System for measuring and improving patient flow in health care systems

• US 7,925,603 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apogee Informatics Corp.
• Original Assignee: Apogee Informatics Corp.
• Inventors: Laidig, William A., Klubert, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks; Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, LI WU
• Application Number:
  US11/818,175
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• 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 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

The invention is a software-based method for displaying, analyzing, simulating and optimizing patient flow in a health care facility, including computer hardware for storage of data, as well as software for retrieving data and for creating mathematical models to represent patient treatment and transit within a healthcare facility.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for displaying, analyzing, simulating and optimizing the flow of a population of patients in a health care facility comprising a computer performing the steps of:

recording data in electronically accessible form, the data pertaining to the movement and location of each patient of the population of patients at a plurality of locations within said facility, the plurality of locations including at least one treatment location and at least one queuing location;

generating patient flow statistics describing the movement of said population of patients within said facility based on said data;

creating a mathematical model to represent patient treatment at said treatment locations and patient transit between said treatment locations and said queuing locations based on said patient flow statistics, the mathematical model including at least one differential equation representing a treatment rate at said treatment location based on said patient flow statistics and at least one differential equation representing an arrival rate at said treatment location based on the treatment rate and the patient flow statistics for said treatment location;

selecting theoretical data regarding at least one of patient treatment or patient transit in said facility;

applying said theoretical data to said mathematical model and

generating theoretical patient population flow statistics by said application of said theoretical data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mathematical model further represents at least one of patient treatment or patient transit at a second location of the plurality of locations within said facility based on said patient flow statistics, the mathematical model describing at least one operating characteristic of the second location that is dependent upon at least one operating characteristic of the first location.

3. An apparatus for displaying, analyzing, simulating and optimizing the flow of a population of patients in a health care system comprising:

a software database containing data pertaining to the movement and location of each patient entering said system at a plurality of locations within said facility, the plurality of locations including at least one treatment location and at least one queuing location;

a processor;

a computer program implemented by the processor for selectively retrieving said data;

a computer program implemented by the processor for generating patient population flow statistics based on said data;

computer software implemented by the processor for the creation of a mathematical model to represent patient treatment at said treatment locations and patient transit between said treatment locations and said queuing locations utilizing said data, the mathematical model including at least one differential equation representing a treatment rate at said treatment location based on said patient flow statistics and at least one differential equation representing an arrival rate at said treatment location based on the treatment rate and the patient flow statistics for said treatment location;

a computer program implemented by the processor for processing theoretical data regarding at least one of patient treatment or patient transit;

computer software implemented by the processor for applying said theoretical data to said mathematical model; and

a computer program implemented by the processor for generating theoretical patient population flow statistics based on said data.

4. A computer implemented method for displaying, analyzing, simulating and optimizing the flow of a population of patients in a healthcare facility, comprising a computer performing the steps of:

recording data pertaining to the movement and location of each patient of the population of patients at a plurality of locations within said facility, the plurality of locations including at least one treatment location and at least one queuing location;

generating patient flow statistics describing the movement of said population of patients at said plurality of locations within said facility based on said data; and

creating a mathematical model to represent patient treatment at said treatment locations and patient transit between said treatment locations and said queuing locations, the mathematical model including at least one differential equation representing a treatment rate at said treatment location based on said patient flow statistics and at least one differential equation representing an arrival rate at said treatment location based on the treatment rate and the patient flow statistics for said treatment location.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

selecting theoretical data regarding at least one of patient treatment or patient transit in said facility;

applying said theoretical data to said mathematical model; and

generating theoretical patient population flow statistics by application of said theoretical data.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

conducting a simulation using said mathematical model;

comparing the results of said simulation to said data, wherein the data corresponds to the simulation;

calculating correction factors to conform the results of the simulation to the data; and

applying the correction factors to the mathematical model.