Apparatus and method for managing changes of computerized medical protocols

• US 6,426,759 B1
• Filed: 09/01/1999
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lawson Software Incorporated (Infor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Confer Software, Inc. (Infor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thompson, Michael Aaron, Ho, Chung-Jen, Schroeder, Mark Steven, Macrae, Kenneth I., Ting, Annsheng C.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/388,259
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 345/348, 345/349, 345/352-355, 345/356-357, 345/340, 345/339, 345/854, 345/838-839, 345/763, 345/772, 345/712, 345/713, 345/805, 345/825, 345/835, 345/840, 345/855, 345/861, 705/3, 707/10, 707/11
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 31/06 Features relating to the removal of tools; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• 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 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing changes to computerized medical protocols is provided. Each change to a medical protocol results in a new binary file being generated. Each binary file associated with the protocol then has a version number, which may be divided into two parts: a major version number and a minor version number. The default is that major changes to the medical protocol result in an incremented major number while minor changes to the medical protocol result in an incremented minor number. At assignment time, the version of the medical protocol to be assigned is assumed to be the one with the highest major number. At execution time, the version of the medical protocol to be executed is assumed to be the one with the highest minor number. This allows for the constant modification of treatment protocols without interfering with the protocols of patients already receiving treatment.

Claims

1. A method for managing a change to a medical treatment plan, wherein the medical treatment plan indicates an outline of future diagnostic tests and/or treatment options, including:

storing the medical treatment plan as a global template object, said global template object stored as a binary file;

designating a version number to the medical treatment plan;

creating a new binary file when said medical treatment plan is changed; and

designating a new version number to said new binary file, said new version number being higher than said version number;

making a copy of said global template object, thus creating a specific patient template object;

designating said specific patient template object as assigned to said patient;

wherein said version number includes a major version number and a minor version number, and changing the major version number if a major change is made to the medical treatment plan and changing the minor version number if a minor change is made to the medical treatment plan,

wherein a major change is one that is intended to alter said global template object and a minor change is one that is intended to alter said specific patient template object; and

displaying elements of the medical treatment plan and the linkages between said elements via a user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

assigning to a patient a medical treatment plan based upon said version number of said medical treatment plan.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said new version number has a higher major number than said version number if a major change is made to the medical treatment plan and said new version number has a higher minor number than said version number if a minor change is made to the medical treatment plan.

4. The method of claim 3, further including:

assigning to a patient a medical treatment plan having more than one version, the version of the medical treatment plan assigned being the version with the highest major version number.

5. The method of claim 3, further including:

executing a medical treatment plan having more than one version, the version of the medical treatment plan being the version with the highest minor version number of the versions with the highest major version number at the time of plan assignment.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said medical treatment plan includes one or more forms, a minor change changes to one of said forms, and a major change changes to any other portion of said medical treatment plan.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said medical treatment plan includes one or more forms and one or more nodes, a minor change changes to one of said forms, and a major change changes involving adding, moving, or removing nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, further including displaying two versions of the medical treatment protocol on a computer display simultaneously.

9. The method of claim 8, further including marking differences between said two versions in color to distinctly show their differences.

10. The method of claim 1, further including listing all versions of a medical treatment plan on a computer display to allow a user to easily modify, select, or delete them.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said new version number has a higher major number than said version number if a major change is made to the medical treatment plan and said new version number has a higher minor number than said version number if a minor change is made to the medical treatment plan.

11. A computer system for managing a change to a medical treatment plan, wherein the medical treatment plan indicates an outline of future diagnostic tests and/or treatment options, including:

a memory;

a medical treatment plan storer coupled to said memory; and

a version number designator coupled to said memory;

storing the medical treatment plan as a global template object, said global template object stored as a binary file;

the system making a copy of said global template object, thus creating a specific patient template object;

the system designating said specific patient template object as assigned to said patient;

wherein said version number includes a major version number and a minor version number, the version number designator changing the major version number if a major change is made to the medical treatment plan and changing the minor version number if a minor change is made to the medical treatment plan,

wherein a major change is one that is intended to alter said global template object and a minor change is one that is intended to alter said specific patient template object; and

the system displaying elements of the medical treatment plan and the linkages between said elements via a user interface.

12. The computer system of claim 11, further including:

a medical treatment plan assignor coupled to said memory.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said version number designator includes a major version number designator and a minor version number designator and said major number designator is coupled to said memory if a major change is made to the medical treatment plan and said minor version number designator is coupled to said memory if a minor change is made to the medical treatment plan.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further including:

a medical treatment plan assigner coupled to said memory.

15. The computer system of claim 13, further including:

a medical treatment plan executor coupled to said memory.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said medical treatment plan includes one or more forms, a minor change changes to one of said forms, and a major change changes to any other portion of said medical treatment plan.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said medical treatment plan includes one or more forms and one or more nodes, a minor change changes to one of said forms, and a major change changes involving adding, moving, or removing nodes.

18. The computer system of claim 11, further including a version displayer coupled to said memory.

19. The computer system of claim 18, further including a color differences displayer coupled to said version displayer.

20. The computer system of claim 11, further including a version lister coupled to said memory.

21. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing a change to a medical treatment plan, wherein the medical treatment plan indicates an outline of future diagnostic tests and/or treatment options, the method comprising:

storing the medical treatment plan as a global template object, said global template object stored as a binary file;

designating a version number to the medical treatment plan;

creating a new binary file when said medical treatment plan is changed; and

designating a new version number to said new binary file, said new version number being higher than said version number;

making a copy of said global template object, thus creating a specific patient template object;

designating said specific patient template object as assigned to said patient;

wherein said version number includes a major version number and a minor version number, and changing the major version number if a major change is made to the medical treatment plan and changing the minor version number if a minor change is made to the medical treatment plan,

wherein a major change is one that is intended to alter said global template object and a minor change is one that is intended to alter said specific patient template object; and

displaying elements of the medical treatment plan and the linkages between said elements via a user interface.

23. A method for managing a change to a medical treatment plan, including:

storing the medical treatment plan as a global template object, said global template object containing a start node representing the beginning of the medical treatment plan, one or more order nodes representing medical treatment options, and an exit node, said global template object stored as a binary file;

designating a version identification to the medical treatment plan;

creating a new binary file containing as a global template object when said medical treatment plan is changed; and

designating a new version identification to said new binary file;

making a copy of said global template object, thus creating a specific patient template object;

designating said specific patient template object as assigned to said patient;

wherein said version identification includes a major version number and a minor version number, and changing the major version number if a major change is made to the medical treatment plan and changing the minor version number if a minor change is made to the medical treatment plan,

wherein a major change is one that is intended to alter said global template object and a minor change is one that is intended to alter said specific patient template object; and

displaying elements and said nodes of the medical treatment plan and the linkages between said elements and said nodes via a user interface.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said one or more order nodes each comprise:

a first order node, said first order node indicating an action to be taken in medically treating a patient;

a result node, said result node indicating an outcome for said action indicated in said first order node; and

a flow control node, said flow control node pointing to either another of said order nodes or to said exist node, said flow control node indicating a next step in medically a patient.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said result node is initially empty and is, filled in after said action to be taken is actually taken.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein which of said another of said order nodes that said flow control node points to may be altered by information contained in said filled-in result node.