Intelligent patient visit information management and navigation system

• US 20020035487A1
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Epic Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Epic Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Alban, Christopher, Eichhorst, Brad, Brummel, Tony
• Granted Patent: US 8,050,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A patient health record system uses knowledge bases to dynamically build visit templates and suggest content based on the user'"'"'s profile and current patient information. The visit template is available to the health care provider using the system, and is presented within an easy-to-use graphical interface comprising a navigation pane for moving from one section of the template to another, and a visit information window that displays current visit information and allows the user to add and edit that information.

Claims

1. An enterprise health record system comprising:

a database server with a plurality of data structures, wherein the data structures are adapted to store at least patient information, user information, a knowledge base for dynamically building and updating patient visit documentation templates and associated suggested content; and

a graphical user interface coupled to the database server, the graphical user interface including a navigation window and a visit information window within which patient information is displayed in accordance with a visit template;

wherein the visit template is dynamically based upon at least one of the patient information, the user information, the knowledge base and the suggested content.

2. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, wherein the visit template is dynamically based upon each of the patient information, the user information, the knowledge base and the suggested content.

3. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, wherein the knowledge base comprises at least one of a section definition template knowledge base and a content template knowledge base.

4. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises at least one of icons and text representing sections of the visit template.

5. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, where the navigation window comprises at least one of icons and text associated with sections of the visit template and permitting jumping to the associated section of text based on selection of the respective icon or text.

6. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, further comprising a template engine, wherein the template engine comprises a user profile engine that dynamically arranges the display of the patient information in the visit information window based upon user information and a template building knowledge base.

7. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, further comprising a decision support engine, wherein the decision support engine dynamically arranges the display based upon user, patient and visit information and a template building knowledge base.

8. The enterprise health record system of claim 7, wherein the decision support engine suggests additional content to be displayed in the visit information window.

9. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, wherein the patient information is scrollable within the visit information window.

10. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, further comprising an editor for editing the patient information.

11. The enterprise health record system of claim 10, wherein the editor comprises a records manager for selectively locking a portion of the patient information to be edited.

12. The enterprise health record system of claim 10, wherein the editor is enabled based upon a security profile of the user.

13. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, wherein the user information comprises a user security profile.

14. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, wherein the patient information is organized within the visit template in sections, the sections being expandable.

15. The enterprise health record system of claim 1, wherein the patient information comprises visit encounter information.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising linking the patient information to graphic representations, and collecting the graphic representations within a navigation portion of the graphic display.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the graphic representations comprise at least one of text and icons.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of dynamically building a visit template comprises suggesting content for the visit template.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the knowledge base comprises at least one of section definition template knowledge base and a content template knowledge base.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the patient information comprises an encounter type.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising scrolling the patient information within the visit template in response to a user input.

23. The method of claim 16, providing an editing popup associated with the patient information.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising locking a portion of the patient information during editing of the portion.

16. A method of displaying patient information within an enterprise health record system, the method comprising the steps of:

dynamically building a visit template and associated content to be displayed within the visit template using patient information, user information and a knowledge base; and

graphically displaying the patient information within the visit template on a graphic display.