RFID tracking of anesthesiologist and patient time

• US 20050149358A1
• Filed: 01/06/2004
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lisa M. Sacco, Lynn Greenky
• Original Assignee: LISA M Sacco and LYNN Greenky
• Inventors: Greenky, Brett B., Sacco, John J.
• Application Number:
  US10/752,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149358A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

RFID-based system for tracking billable anesthesiology time in a surgical environment employs hand-held RFID reader devices that record and store timed anesthesia events for each surgical patient. Each patient is assigned a reader device, uploaded with patient data. Each anesthesiology professional has an identifying RFID transponder, and room transponders are located on wall or doorway of each room in the surgical suite. A download cradle is used for downloading the patient data collected during surgery to a central computer. The reader devices are synchronized to a high-accuracy clock, eliminating time accounting problems associated with concurrency and discontinuous time.

Claims

1. System for tracking and recording of billable time of anesthesiology professionals during a surgical procedure with a patient in a surgery suite that includes at least one pre-induction room, at least one surgical operating room, and at least one post-anesthesiology care unit room;

and wherein the patient is moved between rooms;

comprising

a plurality of handheld portable data collection devices, each including an RFID reader for communicating with a set of RFID transponders, and including means for inputting patient information and type of anesthesiology care being administered to the patient;

a plurality of personal RFID transponders each being assigned to a respective one of said anesthesiology professionals to identify the professional when the transponder is held within a predetermined short distance from a given one of said data collection devices;

a plurality of room RFID transponders, each being mounted on a wall or doorway of a respective one of said pre-induction room;

said operating room; and

said post-anesthesiology care unit room;

holder means for each patient for removably holding an assigned one of said data collection devices so that the same remains with the patient during the surgical procedure as the patient is moved through the pre-induction, operating, and post-anesthesiology care unit rooms, but can be removed from the holder means to permit the device to be held adjacent the associated room transponders when the patient enters or leaves the room; and

download station into which each of said and-held data collection devices can be placed following completion of the surgical procedure; and

including means for downloading stored data from the data collection device to a billing computer to capture times during the procedure that each such anesthesiology professional was present in each said room during the administration of anesthesia care.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising means for uploading, into a respective one of said data collection devices, patient data for the associated patient when the patient is in the pre-induction room.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a high-precision clock, and means automatically synchronizing said data collection devices using said high-precision clock.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said data collection device includes a keyboard device adapted to permit the anesthesiology professionals to record identity of head surgeon and surgical procedure being performed.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said data collection device includes a screen for displaying patient data and time plus data relating to the associated patient.

6. A process for tracking and recording billable time of anesthesiology professionals in a surgical suite, which suite includes at least one pre-induction room, at least one surgical operating room, and at least one post-anesthesiology care unit room;

and in which surgical patients are wheeled on a bed between rooms of the surgical suite, the process comprising;

assigning to each patient, while in the pre-induction room, a hand-held portable data collection device taken from a plurality of handheld portable data collection devices, each including an RFID reader for communicating with a set of RFID transponders, and including means for inputting patient information and type of anesthesiology event for the patient;

assigning to each of the anesthesiology professionals an RFID transponder from a plurality of personal RFID transponders to identify the professional when the transponder is held within a predetermined short distance from a given one of said data collection devices;

when the patient is taken from a room of the surgical suite, placing the patient data collection device adjacent a room RFID transponder that is mounted on a wall or doorway of such room, so that the device records a time of exit of the patient from the room;

when the patient is brought to a room of the surgical suite, placing the patient data collection device adjacent the room RFID transponder, so that the device records the time of entry of the patient into the room;

when one of the anesthesiology professionals commences to treat a patient, bringing the respective personal RFID transponder adjacent the data collection device to record a start time for such professional with said patient;

when the anesthesiology professional ends his or her treatment of the patient, bringing the respective personal RFID transponder adjacent the data collection device to record an end time for such professional with the patient;

downloading for such patient, from the associated data collection device to a central computer, the data stored in said data collection device to capture times during the procedure that each anesthesiology professional was present for an anesthesiology event.

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein each patient is placed on a bed to permit the patient to be wheeled between rooms of the surgical suite, and further comprising removably placing the patient data collection device into a receptacle therefor on the patient'"'"'s bed.