| Internet-based, customizable clinical information system -> Monitor Keywords |
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Internet-based, customizable clinical information systemRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, Or Cost/price Determination, Business Processing Using Cryptography, Usage Protection Of Distributed Data FilesInternet-based, customizable clinical information system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080097918, Internet-based, customizable clinical information system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/431,630, filed May 7, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/378,245, filed May 7, 2002, the contents of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. SUMMARY [0002] The present invention is an Internet-based, or Web-based, customizable clinical (patients' records and care) information system ("CIS"). The invention includes software products that are customizable by the patient care facility (e.g., a hospital), and that reside on a central server that is accessible, via secure Internet connection, by those entering, accessing, modifying and/or approving the information stored therein. In the exemplary embodiment, each person accessing the CIS will log onto the CIS using a secret password or some other personal identification data and CIS will then provide a graphical user interface ("GUI"), specifically adapted to provide functionality specific to the needs/position of the user. For example, the GUI for a doctor may be different than a GUI for a pharmacist, which may be different than a GUI for a nurse, and so on. The functions and operations of each GUI may be customizable by a system administrator (who may also have his/her own GUI). [0003] The CIS maintains databases of patient information that include the patient's permanent chart and certain "events" designated for or regarding the patient that may become additions to the patient's chart when approved by the patient's physician. Such "events" may include, for example, a patient's diagnosis, a prescription, a test result, a medication recording/transcription, etc. All events entered by user who is not the physician may be routed to the physician for approval by the physician using his/her GUI. The entry of events, routing of the events to the patient's physician, and the approval by the physician are all performed using the CIS of the present invention. Rules and tasks regarding these functions may be customizable by a system administrator. [0004] Each GUI has icons for activating certain functional modules. The availability of such modules may depend upon the position/authority of the user. Such modules may include, without limitation: [0005] Staging/Treatment Planning: The CIS may be set up with standardized rules for automatically generating patient treatment plans and/or disease staging to ensure continuity and consistency in patient care. Once a diagnosis has been made and approved, the CIS can be configured to automatically set up a treatment plan for the diagnosis. The CIS can also automatically schedule the treatments and services for the patient following that treatment plan, since it has access to the treatment facility schedules and medication inventories. [0006] For diseases, such as cancer, requiring different treatments depending upon the "stage" of the disease, the module may provide a graphical form that allows the physician to define the precise stage that the disease presently has; and, once staged, the module may define the appropriate plan and make the appropriate treatment schedule for that patient. [0007] Lab Test Tracking: Lab work and testing may be set up and reviewed using this module. [0008] Weekend Care: Patient care over a particular weekend or standing orders applicable over a weekend may be set up and reviewed using this module. [0009] Policies and Procedures: This module allows users to view and download applicable policies and procedures and also keeps a record of such access as evidence for regulatory purposes, for example. [0010] Patients' Charts: This module provides many different ways to view patient chart information as well as many different ways to organize and provide access to the permanent charts. [0011] The physicians GUI may have several different "in-boxes", into which are received "events" for the physician's approval. Such in-boxes may include internal prescriptions, pharmacy prescriptions, weekend care, documents, etc. It is possible that customization of the rules and actions for each of the in-boxes may be provided. [0012] The pharmacy GUI is a specialized GUI that is essentially a separate module. It provides electronic record keeping for organizations that provide pharmacy services. It allows the pharmacy staff to electronically communicate with physicians for refills, confirmations and questions about unclear prescriptions. Users can access on-line patient records to view up-to-date medication histories, problem lists, treatment protocols, allergies and other clinical information. The module allows pharmacy technicians to fill prescriptions and allows the pharmacists to approve the prescriptions one at a time or on a batch approval basis. [0013] The CIS may also keep a digital photograph of each patient within the database records for that patient. This digital photograph may then be printed onto any hard copies of the patient's chart and on any pharmaceutical labels for that patient. Therefore, this digital photograph may reduce any potential for mix-ups between the patients because it allows those administering the medications and treatments to match a digital photograph on the patient's chart or prescription label to the patient himself/herself. [0014] The first exemplary embodiment utilizes Web-browsers on the various client (user) computers to access the Web-based CIS from the server(s). The second exemplary embodiment utilizes dedicated applications installed on the client (user) computers that communicate over the Internet (or some other network) to the central server(s) to access/modify the central databases and other centralized information. [0015] Consequently it will be appreciated that certain aspects of the present invention include: a clinical information system that is Web/Internet based, whether it utilizes a browser-type user interface or a distributed application-type user interface; a clinical information system that includes automatic disease staging and associated treatment planning and/or scheduling; a clinical information system that tracks certain events/submissions and sorts such events/submissions into a physician's in-box for on-line approval by the physician, where such approval causes the event/submission to become an addendum to the patient's record; a clinical information system that is customizable by an administrator; a clinical information system that establishes, and makes available for on-line review and approval, patient care or standing orders over a weekend; a clinical information system that utilizes