Systems and methods for profiling clinic workflow

• US 7,877,270 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Stoval, William Murray III, Sitomer, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilligan; Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRAN N
• Application Number:
  US11/692,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a clinical information workflow profiling system including a workflow engine adapted to collect profiling data for a healthcare workflow task and a profiling processor adapted to analyze the profiling data to determine an alternative configuration of the healthcare workflow task.

Claims

1. A clinical information workflow profiling system, the system including:

a workflow engine configured to collect profiling data for a healthcare workflow task comprising a plurality of healthcare workflow actions performed in a first sequence, the profiling data comprising healthcare workflow actor data that includes information about healthcare workflow actors that operate together to complete the healthcare workflow actions in the healthcare workflow task; and

a profiling processor comprising a computer processor in communication with the workflow engine, the computer processor configured to reorganize the healthcare workflow actions using the healthcare workflow actor data to determine an alternative configuration of the healthcare workflow task that can reduce the total time to perform the healthcare workflow task, the alternative configuration providing a sequence of performing the plurality of healthcare workflow actions that is different than the first sequence, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine whether the healthcare workflow action is skipped at least a threshold percentage of the time that the healthcare workflow task has been previously executed and wherein the computer processor is configured such that, if the healthcare workflow action was skipped at least the threshold percentage of the time that the healthcare workflow task has been previously executed, the alternative configuration for the healthcare workflow task will provide for skipping the healthcare workflow action.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to identify two healthcare workflow actions that are performed in sequence by a single healthcare workflow actor and reorganize the healthcare workflow actions to be performed in parallel by two healthcare workflow actors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the profiling data includes a length of time to complete the healthcare work flow actions, and wherein the computer processor is configured to reorganize the healthcare workflow actions such that a healthcare work flow action that takes longer to complete is started before a healthcare work flow action that takes less time to complete.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to identify two healthcare workflow actions that are performed in sequence by different healthcare workflow actors and reorganize the healthcare workflow actions to be performed in parallel.

5. The system of claim 1, further including a report component adapted to provide statistics for the healthcare workflow task, wherein the statistics are based at least in part on the healthcare workflow actor data and a length of time it takes an actor to complete a healthcare workflow action, and wherein the statistics identify a healthcare workflow actor that takes more than an average amount of time to complete a healthcare workflow action.

6. The system of claim 1, further including a report component adapted to provide a recommendation to a user to use the alternative configuration of the healthcare workflow task.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said profiling processor is configured to use the profiling data to determine an efficiency level of the alternative configuration.

8. A method for profiling workflow in a healthcare environment, the method including:

collecting profiling data for a healthcare workflow task comprising a plurality of healthcare workflow actions performed in a first sequence, the profiling data comprising healthcare workflow actor data that includes information about healthcare workflow actors that operate together to complete the healthcare workflow actions in the healthcare workflow task; and

using a processor to reorganize the healthcare workflow actions using the healthcare workflow actor data to determine an alternative configuration of the healthcare workflow task that can reduce the total time to perform the healthcare workflow task, the alternative configuration providing a sequence of performing the plurality of healthcare workflow actions that is different than the first sequence, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the healthcare workflow action is skipped at least a threshold percentage of the time that the healthcare workflow task has been previously executed, and wherein the profiling processor is configured such that, if the healthcare workflow action was skipped at least the threshold percentage of the time that the healthcare workflow task has been previously executed the alternative configuration for the healthcare workflow task will provide for skipping the healthcare workflow action.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the at least one processor to identify two healthcare workflow actions that are performed in sequence by a single healthcare workflow actor and reorganize the healthcare workflow actions to be performed in parallel by two workflow actors.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the profiling data includes a length of time to complete the healthcare work flow actions, and wherein the processor is configured to reorganize the healthcare workflow actions such that a healthcare work flow action that takes longer to complete is started before a healthcare work flow action that takes less time to complete.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to identify two healthcare workflow actions that are performed in sequence by different healthcare workflow actors and reorganize the healthcare workflow actions to be performed in parallel.

12. The method of claim 8, further including providing statistics for the healthcare workflow task, wherein the statistics are based at least in part on the healthcare workflow actor data and a length of time it takes an actor to complete a healthcare workflow action, and wherein the statistics identify a healthcare workflow actor that takes more than an average amount of time to complete a healthcare workflow action.

13. The method of claim 8, further including a providing a recommendation to a user to use the alternative configuration of the healthcare workflow task.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a set of instructions for execution on a computer, the set of instructions including:

a collection routine adapted to collect profiling data for a healthcare workflow task comprising a plurality of healthcare workflow actions performed in a first sequence, the profiling data comprising healthcare workflow actor data that includes information about healthcare workflow actors that operate together to complete the healthcare workflow actions in the healthcare workflow task; and

a configuration routine adapted to reorganize the healthcare workflow actions using the healthcare workflow actor data to determine an alternative configuration of the healthcare workflow task that can reduce the total time to perform the healthcare workflow task, the alternative configuration providing a sequence of performing the plurality of healthcare workflow actions that is different than the first sequence, wherein the configuration routine is adapted to determine whether the healthcare workflow action is skipped at least a threshold percentage of the time that the healthcare workflow task has been previously executed, and wherein the profiling processor is configured such that, if the healthcare workflow action was skipped at least the threshold percentage of the time that the healthcare workflow task has been previously executed, the alternative configuration for the healthcare workflow task will provide for skipping the healthcare workflow action.

15. The medium and instructions of claim 14, wherein the configuration routine is adapted to identify two healthcare workflow actions that are performed in sequence by a single healthcare workflow actor and reorganize the healthcare workflow actions to be performed in parallel by two healthcare workflow actors.

16. The medium and instructions of claim 14, wherein the profiling data includes a length of time to complete the healthcare work flow actions, and wherein the configuration routine is adapted to reorganize the healthcare workflow actions such that a healthcare work flow action that takes longer to complete is started before a healthcare work flow action that takes less time to complete.

17. The medium and instructions of claim 14, wherein the configuration routine is configured to identify two healthcare workflow actions that are performed in sequence by different healthcare workflow actors and reorganize the healthcare workflow actions to be performed in parallel.

18. The medium and instructions of claim 14, further including a report routine adapted to provide statistics for the healthcare workflow task, wherein the statistics are based at least in part on the healthcare workflow actor data and a length of time it takes an actor to complete a healthcare workflow action, and wherein the statistics identify a healthcare workflow actor that takes more than an average amount of time to complete a healthcare workflow action.

19. The medium and instructions of claim 14, further including a report routine adapted to provide a recommendation to a user to use the alternative configuration of the healthcare workflow task.

20. The medium and instructions of claim 14, wherein the configuration routine is adapted to use the profiling data to determine an efficiency level of the alternative configuration.