Systems and methods for tracking and providing workflow information

• US 8,645,167 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dakocytomation California Incorporated
• Inventors: Chirica, Laura, Grahn, Mats, Jones, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng, Jonathan K
• Application Number:
  US13/690,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• 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: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A tangible computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable program instructions that generate a user interface for displaying workflow information associated with a tissue specimen in a pathology laboratory. The program instructions may be configured to perform a method including displaying a virtual laboratory component representing a physical pathology laboratory having one or more laboratory stations for processing the tissue specimen, wherein the tissue specimen is processed by the one or more laboratory stations according to a workflow, and displaying a specimen indicator that indicates a current specimen state based on a current relationship of the tissue specimen to the workflow. The method may further include enabling a first active component associated with the virtual laboratory component, wherein the first active component is configured to receive a user selection of a laboratory station and generating a supplemental view component of the selected laboratory station in response to the user selection, wherein the supplemental view provides supplemental information on processing by the selected laboratory station of the tissue specimen.

Claims

1. A system for providing data related to a workflow in a physical laboratory, the system comprising:

a workflow server configured to receive data related to a physical laboratory;

a laboratory device in communication with the workflow server and configured to provide the data;

a display device; and

an interface component configured to;

display a virtual laboratory component providing a graphical representation that depicts an appearance and physical layout of the physical laboratory, the virtual laboratory component having one or more virtual laboratory stations graphically representative of one or more corresponding physical laboratory stations configured to process a tissue specimen according to a workflow, wherein relative positions of the virtual laboratory components reflect relative positions of the corresponding physical laboratory stations;

enable a first active component associated with the virtual laboratory component, wherein the first active component is configured to receive a user selection of a virtual laboratory station graphically representative of a corresponding physical laboratory station; and

generate a supplemental view component of the selected virtual laboratory station in response to the user selection, wherein the supplemental view provides supplemental information on processing of the tissue specimen by the corresponding physical laboratory station graphically represented by the selected virtual laboratory station;

wherein the one or more virtual laboratory stations include at least one of a tissue specimen receiving station, a tissue specimen grossing station, a tissue specimen processing station, a tissue specimen embedding station, a tissue specimen sectioning station, a tissue specimen staining station, a tissue specimen imaging station, a tissue specimen archiving station, or a tissue specimen image archiving station, and

wherein the interface component is further configured to display a specimen indicator that indicates a current specimen state based on a current relationship of the tissue specimen to the workflow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the specimen indicator includes a graphical component configured to change in appearance based on the current specimen state.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database in communication with the workflow server and configured to store the data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of an average labor time, an average machine time, a success rate, a cost, laboratory device service information, laboratory device status information, physical laboratory economic data, lean workflow data, and potential improvement data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication is enabled through a network.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the network is the Internet.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the interface component is remote from the display device.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising a remote access server configured to provide specimen data related to at least one biologic specimen to a location remote from the physical laboratory.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the specimen data includes at least one of a specimen status and a specimen image.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is configured to cause the display device to display a visual indication of a workflow through the physical laboratory.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the visual indicator includes at least one of a zoom-in effect, a zoom-out effect, a popup dialog, a drilldown effect, a text cue, an arrow, or a motion effect.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the supplemental view component includes a second active component configured to receive a second user selection, wherein the second active component indicates a predetermined number of processing stages associated with the selected second virtual laboratory station graphically representative of a corresponding second physical laboratory station.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information relates to at least one of laboratory device service information, laboratory device status, physical laboratory economic data, lean workflow data, and potential improvement data.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of an average labor time, an average machine time, a success rate, and a cost.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to enable modification of the workflow to generate modified information, the modified information including at least one of an estimated labor time, an estimated machine time, an estimated success rate, and an estimated cost.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the interface component is further configured to compare the information with the modified information.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information includes an economic summary related to the physical laboratory.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to cause the display device to display a text component having information related to the selected virtual laboratory station based on the first or second user selection.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to provide a third active component enabling a third user selection to review management data associated with the physical laboratory.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the management data includes at least one of a specimen status and a specimen image associated with the specimen.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to model the workflow in a virtual laboratory diagram as a first result;

receive information related to a proposed workflow associated with the physical laboratory;

model the proposed workflow in the virtual laboratory diagram as a second result;

compare the first result and the second result; and

provide a summary based on the comparison.