METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING OPERATIONS AND PROCESSES IN HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN A HOSPITAL

• US 20100241452A1
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hilario L. Oh
• Original Assignee: Hilario L. Oh
• Inventors: Oh, Hilario L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method and system for managing healthcare delivery is presented. The method includes receiving data related to patients and the patients'"'"' scheduled procedures. Based on the data, a queue is generated for screening the patients. The patients are screened in accordance with the screening queue. Once screened, data related to tracking the patients is obtained. The tracking data is used to generate a tracking queue. The patients are tracked in relation to the tracking queue.

Claims

1. A method for managing healthcare delivery comprising:

receiving patient data for two or more patients scheduled for a medical procedure, where a timeline for the medical procedure is in part derived from the patient data;

determining a queue position in a screening queue for each patient using a first design parameter associated with the timeline for the medical procedure, where the screening queue indicates the order in which a screening process is administered to each patient;

screening the patients in accordance with the screening queue;

determining for patients having completed the screening process medical testing required for the medical procedure based on information obtained during the screening process;

determining a queue position in a tracking queue for patients having completed the screening process using a second design parameter that is negatively correlated to the first design parameter and associated with the timeline for the medical procedure, where the tracking queue indicates the order in which patients are contacted to determine status of medical testing required for the medical procedure; and

tracking the medical testing required for each patient having completed the screening process in accordance with the tracking queue.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first design parameter associated with the timeline for the medical procedure substantially minimizes wait time for the two or more patients, wherein wait time is an amount of time corresponding to a patient being scheduled for the medical procedure and commencement of the screening time.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first design parameter combines a design parameter that is based on shortest processing time of a patient and least-slack-time of a patient, wherein processing time of a patient corresponds to an amount of time to complete the screening process and the tracking process for the patient and wherein slack time of a patient corresponds to the difference between amount of time until the medical procedure and the processing time.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising calculating a first priority value of the patient based on a product of an estimate of the processing time and an estimate of the slack time, wherein the first priority value is used to determine the queue position in the screening queue for each patient.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second design parameter that is negatively correlated to the first design parameter and associated with the timeline increases throughput for the two or more patients, wherein throughput corresponds to an amount of patients tracked in a period of time.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second design parameter combines a design parameter that is based on longest processing time of a patient and least-slack-time of a patient, wherein processing time of a patient corresponds to an amount of time to complete the tracking process for a patient and wherein slack time of a patient corresponds to the difference between amount of time until the medical procedure of the patient and the processing time of the patient.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising calculating a second priority value of the patients based on a ratio between the processing time and the slack time, wherein the second priority value is used to determine the queue position for each patient in the tracking queue.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising clearing a patient for the medical procedure upon determining the medical tests required are complete.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient data for each patient includes an age corresponding to the patient, a type of medical procedure corresponding to the patient, and a date corresponding to the medical procedure corresponding to the patient.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient data is used to estimate processing time and slack time.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising clearing one of the two or more patients for the medical procedure upon completion of the tracking process for the patient.

12. A method for managing healthcare delivery comprising:

receiving patient data for a patient, wherein the patient data includes age of the patient, a procedure corresponding to the patient, and a date corresponding to the procedure;

determining first priority values for the patients, wherein the first priority value is based on the patient data, and wherein the first priority values indicate queue positions in a screening queue;

screening the patient in accordance with the screening queue, wherein screening relates to obtaining patient tracking data relating to at least one of the medical history of the patient and the diagnosed conditions of the patient;

receiving patient tracking data;

determining second priority values for patients having completed the screening process, wherein the second priority values are based on the patient tracking data and patient data, and wherein the second priority values indicate queue positions in a tracking queue; and

tracking the patients having completed the screening process in accordance with the tracking queue, wherein tracking includes obtaining results of medical tests required for the procedures corresponding to the patients.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein screening includes receiving the patient tracking data, and wherein the patient tracking data determines the medical tests required to clear a patient for the procedure.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein tracking includes obtaining results to the medical tests required before clearing a patient for a procedure.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the first priority value of the patient is based on a product of an estimate of a processing time and a difference between an amount of time until the date of the procedure and the estimate of the processing time, wherein processing time is an amount of time required to complete the screening process and the tracking process.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the second priority value of the patient is based on a ratio between a processing time and a difference between an amount of time until the date of the procedure and the processing time, wherein the processing time is an amount of time required to complete the tracking process.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the estimated processing time is based on historical data relating to processing times of previous patients having a similar age as the patient and undergoing the same procedure as the patient.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising updating the patient tracking data and the processing time when at least a portion of the results of the medical test required are obtained.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising determining the second priority value upon updating the processing time.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising generating a schedule for completing the screening process based on the first priority values.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising generating a schedule for completing the tracking process based on the second priority values.

22. A computer readable medium having encoded therein a system for managing healthcare delivery comprising:

a data store storing patient data relating to a patient, wherein the first patient data includes age of the patient, a procedure corresponding to the patient, and a date corresponding to the procedure;

a first calculation module calculating a first priority value for the patient, wherein the first priority value is based on the patient data, and wherein the first priority value relates to a queue position in a screening queue, and wherein screening includes obtaining patient tracking data of the patient;

the data store storing the patient tracking data, wherein patient tracking data includes at least one of a medical history of the patient and diagnosed conditions of the patient; and

a second calculation module calculating a second priority value for the patient, wherein the second priority value is based on the patient tracking data, and wherein the second priority value indicates a queue position in a tracking queue, wherein tracking is obtaining medical tests required for clearing the patient for the procedure corresponding to the patient.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the screening includes receiving the patient tracking data, and wherein the patient tracking data determines the medical tests required to clear the patient for the procedure.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein tracking includes ensuring the medical tests required are received before clearing the patient for the procedure.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the first priority value of the patient is based on a product of an estimate of a processing time and a difference between an amount of time until the date of the procedure and the estimate of the processing time, wherein processing time is an amount of time required to complete the screening and the tracking.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein the second priority value of the patient is based on a ratio between the processing time and a difference between an amount of time until the date of the procedure and the processing time, wherein the processing time is an amount of time required to complete the tracking.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the estimate of the processing time is based on historical data relating to processing times of previous patients having similar patient data as the patient.

28. The system of claim 26, further comprising an update module updating the patient tracking data and the processing time when at least a portion of the medical test required are obtained.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the second calculation module determines the second priority value upon updating the processing time.