METHOD AND SYSTEMS FOR OPTIMIZING SCHEDULED SERVICES

• US 20090259508A1
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Accredo Care Network, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: ActiveCare Network LLC (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Grupp, Judi A., Brady, R. Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/101,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259508A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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

An automated system that improves utilization of resources and increases the effectiveness of prescribed procedures by insuring that required resources are available at the time of a scheduled service.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system having a program for coordinating a service, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to coordinate a service;

identifying at least one location of a plurality of locations at which the service can be performed and at least one time at which the at least one location is available to perform the service;

selecting a selected location from the identified at least one location to perform the service;

scheduling a time to perform the service at the selected location from the at least one time at which the selected location is available;

notifying a recipient of the service, the selected location, and at least one resource provider of the scheduled time;

after the scheduled time is scheduled and before the scheduled time, periodically determining whether the recipient of the service and the selected location are available for the service at the scheduled time;

after the scheduled time is scheduled and before the scheduled time, periodically determining whether a resource that is used during the service has arrived at the selected location before a predetermined time;

when it is determined that at least one of the recipient and the selected location are not available at the scheduled time, notifying the recipient, the selected location, and a provider of the resource that the scheduled time is rescheduled to an adjusted scheduled time; and

when it is determined that the resource has not arrived by the predetermined time, notifying the recipient, the selected location, and the provider of the resource that the scheduled time is rescheduled to the adjusted scheduled time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining whether the recipient of the service is eligible to receive the service.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

notifying a payer of the service that the service is completed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is a product used during the service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein information on status of the recipient of the service, the selected location, and the resource are received asynchronously.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is at least one of a medical service, a training service, a transportation service, a product delivery, a corrections service, an a consulting service.

7. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that cause a data processing system to perform a method for coordinating a service, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to coordinate a service;

identifying at least one location of a plurality of locations at which the service can be performed and at least one time at which the at least one location is available to perform the service;

selecting a selected location from the identified at least one location to perform the service;

scheduling a time to perform the service at the selected location from the at least one time at which the selected location is available;

notifying a recipient of the service, the selected location, and at least one resource provider of the scheduled time;

after the scheduled time is scheduled and before the scheduled time, periodically determining whether the recipient of the service and the selected location are available for the service at the scheduled time;

after the scheduled time is scheduled and before the scheduled time, periodically determining whether a resource that is used during the service has arrived at the selected location before a predetermined time;

when it is determined that at least one of the recipient and the selected location are not available at the scheduled time, notifying the recipient, the selected location, and a provider of the resource that the scheduled time is rescheduled to an adjusted scheduled time; and

when it is determined that the resource has not arrived by the predetermined time, notifying the recipient, the selected location, and the provider of the resource that the scheduled time is rescheduled to the adjusted scheduled time.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

determining whether the recipient of the service is eligible to receive the service.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

notifying a payer of the service that the service is completed.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the resource is a product used during the service.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein information on status of the recipient of the service, the selected location, and the resource are received asynchronously.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the medical service is at least one of a medical service, a training service, a transportation service, a product delivery, a corrections service, an a consulting service.

13. A data processing system comprising:

a memory having a program for coordinating a service that

receives a request to coordinate a service,

identifies at least one location of a plurality of locations at which the service can be performed and at least one time at which the at least one location is available to perform the service,

selects a selected location from the identified at least one location to perform the service,

schedules a time to perform the service at the selected location from the at least one time at which the selected location is available,

notifies a recipient of the service, the selected location, and at least one resource provider of the scheduled time,

after the scheduled time is scheduled and before the scheduled time, periodically determines whether the recipient of the service and the selected location are available for the service at the scheduled time,

after the scheduled time is scheduled and before the scheduled time, periodically determines whether a resource that is used during the service has arrived at the selected location before a predetermined time,

when it is determined that at least one of the recipient and the selected location are not available at the scheduled time, notifies the recipient, the selected location, and a provider of the resource that the scheduled time is rescheduled to an adjusted scheduled time, and

when it is determined that the resource has not arrived by the predetermined time, notifies the recipient, the selected location, and the provider of the resource that the scheduled time is rescheduled to the adjusted scheduled time; and

a processing unit that runs the program.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the program determines whether the recipient of the service is eligible to receive the service.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the program notifies a payer of the service that the service is completed.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the resource is a product used during the service.

17. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein information on status of the recipient of the service, the selected location, and the resource are received asynchronously.

18. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the medical service is at least one of a medical service, a training service, a transportation service, a product delivery, a corrections service, an a consulting service.