Systems and methods for workflow processing

• US 7,930,193 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James G. Marx
• Original Assignee: James G. Marx
• Inventors: Marx, James G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan; Robert W
• Assistant Examiner(s): REYES, REGINALD R
• Application Number:
  US12/726,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• 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 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing a workflow are disclosed. Certain embodiments allow prescreened data to be inserted into a workflow. A user'"'"'s interpretation of prescreened data can be compared with previously obtained characteristics, enabling the user'"'"'s interpretive output to be monitored and improved. The disclosed systems and methods have applications including, but not limited to, training, performance analysis, process improvement, and data analysis and data mining in workflows.

Claims

1. A system for processing medical image files comprising:

a plurality of databases;

an unscreened files module configured to access unscreened medical image files from the plurality of databases, wherein the unscreened medical image files are created by at least one imaging modality and have not been previously diagnosed, such that medical conditions associated with the unscreened medical image files are not known by the system or the system user;

a prescreened files module configured to access prescreened medical image files from the plurality of databases, wherein the prescreened files comprise images that are associated with one or more medical conditions that have been previously diagnosed other than by the system user and the diagnoses are known by the system but not by the user;

a distribution module comprising a selection processor configured to select files from the unscreened files module and the prescreened files module and a transmission processor configured to transmit the files to the user'"'"'s workstation in a predetermined ratio;

a system monitoring module configured to monitor and evaluate the user'"'"'s interpretive output information of the unscreened and prescreened files, wherein the monitoring and evaluation comprises applying ranking algorithm to the interpretive output information to produce a cumulative rank; and

a distribution override processor in communication with the system monitoring module and the selection processor, wherein the distribution override processor is configured to adjust, based on the cumulative rank, at least one of the ratio of unscreened medical image files to prescreened medical image files, and characteristics of prescreened medical image files transmitted to the workstation, wherein, as the cumulative rank becomes greater, the ratio of unscreened medical image files to prescreened medical images files becomes lower.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein monitoring and evaluating a user'"'"'s interpretive output information comprises determining the level of difficulty in diagnosing a prescreened and/or unscreened file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein monitoring and evaluating a user'"'"'s interpretive output information comprises determining the number of medical image files for which the user generates interpretive output information over time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein monitoring and evaluating a user'"'"'s interpretive output information comprises determining the severity of the one or more medical conditions associated with a prescreened and/or unscreened file.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of prescreened medical images are related to the one or more medical conditions associated with the prescreened medical image file.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein origination data in the prescreened medical image files are altered in such a way that each of the prescreened medical image files appears to be similar to an unscreened medical image file when viewed by the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a greater rank is represented by a lower number.

8. A system for processing medical files comprising:

an unscreened files module configured to access unscreened medical image files from one or more databases, wherein the unscreened files have not been previously diagnosed, such that medical conditions associated with the unscreened medical image files are not known by the system or the system user;

a prescreened files module configured to access prescreened medical files from one or more databases, wherein each prescreened file is associated with a predetermined diagnosis that has been previously determined by another as being associated with one or more medical conditions, such that the diagnoses are not known by the user;

a distribution module comprising a selection module configured to select files from the unscreened files module and the prescreened files module, and further comprising a transmission module configured to transmit the files to the user such that the files are viewed by the user in a predetermined ratio of unscreened files to prescreened files; and

a system monitoring module configured to assign a rank to the user'"'"'s interpretive output information of the unscreened and prescreened files and, based on the rank;

adjust the ratio of unscreened medical files to prescreened medical files viewed by the user, wherein, as the rank becomes lesser, the ratio of unscreened medical image files to prescreened medical images files becomes higher;

or

adjust the difficulty of and/or the severity of the one or more medical conditions associated with the prescreened medical files viewed by the user, wherein, as the rank becomes lesser, the difficulty and/or severity becomes higher;

or

instruct the user to stop reviewing files for a time when the rank lessens to a predetermined deficiency level.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the rank comprises a neutral, a positive, or a negative number.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein a user'"'"'s interpretive output information relating to an unscreened medical image of abnormal anatomy or pathology is assigned an increasingly higher positive rank depending upon the severity of the medical conditions identified in the user'"'"'s interpretative output information.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein a user'"'"'s interpretive output information is assigned an increasingly higher positive rank depending on the difficulty and/or seriousness of the medical conditions identified in the user'"'"'s interpretive output information.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a lesser rank is represented by a higher number.

13. A method for processing medical files comprising:

accessing unscreened medical files from one or more databases, wherein the unscreened files have not been previously diagnosed as being associated with one or more medical conditions, such that the medical conditions associated with the unscreened medical files are not known by the system or the system user;

accessing prescreened medical files from one or more databases, wherein the prescreened files are associated with predetermined diagnoses of one or more medical conditions that are not known by the user;

transmitting the accessed files to the user'"'"'s workstation such that the files are viewed by the user in a predetermined ratio of unscreened files to prescreened files;

ranking the user'"'"'s interpretive output information of the unscreened files and prescreened files; and

, based on the rank;

adjusting the ratio of unscreened medical files to prescreened medical files transmitted to the user'"'"'s workstation, wherein, as the rank becomes lesser, the ratio of unscreened medical image files to prescreened medical images files becomes higher;

or

adjusting the level of difficulty of and/or the severity of the one or more medical conditions in the prescreened medical files transmitted to the user'"'"'s workstation, wherein, as the rank becomes lesser, the difficulty and/or severity becomes higher;

or

instructing the user to stop reviewing files for a time when the rank lessens to a predetermined deficiency level.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein ranking comprises parsing the interpretive output information for keywords.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein ranking comprises locating previously defined numeric values associated with keywords in the interpretive output information in a database, and calculating a rank of the interpretive output information based on the numeric values.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting or instructing based on the rank is based on an aggregated rank.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting or instructing based on the rank is based on an arithmetic sum, moving average, or other aggregation of the user'"'"'s ranks over time.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein a lesser rank is represented by a higher number.