patients' photographs to ensure accurate identification and proper treatment; a clinical information system that creates and stores an audit trail record for all significant events. [0016] More specifically, it is a first aspect of the present invention to provide a method for operating a computerized clinical information system for a healthcare facility that includes the steps of: (a) providing a clinical information system that includes a plurality of user computers operatively coupled to a global computer network (such as the Internet), and at least one computer server operatively coupled to the global computer network, where the computer server has access to at least one clinical information memory source, and is operative to communicate with the user computers and exchange clinical data between the clinical information memory source and the user computers over the global computer network in a secure manner, and where each of the user computers operate a software tool allowing a user to view and modify at least certain of the clinical data; (b) providing an electronic patient chart database on the clinical information memory source, where the electronic patient chart database has a plurality of patient chart records; (c) linking a patient chart record with a primary physician; (d) logging into the computerized clinical information system using the software tool on a first one of the user computers by a user other than the primary physician; (e) entering an event for submission to the patient chart record by the user using the software tool on the first one of the user computers; (f) logging into the computerized clinical information system using the software tool on a second one of the user computers by the primary physician linked with the patient chart record; (g) routing the event to the second one of the user computers for review and approval by the primary physician; (h) reviewing and approving the event by the primary physician using the software tool on the second one of the user computers; and (i) adding the approved event to the patient chart record. In a more detailed embodiment, the event is a transcribed document, a prescription, an order, a test result, and/or a diagnosis. In a further detailed embodiment the software tool on the second one of the user computers provides the primary physician with a graphical user interface that includes a graphical "in-box", and the method includes the step of displaying the event by the graphical user interface on the second one of the user computers in the graphical in-box for the reviewing and approving step. In a further detailed embodiment the displaying step includes the step of displaying a plurality of events in the graphical in-box. Alternatively, the graphical user interface on the second one of the user computers includes a plurality of in-boxes, each of which is reserved for a particular category of events, and the displaying step includes the step of displaying sub-sets of the plurality of events in the respective plurality of in-boxes depending upon categories of the respective plurality of sub-sets. The plurality of in-boxes may include a transcribed document in-box, a prescription in-box, and/or an order in-box; and may also include a test result in-box and/or a message in-box. [0017] In an alternate detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the event is a diagnosis and the method further includes the step of establishing a treatment program for the treatment of the diagnosed disease. In a further detailed embodiment, the step of establishing a treatment program further includes the step of establishing a treatment schedule for implementing the treatment program. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the clinical information memory source includes a plurality of use schedules for a corresponding plurality of the healthcare facility's resources, and the step of establishing the treatment schedule includes the steps of updating the use schedules to reserve the healthcare facility's resources in accordance with the treatment program. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the updating step includes the steps of checking the use schedules for openings and filling openings in the use schedules according to the treatment program; the method further includes the step of adding the treatment schedule to the patient chart record; and/or the step of establishing a treatment schedule includes the step of establishing a medication schedule. In an alternate further detailed embodiment, the step of establishing a treatment program for the treatment of the diagnosed disease includes the step of applying a set of expert rules against the diagnosed disease. In another alternate further detailed embodiment, the diagnosed disease includes a stage of the diagnosed disease and the method further comprises the steps of: providing a disease staging software tool on one of the user computers, where the disease staging software tool includes a plurality of condition fields pertaining to diagnosed or recorded conditions of a patient and includes a set of expert rules for determining a stage of the disease based upon the diagnosed or recorded conditions of the patient; completing the condition fields on the disease staging software tool by a user on the one of the user computers; and processing the completed condition fields against the set of expert rules to determine the stage of the disease. [0018] In another alternate detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention information pertaining to the routing, reviewing and approving steps are recorded in a central audit database. And in another alternate detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the reviewing and approving steps include the step of modifying the event by the primary physician. In a further detailed embodiment, versions of the event existing before and after the modifying step are stored in a central audit database. [0019] It is a second aspect of the present invention to provide a method for operating a computerized clinical information system for a healthcare facility that includes the steps of: (a) providing a clinical information system that includes a plurality of user computers operatively coupled to a global computer network (such as the Internet), and at least one computer server operatively coupled to the global computer network, where the computer server has access to at least one clinical information memory source, and operative to communicate with the user computers and exchange clinical data between the clinical information memory source and the user computers over the global computer network in a secure manner, and where each of the user computers operating a software tool allowing a user to view and modify at least certain of the clinical data; (b) providing an electronic patient chart database on the clinical information memory source, where the electronic patient chart database has a plurality of patient chart records; (c) logging into the computerized