Managing patient bed assignments and bed occupancy in a health care facility

• US 8,700,428 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Allscripts Software LLC (Veradigm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Allscripts Software LLC (Veradigm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rosow, Eric, Roth, Chris, Adam, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Michelle L
• Application Number:
  US13/621,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 577 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4, 340/5.54, 340/925, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• 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 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

An integrated health care delivery network with enabling software and network technology to maximize bed resources, manage varying census levels, and avoid patient diversions through real-time monitoring, automation and communication, is disclosed. Preferably, the present invention is embodied in a bed management system that interfaces with and complements existing Admission/Discharge/Transfer (ADT) systems. The bed management system is an easy-to-use business intelligence application that is designed to allow administrators, clinicians and managers to easily access, analyze and display real-time patient and bed availability information from ancillary information systems, databases and spreadsheets. It enables users to see trends and relationships in hospital (bed) management data directly from their desktop personal computers.

Claims

1. A method for graphically displaying information relating to locations in a health care facility at which patients are placed, comprising the steps of:

(a) on an ongoing basis, receiving computer-generated transactional messages from one or more computer systems of the health care facility and automatically updating a database with information extracted from the computer-generated transactional messages, which information pertains to the patients and the locations for patient placement in the health care facility, whereby information about patients and locations for patient placement is maintained on an ongoing basis in the database via continual updates thereto;

(b) accessing the database and, based thereon, displaying a graphical representation of a plurality of locations for patient placement in the health care environment which graphical representation visually includes representations of at least a portion of the information about patients and locations for patient placement that is maintained in the database;

(c) wherein said graphical representation includes one or more pictorial icons each adapted to display both

(i) first information associated with a first attribute related to room status information or patient status information, and

(ii) secondary information associated with another attribute related to room status information or patient status information; and

(d) wherein said pictorial icons are configured to be continually updated based on information received from one or more computer systems of the healthcare facility via transactional messages;

(e) wherein the locations for patient placement include one or more units, rooms, or beds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the locations for patient placement include units of the health care facility, each unit having a plurality of patient beds.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the locations for patient placement include rooms of the health care facility, each room having at least one patient bed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the locations for patient placement include patient beds of the health care facility.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation includes one or more pictorial icons adapted to display secondary information via different colors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with a patient status.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with a patient gender.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with one or more patient symptoms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with an admitting diagnosis.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with a type of medical service required.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with a bed attributes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with a bed occupancy status.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with bed availability status.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with a whether a bed is monitored.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the pictorial icons is adapted to display information associated with a medical service assigned to a bed.

17. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the secondary information is displayed solely to authorized users of the apparatus.

18. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cells are displayed in different colors to convey information related to room status or patient status.

16. A system for the graphical display of room and room occupant information, the system comprising:

(a) a display for a health care facility;

(b) an arrangement of one or more computer components configured to

(i) produce a table view comprising a plurality of cells for being viewed on the display, each cell simultaneously conveying attributes relating to

(A) room status information regarding a room of a health care facility, and

(B) patient status information regarding an occupant of the room, and

(ii) modify at least one of the attributes of at least one of the cells to convey said room status and patient status information, and

(d) produce a floor plan view comprising a plurality of pictorial icons for being viewed on the display, said pictorial icons conveying said room status and patient status information;

(c) wherein said pictorial icons are each adapted to display both

(i) first information associated with a first attribute related to room status information or patient status information, and

(ii) secondary information associated with another attribute related to room status information or patient status information; and

(d) wherein said pictorial icons are configured to be continually updated based on information received from one or more computer systems of the healthcare facility via transactional messages.