Method to view schedule interdependencies and provide proactive clinical process decision support in day view form

• US 10,157,355 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Johnson, Christopher D., Akbay, Kunter Seref, Dulgeroglu, Onur Ilkin
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Joseph D
• Application Number:
  US12/040,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,945 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 705 7, 345704
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for use in managing and preparing for scheduled procedures that are characterized as being interdependent and variable. The disclosed method enables schedule risk management and provides a look-ahead capability along with process diagnostics to isolate specific assets and tasks that can be managed to reduce schedule risk. The method facilitates review of upcoming tasks by the process stakeholders for education as to where the schedule risks reside and in an emulation mode for review and improved scheduling going forward. Clinical workflow is integrated such that process stakeholders and assets are directed in such a way as to keep on, reduce delay risk or recover the schedule.

Claims

1. An apparatus in communication with a machine configured to execute protocol tasks, the apparatus comprising:

a memory to store instructions and protocol information including associated tasks and historical data; and

a processor configured to at least;

process a schedule of tasks involving resources in a facility, the resources including the machine in communication with apparatus, the tasks to execute using the resources in connection with a protocol;

determine interdependencies between the resources involved in tasks in the schedule;

calculate, for each task, a probability density function associated with a duration estimation for completion of the respective task;

generate decision support rules with respect to a probability associated with an expected protocol duration, the decision support rules including a lower specification limit as a first adjustable set point quantifying a lower probability threshold for protocol duration and an upper specification limit as a second adjustable set point quantifying an adjustable surplus probability over the expected protocol duration;

convert the protocol, the decision support rules, and the schedule of tasks into critical path logic, the critical path logic to execute a probabilistic logic routine to calculate a schedule risk for the schedule of tasks based on a cumulative probability density function for the protocol including the probability density function for each task;

when the schedule risk exceeds bounds established by the decision support rules, modify the schedule of tasks based on at least one simulation of the tasks in the protocol using the critical path logic and the interdependencies to generate a modified schedule of tasks; and

communicate at least a portion of the modified schedule of tasks to configure the machine to be executed according to the protocol.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein feedback is received to adjust at least one of the first adjustable set point or the second adjustable set point.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one simulation includes at least one of agent based simulation, discrete event simulation, dynamic simulation, or Monte Carlo simulation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one simulation includes at least one of playing the modified schedule forward, playing one or more predictive schedules forward, replaying the initial schedule, and replaying an actual occurrence of tasks.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one simulation is to be control by dynamically selecting a point in time in the simulation by adjusting at least one of a slider bar or a dial of a user interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the machine includes at least one of an electronic medical record system, a healthcare information system, an imaging system, or a monitoring system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive monitoring information regarding a state of the resources involved in the schedule as the schedule progresses.

8. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions, when executed, causing the processor to at least:

process a schedule of tasks involving resources in a facility, the tasks to execute using the resources in connection with a protocol, the resources including a machine to execute at least one of the tasks;

determine interdependencies between the resources involved in tasks in the schedule;

calculate, for each task, a probability density function associated with a duration estimation for completion of the respective task;

generate decision support rules with respect to a probability associated with an expected protocol duration, the decision support rules including a lower specification limit as a first adjustable set point quantifying a lower probability threshold for protocol duration and an upper specification limit as a second adjustable set point quantifying an adjustable surplus probability over the expected protocol duration;

convert the protocol, the decision support rules, and the schedule of tasks into critical path logic, the critical path logic to execute a probabilistic logic routine to calculate a schedule risk for the schedule of tasks based on a cumulative probability density function for the protocol including the probability density function for each task;

when the schedule risk exceeds bounds established by the decision support rules, modify the schedule of tasks based on at least one simulation of the tasks in the protocol using the critical path logic and the interdependencies to generate a modified schedule of tasks; and

communicate at least a portion of the modified schedule of tasks to configure the machine to be executed according to the protocol.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein feedback is received to adjust at least one of the first adjustable set point or the second adjustable set point.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the at least one simulation includes at least one of agent based simulation, discrete event simulation, dynamic simulation, or Monte Carlo simulation.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the at least one simulation includes at least one of playing the modified schedule forward, playing one or more predictive schedules forward, replaying the initial schedule, and replaying an actual occurrence of tasks.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one simulation is to be control by dynamically selecting a point in time in the simulation by adjusting at least one of a slider bar or a dial of a user interface.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the machine includes at least one of an electronic medical record system, a healthcare information system, an imaging system, or a monitoring system.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to receive monitoring information regarding a state of the resources involved in the schedule as the schedule progresses.

15. A method comprising:

processing, by executing an instruction using a processor, a schedule of tasks involving resources in a facility, the resources including a machine to execute at least one of the tasks, the tasks to execute using the resources in connection with a protocol;

determining, by executing an instruction using the processor, interdependencies between the resources involved in tasks in the schedule;

calculating, for each task by executing an instruction using the processor, a probability density function associated with a duration estimation for completion of the respective task;

generating, by executing an instruction using the processor, decision support rules with respect to a probability associated with an expected protocol duration, the decision support rules including a lower specification limit as a first adjustable set point quantifying a lower probability threshold for protocol duration and an upper specification limit as a second adjustable set point quantifying an adjustable surplus probability over the expected protocol duration;

converting, by executing an instruction using the processor, the protocol, the decision support rules, and the schedule of tasks into critical path logic, the critical path logic to execute a probabilistic logic routine to calculate a schedule risk for the schedule of tasks based on a cumulative probability density function for the protocol including the probability density function for each task;

when the schedule risk exceeds bounds established by the decision support rules, modifying, by executing an instruction using the processor, the schedule of tasks based on at least one simulation of the tasks in the protocol using the critical path logic and the interdependencies to generate a modified schedule of tasks; and

communicating, by executing an instruction using the processor, at least a portion of the modified schedule of tasks to configure the machine to be executed according to the protocol.

16. The method of claim 15, further including receiving feedback to adjust at least one of the first adjustable set point or the second adjustable set point.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one simulation includes at least one of agent based simulation, discrete event simulation, dynamic simulation, or Monte Carlo simulation.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one simulation includes at least one of playing the modified schedule forward, playing one or more predictive schedules forward, replaying the initial schedule, and replaying an actual occurrence of tasks.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one simulation is to be control by dynamically selecting a point in time in the simulation by adjusting at least one of a slider bar or a dial of a user interface.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the machine includes at least one of an electronic medical record system, a healthcare information system, an imaging system, or a monitoring system.

21. The method of claim 15, further including receiving monitoring information regarding a state of the resources involved in the schedule as the schedule progresses.