Blood and Medical Specimen Collection

• US 20100044429A1
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fredric I. Orkin
• Original Assignee: Fredric I. Orkin
• Inventors: Orkin, Fredric I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,038,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis

Abstract

In a method of tracking a specimen acquired from a patient, machine-readable codes present on a patient identification (ID), an order to obtain a specimen from the patient, and on a specimen-taker ID means, respectively, are stored in a computer storage. A specimen container having a fourth machine-readable code preapplied thereto is selected from a plurality of specimen containers having unique machine-readable codes preapplied thereto. In response to a processor determining that the first and second machine-readable codes are related to the same patient, the processor causes the first-fourth machine-readable codes to be relationally stored in the computer storage. Responsive to the processor receiving a signal that a specimen has been placed in the selected specimen container, the processor causes an indication thereof to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner with the first-fourth machine-readable codes.

Claims

1. A method of tracking a specimen acquired from a patient, the method comprising:

(a) storing in a computer storage accessible by a standalone or networked computer a first machine-readable code present on an identification (ID) means worn by a patient;

(b) storing in the computer storage a second machine-readable code associated with an order to obtain a specimen from the patient;

(c) storing in the computer storage a third machine-readable code present on an identification (ID) means worn by a specimen-taker;

(d) selecting from a plurality of specimen containers having machine-readable codes that are unique to each other preapplied thereto one specimen container including a fourth machine-readable code preapplied thereto;

(e) in response to an electronic reading means reading and dispatching to a processor of the computer the first-fourth machine-readable codes present on the ID means worn by the patient, present on the order, present on the ID means worn by the specimen-taker, and present on the specimen container, respectively, and in response to the processor determining that the first machine-readable code and the second machine-readable code are related to the same patient, the processor causing said first-fourth machine-readable codes to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner and the processor of the computer causing a signal to be generated to acquire a specimen from the patient and to place the acquired specimen in the container; and

(f) responsive to the processor receiving a signal that the specimen has been placed in the container following step (e), the processor causing an indication thereof to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner with said first-fourth machine-readable codes.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

(g) in response to the electronic reading means reading and dispatching to the processor of the computer a fifth machine-readable code that is preapplied to another specimen container selected from the plurality of specimen containers, said processor causing the first, second, third, and fifth machine-readable codes to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner; and

(h) responsive to the processor receiving a signal that the other specimen has been placed in the other container following step (g), the processor causing an indication thereof to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner with said first, second, third, and fifth machine-readable codes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each machine-readable code is unique of the other machine-readable codes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) includes the processor determining whether the signal of step (f) is received within a predetermined time interval of the processor generating the signal of step (e) and storing an indication thereof in the computer storage in a relational manner with said first-fourth machine-readable codes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each machine-readable code comprises a unique barcode;

the ID means worn by the patient is a bracelet; and

the ID means worn by the specimen-taker is a badge.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first machine-readable code comprises a barcode that encodes at least one of the following:

a unique serial number;

the patient'"'"'s name;

a registration number assigned to the patient;

the patient'"'"'s date of birth;

the patient'"'"'s sex;

a code that signifies the type of ID means worn by the patient; and

a check digit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth machine-readable code comprises a barcode that encodes at least one of the following:

a unique serial number;

an expiration date;

a color of a lid or cap that specifies the type of specimen the container is to be used for;

human readable numbers and/or characters corresponding to one or more of the unique serial number, the expiration date, and the color of the lid; and

a check digit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second machine-readable code comprises a barcode that encodes at least one of the following:

an order number;

a type of specimen to be acquired;

a volume of the specimen to be acquired;

a time that the specimen is to be acquired; and

a control number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic reading means is an optical scanner that is communicatively coupled with the computer via a wired or wireless connection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the optical scanner is a barcode scanner.

