while the medical device moves outside of a wireless communication range of the private medical network environment; and

switching from the first modal operation to second modal operation of the medical device in response to detecting subsequent denial of authorization of further use of the medical device, the denial of authorization occurring in response to an attempt to authorize use of the first modal operation of the medical device in a foreign environment outside the wireless communication range of the private medical network environment.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the medical device is a medical infusion pump supporting first functionality and second functionality, the method further comprising:

in response to receiving the authorization from the remotely located management resource;

enabling both the first functionality and the second functionality in the medical infusion pump;

in response to detecting the denial of authorization;

enabling the medical infusion pump to execute the first functionality, and

preventing the medical infusion pump from executing the second functionality.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the medical device is a medical infusion pump configured to support first functionality and second functionality, the method further comprising:

in response to being denied authorization from the management resource;

i) enabling the medical infusion pump to execute the first functionality, and ii) preventing execution of the second functionality in the medical infusion pump, and iii) causing a notification to be presented to a user of the medical device.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the first functionality supports pumping fluid from the medical infusion pump to a recipient;

and

wherein the second functionality supports retrieval of drug information over a network connection from a remote server resource disparately located with respect to the medical infusion pump.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein switching to the second operational mode includes disabling a less-than-all portion of functionality supported by the first modal operation.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the communication link is a wireless communication link to a wireless access point in the private medical network environment, the method further comprising:

establishing the wireless communication link in response to detecting activation of the medical device to perform an operation.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the management resource resides in a private network of a medical service provider, the management resource accessible by the medical device during conditions in which the medical device resides within a wireless communication range of the private medical network environment.

8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

in response to detecting the subsequent denial of authorization at the medical device, providing notification to an operator of the medical device, the notification indicating a medical service provider to which the medical device belongs.

9. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

in response to detecting the subsequent denial of authorization at the medical device, producing a notification to indicate that at least a portion of functionality of the medical device is disabled based on an inability of the medical device to commuicate with the management resource.

10. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a unique identifier value assigned to the medical device; and

communicating the unique identifier value over the communication link to the remotely located management resource to obtain the authorization.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the unique identifier value is assigned to a healthcare enterprise to which the medical device belongs, the healthcare enterprise assigned use of the medical device in the private medical network environment.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein establishing the communication link further comprises:

obtaining network information specifying a name of a wireless access point in the private medical network environment, the network information including a password to obtain access to the remotely located management resource through the wireless access point; and

utilizing the name of the wireless access point and the password to establish the communication link through the wireless access point to communicate with the remotely located management resource.

13. The method as in claim 12 further comprising:

obtaining a unique identifier value assigned to the medical device;

forwarding the unique identifier value over the communication link to the remotely located management resource; and

receiving a response from the remotely located management resource verifying the medical device, the response indicating that the medical device is authorized to operate with full functionality.

14. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

at the medical device, receiving subsequent authorization from the remotely located management resource via communications over the private medical network environment; and

switching from the second modal operation to the first modal operation of the medical device in response to receiving the subsequent authorization from the remotely located management resource.

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein the second modal operation of the medical device supports at least one but less than all of multiple fluid pump operations supported by the first modal operation of the medical device.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first modal operation of the medical device supports a first set of fluid pump operations;

and

wherein the second modal operation of the medical device supports a second set of fluid pump operations, the second set of the fluid pump operations being different than the first set of fluid pump operations.

17. The method as in claim 1, wherein both the first modal operation and the second modal operation of the medical device support delivery of a fluid from the medical device to a recipient;

and

wherein the medical device is programmed with communication settings to communicate through the private medical network environment with the remotely located management resource to obtain the authorization.

