APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD TO IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID)-BASED REAL-TIME LOCATION SYSTEM

• US 20080221924A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Entelechy Health Systems LLC (Steris Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Entelechy Health Systems LLC (Steris Corporation)
• Inventors: Ilkin, Hakan Mehmet
• Application Number:
  US12/045,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20080221924A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A patient workflow management system. The system includes a messaging subsystem to receive data indicating one or more locations of a patient within a health care facility. The system further includes a correction module in communication with the messaging subsystem to apply a correction to at least a portion of the received data to determine a location of the patient relative to a perioperative workflow process.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving data indicating one or more locations of a patient within a health care facility; and

applying a correction to at least a portion of the received data to determine a location of the patient relative to a perioperative workflow process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving data comprises:

receiving the data substantially in real-time.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

storing a first location of the patient indicated by the received data;

storing a second location of the patient indicated by the received data, wherein the second location is subsequent in time to the first location;

monitoring an amount of time spent by the patient at the second location; and

determining the patient'"'"'s location to be one of the first location and the second location based on the monitored amount of time.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

determining the first location to be the patient'"'"'s location when the monitored amount of time is less than a predetermined minimum amount of time.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising:

determining the second location to be the patient'"'"'s location when the monitored amount of time greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum amount of time.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

defining a transition map, wherein defining a transition map comprises;

identifying a number of predetermined locations within the health care facility; and

associating an expected transit time with each unique pair of locations within the number of predetermined locations;

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

measuring a transit time of the patient between a first location and a group of second locations indicated by the received data;

determining the expected transit time between the first location and each second location based on the transition map;

comparing the measured transit time to each expected transit time; and

determining the patient'"'"'s location to be one of the second locations based on the comparisons.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the patient'"'"'s location comprises determining the patient'"'"'s location in accordance with a best fit model.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

communicating the determined location to at least one stakeholder.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

communicating the determined location in accordance with a preference defined by the at least one stakeholder.

11. A patient workflow management system, comprising:

a messaging subsystem to receive data indicating one or more locations of a patient within a health care facility; and

a correction module in communication with the messaging subsystem to apply a correction to at least a portion of the received data to determine a location of the patient relative to a perioperative workflow process.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the messaging subsystem is configured to receive the data substantially in real-time.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the correction module is configured to:

store a first location of the patient indicated by the received data;

store a second location of the patient indicated by the received data, wherein the second location is subsequent in time to the first location;

monitor an amount of time spent by the patient at the second location; and

determine the patient'"'"'s location to be one of the first location and the second location based on the monitored amount of time.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the correction module is configured to:

determine the first location to be the patient'"'"'s location when the monitored amount of time is less than a predetermined minimum amount of time.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the correction module is configured to:

determine the second location to be the patient'"'"'s location when the monitored amount of time greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum amount of time.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the correction module is configured to define a transition map, the transition map comprising:

a number of predetermined locations with the health care facility; and

an expected transit time associated with each unique pair of locations within the number of predetermined locations.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the correction module is configured to:

measure a transit time of the patient between a first location and a group of second locations indicated by the received data;

determine the expected transit time between the first location and each second location based on the transition map;

compare the measured transit time to each expected transit time; and

determine the patient'"'"'s location to be one of the second locations based on the comparisons.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the correction module is configured to:

determine the patient'"'"'s location in accordance with a best fit model

19. The system of claim 11, comprising:

a multicasting engine to communicate the determined location to at least one stakeholder

20. The system of 19, wherein the multicasting engine is configured to communicate the determined location in accordance with a preference defined by the at least one stakeholder.