System and method for managing medical facility procedures and records

• US 8,069,060 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merative US LP
• Original Assignee: Merge Healthcare Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Tipirneni, Kishore
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor; Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pass; Natalie A
• Application Number:
  US10/905,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,532 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 705/8, 705/6, 600/300, 340/286.01, 340/286.07, 340/506, 340/870.11, 340/825.49, 707/2
• 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 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

The invention facilitates the efficient administration of medical offices and patient records including visual coordination of room, patient, and task status indicators. The invention also enables improved document review and transcription management.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented medical facilities management system comprising:

at least one user interface configured to display a color-coded room identifier for an examination room and transmit user input to a server over at least one network, wherein the at least one user interface is configured to receive user input indicating a first ordered medical task and a second ordered medical task associated with a patient assigned to the examination room; and

a server hosting a web-based medical office management software application coupled to said at least one user interface over the at least one network, wherein said office management application is configured to,

assign to the displayed room identifier, a first color associated with the first ordered medical task, and automatically update the displayed room identifier to the first color,

receive an indication that the first ordered medical task is complete, from at least one user interface,

upon receiving the indication that the first ordered medical task is complete, automatically assign the displayed room identifier a second color associated with the second ordered medical task and automatically update the displayed room identifier,

receive an indication that the second ordered medical task is complete, from at least one user interface,

upon receiving the indication that the second ordered medical task is complete, automatically assign the displayed room identifier a third color indicating that all tasks among a plurality of tasks are complete and automatically update the displayed room identifier to the third color,

receive a selection of the room identifier from at least one user interface, and

in response to receiving the selection, transmit a list to at least one user interface, the list including the first ordered medical task and the second ordered medical task.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said room identifier is color coded according to whether said first ordered medical task is at least one of assigned, scheduled, begun, performed, suspended, completed, and reported by at least one of medical care providers, medical staff, office staff and medical technicians.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said office management application is further configured to facilitate color coding of examination room identifiers according to examination room status of at least one of vacant, occupied, patient checked-in, patient checked-out, physician occupied, in need of cleaning, and out-of-use.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said office management application is further configured to facilitate color coding of examination room identifiers according to an identity of at least one of a care provider, assistant, technician, medical staff member, and office staff member assigned to at least one of a room, an ordered medical task, and a patient associated with said examination room.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one user interface is rendered on a user terminal that is at least one of a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet PC, handheld device, and a cellular phone.

6. A computer-implemented method of communicating information about an examination room of a medical facility, the method comprising:

hosting, by a host server, a web-based medical office management software application that displays a room identifier for the examination room, the web-based application accessible by at least one user terminal over at least one network;

receiving, through the web-based application over the at least one network, by the host server, user input that specifies a first ordered medical task and a second ordered medical task for a patient assigned to the examination room;

assigning, by the host server, to the displayed room identifier, a first color associated with the first ordered medical task, and automatically updating, by the host server, the displayed room identifier to the first color;

receiving, through the web-based application over the at least one network, by the host server, an indication that the first ordered medical task is complete, from at least one user terminal;

upon receiving the indication that the first ordered medical task is complete, automatically assigning, by the host server, the displayed room identifier a second color associated with the second ordered medical task and automatically updating, by the host server, the displayed room identifier;

receiving, through the web-based application over the at least one network, by the host server, an indication that the second ordered medical task is complete, from at least one user terminal;

upon receiving the indication that the second ordered medical task is complete, automatically assigning, by the host server, the displayed room identifier a third color indicating that all tasks among a plurality of tasks are complete and automatically updating, by the host server, the displayed room identifier to the third color;

receiving, by the host server over the at least one network, a selection of the room identifier from at least one user terminal; and

in response to receiving the selection, transmitting, by the host server over the at least one network, a list to at least one user terminal, the list including the first ordered medical task and the second ordered medical task.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising coding room identifiers differently on different user terminals to convey information specific to an ordered medical task to which the respective user terminal corresponds.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

automatically recording associated charges for the first and second ordered medical tasks for billing upon completion of the first and second ordered medical tasks.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

coordinating a color of said at least one room identifier according to at least one of patient medical condition, patient medical alerts, and completed ordered medical tasks.

10. A host server comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the host server is configured to execute a computer-implemented method of communicating information about an examination room of a medical facility, the method comprising:

hosting, by the host server, a web-based medical office management software application that displays a room identifier for the examination room, the web-based application accessible by at least one user terminal over at least one network;

receiving, through the web-based application over the at least one network, by the host server, user input that specifies a first ordered medical task and a second ordered medical task for a patient assigned to the examination room;

assigning, by the host server, to the displayed room identifier, a first color associated with the first ordered medical task, and automatically updating, by the host server, the displayed room identifier to the first color;

receiving, through the web-based application over the at least one network, by the host server, an indication that the first ordered medical task is complete, from at least one user terminal;

upon receiving the indication that the first ordered medical task is complete, automatically assigning, by the host server, the displayed room identifier a second color associated with the second ordered medical task and automatically updating, by the host server, the displayed room identifier;

receiving, through the web-based application over the at least one network, by the host server, an indication that the second ordered medical task is complete, from at least one user terminal;

upon receiving the indication that the second ordered medical task is complete, automatically assigning, by the host server, the displayed room identifier a third color indicating that all tasks among a plurality of tasks are complete and automatically updating, by the host server, the displayed room identifier to the third color;

receiving, by the host server over the at least one network, a selection of the room identifier from at least one user terminal; and

in response to receiving the selection, transmitting, by the host server over the at least one network, a list to at least one user terminal, the list including the first ordered medical task and the second ordered medical task.