18. A computer system comprising:

computer processor hardware in a medical device; and

a hardware storage resource coupled to the computer processor hardware, the hardware storage resource storing instructions that, when executed by the computer processor hardware, causes the computer processor hardware to perform operations of;

accessing configuration information assigned to the medical device;

initiating communications over a communication link from the medical device to a remotely located management resource over a network to register the medical device for use in a private medical network environment to which the medical device is assigned for use, the communications initiated over the communication link in response to detecting that the configuration information indicates that the medical device is assigned a lock mode in which the medical device requires confirmation by the remotely located management resource to execute a first modal operation of the medical device;

receiving authorization from the remotely located management resource, the authorization indicating that the medical device has been verified for execution of the first modal operation in the private medical network environment;

providing continued first modal operation of the medical device while the medical device moves outside of a wireless communication range of the private medical network environment; and

switching from the first modal operation to second modal operation of the medical device in response to detecting subsequent denial of authorization of further use of the medical device, the denial of authorization occurring in response to an attempt to authorize use of the first modal operation of the medical device in a foreign environment outside the wireless communication range of the private medical network environment.

19. The computer system as in claim 18, wherein the medical device is a medical infusion pump configured to support first functionality and second functionality, the computer processor hardware further performing operations of:

at a first instance in time, in response to receiving authorization from the management resource, executing the medical device in the first operational mode including;

enabling both the first functionality and the second functionality in the medical infusion pump.

20. The computer system as in claim 19, wherein the computer processor hardware further performs operations of:

at a second instance in time, subsequent to the first instance in time, in response to denial of the subsequent authorization of use of the medical device while the medical device is outside the private medical network environment, executing the medical device in the second operational mode including;

i) enabling the medical infusion pump to execute the first functionality, and ii) preventing execution of the second functionality in the medical infusion pump.

21. The computer system as in claim 20, wherein the first functionality supports pumping fluid from the medical infusion pump to a recipient;

and

wherein the second functionality supports retrieval of drug information over a network connection from a remote server resource disparately located with respect to the medical infusion pump.

22. The computer system as in claim 18, wherein the computer processor hardware further performs operations of:

establishing the wireless communication link with the wireless access point in response to detecting activation of the medical device.

23. The computer system as in claim 18, wherein the remotely located management resource resides in a private network of a medical service provider, the remotely located management resource accessible by the medical device during conditions in which the medical device resides within wireless communication range of the wireless access point, which resides in the private medical network environment, the computer processor hardware further performing operations of:

limiting operation of the medical device in response to being denied authorization through the wireless access point.

24. The computer system as in claim 18, wherein the computer processor hardware further performs operations of:

in response to detecting the denial of subsequent authorization of use of the medical device, providing notification to an operator of the medical device, the notification indicating a medical service provider to which the medical device belongs.

25. The computer system as in claim 18, wherein the computer processor hardware further performs operations of:

in response to detecting the denial of subsequent authorization of use of the medical device, producing a notification to indicate that at least a portion of functionality of the medical device is disabled based on the denial.

26. The computer system as in claim 18, wherein the computer processor hardware further performs operations of:

obtaining a unique identifier value assigned to the medical device; and

communicating the unique identifier value over the communication link through the wireless access point to the remotely located management resource to verify use of the medical device in the private medical network environment.

27. Computer-readable hardware storage having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware in a medical device, causes the computer processor hardware to perform operations of:

accessing configuration information assigned to the medical device;

initiating communications over a communication link from the medical device to a remotely located management resource over a network to register the medical device for use in a private medical network environment to which the medical device is assigned for use, the communications initiated over the communication link in response to detecting that the configuration information indicates that the medical device is assigned a lock mode in which the medical device requires confirmation by the remotely located management resource to execute a first modal operation of the medical device;

receiving authorization from the remotely located management resource, the authorization indicating that the medical device has been verified for execution of the first modal operation in the private medical network environment;

providing continued first modal operation of the medical device while the medical device moves outside of a wireless communication range of the private medical network environment; and

switching from the first modal operation to second modal operation of the medical device in response to detecting subsequent denial of authorization of further use of the medical device, the denial of authorization occurring in response to an attempt to authorize use of the first modal operation of the medical device in a foreign environment outside the wireless communication range of the private medical network environment.