System and method for managing healthcare communication

• US 20030125987A1
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Rucker, Donald W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system and method for managing healthcare communication. In general, a system according to the present invention comprises a tool, which is integrated with a clinical information system, comprising an engine for dynamically generating and updating lists of patient-specific and provider-specific contact information using data that is accessed from one or more sources via search engine. The lists of contact information are readily accessible by healthcare providers while treating patients using any one of devices. The tool is preferably integrated with a call management system for tracking and flagging clinically necessary telephone calls, for example, that need to be repeated. Furthermore, the tool is preferably integrated with a workflow system to provide dynamic task assignment wherein the lists of contact information are dynamically generated and updated based on output events of a workflow engine of the workflow system.

Claims

1. A method for managing healthcare communication, comprising the steps of:

applying predetermined criteria in searching at least one source for contact information for use in establishing communication links to personnel associated with a particular patient;

acquiring and sorting the contact information; and

incorporating the acquired and sorted contact information in data representative of a list of contact information for a particular entity, wherein the representative data is used for deriving a displayed image comprising the list.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one source comprises at least one of (a) an electronic patient record system, (b) a repository of patient registration information, (c) a repository of patient non-clinical information, (d) a repository of patient clinical information, (e) a task schedule information system, and a (f) configuration information repository.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the particular entity comprises at least one of (a) an individual involved in healthcare delivery and (b) a group of individuals involved in healthcare delivery.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein in applying the predetermined criteria, the at least one source is searched for contact data of one or more of (a) an attending physician of the patient, (b) a physician involved in an order of an item for the particular patient, (c) a family member, and (d) next of kin.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the contact data comprises at least one of (a) a work telephone number, (b) a home telephone number, (c) a mobile phone number, (d) a pager number, (e) a fax number, (f) an Email address, (g) an Internet Telephone address, (h) a Universal Resource Locator (URL), (i) an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and (j) a videophone number.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of using contact information from the list of contact information in establishing a communication link with a selected one of the personnel via at least one of, (a) a telephone network, (b) the Internet, (c) a Local Area Network, (d) a Wide Area Network (WAN) and (e) a pager network.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in the data representative of the list of contact information used for deriving the displayed image comprising the list,

incorporating a selectable indicator for prompting a user to re-contact one of the personnel using particular contact data of the contact information.

8. A method of providing a user interface for use in healthcare related communication management, comprising the steps of:

generating at least one display window associated with a particular entity in response to user command, wherein the at least on display window comprises contact information for use in establishing communication links to personnel associated with a particular patient, and a selectable indicator for prompting a user to re-contact a specific one of the personnel using particular contact data of the contact information; and

deactivating an activated selectable indicator to remove a re-contact prompt in response to a command.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of deactivating the activated selectable indicator is performed automatically without manual intervention in response to at least one of (a) termination of communication on a link established using the particular contact data to re-contact the specific one of the personnel, (b) a determined duration of communication on the link established using the particular contact data to re-contact the specific one of the personnel, and (c) detection of bi-directional communication on the link established using the particular contact data to re-contact the specific one of the personnel.

10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of maintaining the activated selectable indicator active in response to detection of a busy signal on a communication link established using the particular contact data to re-contact the specific one of the personnel.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of deactivating the activated selectable indicator to remove the re-contact prompt occurs in response to a user command entered via a data entry device.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the selectable indicator is one of (a) activated and (b) inactivated, in response to a received communication.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the received communication is derived from a task being performed by healthcare personnel.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the received communication is automatically generated upon occurrence of a clinical related event associated with the particular patient.

15. A method according to claim 8, wherein the selectable indicator includes a priority identifier indicating a determined relative importance level assigned to the re-contact prompt.

16. A method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one display window further comprises contact information for use in establishing a communication link to a particular department and a selectable indicator for prompting a user to re-contact the particular department using particular contact data of the contact information.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the particular department comprises at least one of, (a) a laboratory test department, (b) a pharmacy, (c) a registration department, (d) a radiology department, (e) an emergency department, (f) a surgery department, (g) an ECG, EKG, or EEG department, and (h) a nursing station.

18. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for managing healthcare communication, the method steps comprising:

applying predetermined criteria in searching at least one source for contact information for use in establishing communication links to personnel associated with a particular patient;

acquiring and sorting the contact information; and

incorporating the acquired and sorted contact information in data representative of a list of contact information for a particular entity, wherein the representative data is used for deriving a displayed image comprising the list.

19. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for providing a user interface for use in healthcare related communication management, the method steps comprising:

generating at least one display window associated with a particular entity in response to user command, wherein the at least on display window comprises contact information for use in establishing communication links to personnel associated with a particular patient, and a selectable indicator for prompting a user to re-contact a specific one of the personnel using particular contact data of the contact information; and

deactivating an activated selectable indicator to remove are-contact prompt in response to a command.