Time management system for medical applications, particularly in a hospital setting

• US 20060004606A1
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wendl, Udo, Wyczisk, Heintje
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• 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

For rationalizing medical treatments in the hospital setting, particularly for improving the utilization rate of examination and therapy equipment and to avoid long waiting times, a time management system (1) is disclosed having at least one treatment station (2a-2c) coupled with an appointment-scheduling module (3) for storing appointments (T1, T2) in memory, each of which is assigned to a medical procedure (8a-8c) specified with a view to the treatment station, or a defined treatment station, (2a-2c) and to a predetermined duration (tv). The treatment station (2a-2c) is operative to output a check-back signal (R) to the appointment-scheduling module (3) once a procedure (8a-8c) has been completely performed. The appointment-scheduling module (3) is embodied for dynamically adapting subsequent appointments (T2) on the basis of the check-back signal (R).

Claims

1. A time management system for medical treatments comprising:

at least one treatment station; and

an appointment-scheduling module coupled with the at least one treatment station, the appointment-scheduling module being operative to store a plurality of appointments in a memory, each of the plurality of appointments being assigned to at least one medical procedure specified in view of one of the at least one treatment station and characterized by a predetermined duration, wherein the at least one medical procedure comprises at least one sub-procedure; and

further wherein;

the at least one treatment station is operative to output a check-back signal to the appointment scheduling module and, in response thereto, the appointment scheduling module is operative to dynamically adapt subsequent of the plurality of appointments on the basis of the check-back signal;

the appointment scheduling module being further operative to formulate each of the at least one sub-procedure of the at least one medical procedure assigned to the appointment in the form of a DICOM-standard-compatible planned procedure step; and

the at least one treatment station being further operative to generate the check-back signal based on each of the at least one sub-procedure that has been performed, the check-back signal being in the form of a DICOM-standard-compatible performed procedure step.

2. The time management system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one medical procedure is specified to the appointment-scheduling module for the at least one treatment station in view of the assigned predetermined duration.

3. The time management system according to claim 1, further comprising a locating system for generating the check-back signal, the locating system comprising one of a bar code system or radio frequency identification (RFID) system.

4. The time management system according to claim 3, wherein the locating system further comprises at least one RFID signal transducer and at least one RFID reader unit, the RFID reader unit being operative to generate the check-back signal when the associated RFID signal transducer is read out.

5. The time management system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one RFID signal transducer comprises a mobile part and the at least one RFID reader is characterized as being substantially stationary.

6. The time management system according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the at least one of the RFID signal transducers is capable of being assigned to one of a patient, a transporting device, or a medical product.

7. The time management system according to one of claim 1, wherein the appointment-scheduling module is operative to automatically select the assigned starting time for the appointment, in the course of storing an appointment for a medical procedure in the memory.

8. The time management system according to one of claim 1, wherein the appointment-scheduling module is further operative to, in response to dynamically adapting subsequent of the plurality of appointments, automatically informing a patient to whom the dynamically adapted appointment was assigned.

9. The time management system according to one of claim 1, wherein the appointment-scheduling module is operative to automatically informing a patient, who has been assigned an appointment, of a predetermined lead time before an assigned starting time for the appointment.

10. A method of managing time for medical treatments, the method comprising:

providing at least one treatment station;

storing, in a memory of an appointment-scheduling module coupled with the at least one treatment station, a plurality of appointments, each of the plurality of appointments being assigned to at least one medical procedure specified in view of one of the at least one treatment station and characterized by a predetermined duration, wherein the at least one medical procedure comprises at least one sub-procedure, each of the at least one sub-procedure of the at least one medical procedure being assigned to the appointment in the form of a DICOM-standard-compatible planned procedure step; and

outputting, by the at least one treatment station, a check-back signal to the appointment-scheduling module, the check-back signal being in the form of a DICOM-standard-compatible performed procedure step, and, in response thereto, dynamically adapting subsequent of the plurality of appointments on the basis of the check-back signal.

11. A time management system for medical treatments comprising:

at least one treatment station;

means for storing, in a memory of an appointment-scheduling module coupled with the at least one treatment station, a plurality of appointments, each of the plurality of appointments being assigned to at least one medical procedure specified in view of one of the at least one treatment station and characterized by a predetermined duration, wherein the at least one medical procedure comprises at least one sub-procedure, each of the at least one sub-procedure of the at least one medical procedure being assigned to the appointment in the form of a DICOM-standard-compatible planned procedure step; and

means for outputting, by the at least one treatment station, a check-back signal to the appointment-scheduling module, the check-back signal being in the form of a DICOM-standard-compatible performed procedure step, and, in response thereto, dynamically adapting subsequent of the plurality of appointments on the basis of the check-back signal.