Mobile Electronic Case Board

• US 20100305970A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medaxion, LLC
• Original Assignee: Medaxion, LLC
• Inventors: McLaren, Jeffrey Lee, Rodes, William Dyer II, Toups, John Malcolm
• Application Number:
  US12/789,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305970A1
• 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: 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: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Techniques for managing an electronic case board accessible by mobile devices are supported. A system may include a central medical information management system that maintains information regarding ongoing treatment of patients. Medical professionals may use mobile devices to access and display the information in a user-friendly “case board” that can identify patients in a medical facility, where they are, the status of their treatment, and who is responsible for them. The case board may be separated into logical phases of care, with patients progressing through the phases on the board in near real time. The system can permit entry of information regarding treatment, such as billable event information, to move patients between phases of care on the case board.

Claims

1. A handheld apparatus comprising:

a user interface comprising a display and capable of receiving user input;

a wireless network interface capable of coupling to a central medical information management system;

a memory maintaining a medical information management application; and

a processor operable when executing the medical information management application;

to receive electronic medical case board information from the central medical information management system, wherein the electronic medical case board information includes a plurality of patient treatment entries that correspond to patients scheduled for care by a medical practice at a practice location during a predetermined period of time, wherein each of the patient treatment entries includes a patient identifier, and one of a plurality of predefined phases of care;

to provide a plurality of display modes corresponding to the plurality of phases of care, wherein each of the display modes displays the patient treatment entries having the one of the predefined phases of care corresponding to the display mode;

to receive a patient update corresponding to one of the patient treatment entries using the user interface, the patient update comprising information associated with a medical care event for the patient associated with the corresponding patient treatment entry;

to communicate the patient update to the medical information management system;

to receive updated electronic medical case board information from the central medical information management system, the updated electronic medical case board information incorporating the information from the patient update; and

to update the display based on the updated electronic medical case board information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the phases of care comprise schedule, pre-operation, intra-operation, and post-operation stages corresponding to stages of providing anesthesia for a medical procedure; and

the updated electronic medical case board information indicates a transition of the patient treatment entry from a first one of the predefined phases of care to a second one of the predefined phases of care triggered by the medical care event for the patient associated with the corresponding patient treatment entry.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the patient treatment entries further comprises an assigned room, a medical procedure, one or more assigned medical staff, a role associated with each assigned medical staff, and a status within the indicated one of the plurality of predefined phases of care.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the displayed patient treatment entries are sorted and visually emphasized based on a user identifier.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the display modes further presents a set of tabs corresponding to the plurality of phases of care that permit user selection of the current display mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises a non-volatile and volatile portion, the non-volatile portion operable to maintain the medical information management application and the volatile portion operable to maintain the electronic medical case board information.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to detect a selection of one of displayed ones of the patient treatment entries and, in response, to retrieve a patient treatment record from the medical information management system, and to display one of a plurality of case interfaces based on a user identifier associated with the handheld apparatus and information in the selected patient treatment entry, wherein one of the case interfaces displays a case summary interface for the patient treatment record and another one of the case interfaces displays a patient treatment interface for tracking medical events for the patient treatment record.

8. A method comprising:

receiving electronic medical case board information from a central medical information management system, wherein the electronic medical case board information includes a plurality of patient treatment entries that correspond to patients scheduled for care by a medical practice at a practice location during a predetermined period of time, wherein each of the patient treatment entries includes a patient identifier, and one of a plurality of predefined phases of care;

providing a plurality of display modes corresponding to the plurality of phases of care, wherein each of the display modes displays the patient treatment entries having the one of the predefined phases of care corresponding to the display mode;

receiving a patient update corresponding to one of the patient treatment entries using a user interface, the user interface comprising a display and capable of receiving user input and the patient update comprising information associated with a medical care event for the patient associated with the corresponding patient treatment entry;

communicating the patient update to the medical information management system;

receiving updated electronic medical case board information from the central medical information management system, the updated electronic medical case board information incorporating the information from the patient update; and

updating the display based on the updated electronic medical case board information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the phases of care comprise schedule, pre-operation, intra-operation, and post-operation stages corresponding to stages of providing anesthesia for a medical procedure; and

the updated electronic medical case board information indicates a transition of the patient treatment entry from a first one of the predefined phases of care to a second one of the predefined phases of care triggered by the medical care event for the patient associated with the corresponding patient treatment entry.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the patient treatment entries further comprises an assigned room, a medical procedure, one or more assigned medical staff, a role associated with each assigned medical staff, and a status within the indicated one of the plurality of predefined phases of care.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the displayed patient treatment entries are sorted and visually emphasized based on a user identifier associated with the handheld apparatus.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the display modes further presents a set of tabs corresponding to the plurality of phases of care that permit user selection of the current display mode.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor is further operable to detect a selection of one of displayed ones of the patient treatment entries and, in response, to retrieve a patient treatment record from the medical information management system, and to display one of a plurality of case interfaces based on a user identifier associated with the handheld apparatus and information in the selected patient treatment entry, wherein one of the case interfaces displays a case summary interface for the patient treatment record and another one of the case interfaces displays a patient treatment interface for tracking medical events for the patient treatment record.

14. A system, comprising:

a central medical information management system operable to maintain electronic medical case board information including a plurality of patient treatment entries that correspond to patients scheduled for care by a medical practice at a practice location during a predetermined period of time, wherein each of the patient treatment entries includes a patient identifier, and one of a plurality of predefined phases of care;

one or more medical information management applications each residing on a wireless handheld device and operable, when executed, to;

receive electronic medical case board information from the central medical information management system;

provide a plurality of display modes corresponding to the plurality of phases of care, wherein each of the display modes displays the patient treatment entries having the one of the predefined phases of care corresponding to the display mode;

receive a patient update corresponding to one of the patient treatment entries using a user interface, the patient update comprising information associated with a medical care event for the patient associated with the corresponding patient treatment entry;

communicate the patient update to the medical information management system;

receive updated electronic medical case board information from the central medical information management system, the updated electronic medical case board information incorporating the information from the patient update; and

update a display based on the updated electronic medical case board information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the phases of care comprise schedule, pre-operation, intra-operation, and post-operation stages corresponding to stages of providing anesthesia for a medical procedure; and

the updated electronic medical case board information indicates a transition of the patient treatment entry from a first one of the predefined phases of care to a second one of the predefined phases of care triggered by the medical care event for the patient associated with the corresponding patient treatment entry.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the patient treatment entries further comprises an assigned room, a medical procedure, one or more assigned medical staff, a role associated with each assigned medical staff, and a status within the indicated one of the plurality of predefined phases of care.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the displayed patient treatment entries are sorted and visually emphasized based on a user identifier.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the display modes further presents a set of tabs corresponding to the plurality of phases of care that permit user selection of the current display mode.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further operable to detect a selection of one of displayed ones of the patient treatment entries and, in response, to retrieve a patient treatment record from the medical information management system, and to display one of a plurality of case interfaces based on a user identifier and information in the selected patient treatment entry, wherein one of the case interfaces displays a case summary interface for the patient treatment record and another one of the case interfaces displays a patient treatment interface for tracking medical events for the patient treatment record.