11. A method of tracking a specimen acquired from a patient, the method comprising:

(a) storing in a computer storage of a computer a first machine-readable code present on an identification (ID) means worn by a patient;

(b) storing in the computer storage of the computer a second machine-readable code associated with an order to obtain a specimen from the patient;

(c) storing in the computer storage of the computer a third machine-readable code present on an identification (ID) means worn by a specimen-taker;

(d) selecting from a plurality of specimen containers having machine-readable codes that are unique to each other preapplied thereto one specimen container including a fourth machine-readable code preapplied thereto, wherein the fourth machine-readable code comprises a barcode that encodes a unique serial number and an expiration date of the container;

(e) in response to receiving the fourth machine-readable code from an electronic reading means, a processor of the computer determining from the expiration date encoded in the fourth machine-readable code if the specimen container is out-of-date and, if so, causing an alert signal indicative of said out-of-date condition to be generated by or near the electronic reading means, otherwise, if the specimen container is not out-of-date, and in response to the processor determining that the first machine-readable code and the second machine-readable code are related to the same patient, the processor causing the first-fourth machine-readable codes to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner and the processor causing a signal to be generated to acquire a specimen from the patient and to place the acquired specimen in the container; and

(f) responsive to the processor receiving a signal that the specimen has been placed in the container following step (e), the processor causing an indication thereof to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner with said first-fourth machine-readable codes.

12. The method of claim 11, further including:

(g) in response to receiving from the electronic reading means a fifth machine-readable code that is preapplied to another specimen container selected from the plurality of specimen containers, said processor causing the first, second, third, and fifth machine-readable codes to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner; and

(h) responsive to the processor receiving a signal that the other specimen has been placed in the other container following step (g), the processor causing an indication thereof to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner with said first, second, third, and fifth machine-readable codes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each machine-readable code is unique of the other machine-readable codes.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein step (f) includes the processor determining whether the signal of step (f) is received within a predetermined time interval of the processor generating the signal of step (e) and storing an indication thereof in the computer storage in a relational manner with said first-fourth machine-readable codes.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

each machine-readable code comprises a unique barcode;

the ID means worn by the patient is a bracelet; and

the ID means worn by the specimen-taker is a badge.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first machine-readable code comprises a barcode that encodes at least one of the following:

a unique serial number;

the patient'"'"'s name;

a registration number assigned to the patient;

the patient'"'"'s date of birth;

the patient'"'"'s sex;

a code that signifies the type of ID means worn by the patient; and

a check digit.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the fourth machine-readable code comprises a barcode that encodes at least one of the following:

a unique serial number;

an expiration date;

a color of a lid or cap that specifies the type of specimen the container is to be used for;

human readable numbers and/or characters corresponding to one or more of the unique serial number, the expiration date, and the color of the lid; and

a check digit.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the second machine-readable code comprises a barcode that encodes at least one of the following:

an order number;

a type of specimen to be acquired;

a volume of the specimen to be acquired;

a time that the specimen is to be acquired; and

a control number.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic reading means is an optical scanner that is communicatively coupled with the computer via a wired or wireless connection.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the optical scanner is a barcode scanner.

21. In a system for tracking one or more specimens acquired from a patient, wherein a processor of a standalone or networked computer is in operative communication with a computer storage and an electronic reading means that is operative for reading unique machine-readable codes disposed on the following:

an identification (ID) means worn by a patient, an order to obtain the one or more specimens from the patient, an identification (ID) means worn by a specimen-taker, and a plurality of specimen containers each for receiving one specimen from the patient;

the electronic reading means also operative for dispatching said machine-readable codes to the processor which, in response to the machine-readable codes for the patient ID means and the order being related to the same patient, stores the machine-readable code for each specimen container to receive a specimen in the computer storage in a relational manner with the machine-readable codes for the patient ID means, the order, and the specimen-taker ID means, and generates a signal to acquire a specimen from the patient and to place the acquired specimen in the container;

the computer responsive to a signal that a specimen that has been placed in each specimen container for storing an indication thereof in the computer storage in a relational manner with the machine-readable code for the specimen container that received the specimen stored in the computer storage, the improvement comprising;

each specimen container of the plurality of specimen containers having a machine-readable code preapplied thereon that is unique from the machine-readable code preapplied to any other of the specimen containers and the machine-readable codes disposed on the patient ID means, the order, and the specimen-taker ID means.