clinical information system using the software tool on a first one of the user computers by a user; (d) diagnosing a stage of a patient's disease, where the patient has a chart record in the electronic patient chart database; and (e) adding the diagnosed disease stage to the patient's chart record. In a further detailed embodiment, the diagnosing step (d) further includes the steps of: (d1) providing a disease staging graphical user interface by the software tool, where the graphical user interface includes a plurality of condition fields pertaining to diagnosed or recorded conditions of a patient, and where the software tool includes a first set of expert rules for determining a stage of the disease based upon, at least in part, the diagnosed or recorded conditions of the patient entered into the graphical user interface; (d2) entering information pertaining to the patient's diagnosed or recorded conditions into the condition fields on the graphical user interface by a user on the one of the user computers; and (d3) processing the completed condition fields against the first set of expert rules to determine the stage of the disease. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the method further includes the step of (f) establishing a treatment program for the treatment of the diagnosed disease stage. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the step of establishing a treatment program (f) further includes the step of (f1) establishing a treatment schedule for implementing the treatment program. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the clinical information memory source includes a plurality of use schedules for a corresponding plurality of the healthcare facility's resources, and the step of establishing the treatment schedule (f1) includes the steps of updating the use schedules to reserve the healthcare facility's resources in accordance with the treatment program. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the updating step includes the steps of checking the use schedules for openings and filling openings in the use schedules according to the treatment program. In yet a further detailed embodiment the method further includes the step of adding the treatment schedule to the patient's chart record; and/or the step of establishing a treatment schedule includes the step of establishing a medication schedule. [0020] It is a third aspect of the present invention to provide a method for operating a computerized clinical information system for a healthcare facility that includes the steps of: (a) providing a clinical information system that includes a plurality of user computers operatively coupled to a global computer network (such as the Internet), and at least one computer server operatively coupled to the global computer network, where the computer server has access to at least one clinical information memory source, and operative to communicate with the user computers and exchange clinical data between the clinical information memory source and the user computers over the global computer network in a secure manner, and where each of the user computers operating a software tool allowing a user to view and modify at least certain of the clinical data; (b) providing an electronic patient chart database on the clinical information memory source, where the electronic patient chart database has a plurality of patient chart records; and (c) for each of the patient chart records, storing a digital image of the patient associated with the respective patient chart record. In a further detailed embodiment, the method further includes the step of (d) printing a tangible copy of a portion of the patient chart record, where the tangible copy includes a printed version of the digital image of patient stored in the patient chart record. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the tangible copy includes a prescription label; the tangible copy includes an order; and/or the tangible copy includes at least a portion of a treatment schedule. [0021] It is a fourth aspect of the present invention to provide a method for operating a computerized clinical information system for a healthcare facility that includes the steps of: (a) providing a clinical information system that includes a plurality of user computers operatively coupled to a global computer network (such as the Internet), and at least one computer server operatively coupled to the global computer network, where the computer server has access to at least one clinical information memory source, and operative to communicate with the user computers and exchange clinical data between the clinical information memory source and the user computers over the global computer network in a secure manner, and where each of the user computers operating a software tool allowing a user to view and modify at least certain of the clinical data; (b) providing an electronic patient chart database on the clinical information memory source, where the electronic patient chart database has a plurality of patient chart records; (c) linking a patient chart record with a primary physician; (d) logging into the computerized clinical information system using the software tool on a first one of the user computers by a user that is a pharmacist, a pharmacy technician, a nurse, a non-primary physician or a pharmacy assistant; (e) entering at least one request that is a new prescription, a prescription renewal, a treatment, a test or an order for approval by the primary physician by the user using the software tool on the first one of the user computers; (f) logging into the computerized clinical information system using the software tool on a second one of the user computers by the primary physician; (g) routing the request to the second one of the user computers for review and approval by the primary physician; (h) reviewing and approving the request by the primary physician using the software tool on the second one of the user computers; and (i) adding the approved request to the patient chart record. In a further detailed embodiment the method further includes the step of notice of approval of the request back to the user logged onto the computerized clinical information system. In yet a further detailed embodiment the patient chart record includes a digital image of the patient and the method further includes the step of printing a tangible copy of a portion of the patient chart record, where the tangible copy includes a printed version of the digital image of patient stored in the patient chart record. In yet a further detailed embodiment the tangible copy includes a prescription label, the tangible copy includes an order, and/or the tangible copy includes at least a portion of a treatment schedule. [0022] In an alternate detailed embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the software tool on the first one of the user computers provides a first graphical user interface customized for use by the user; and the software tool on the second one of the user computers provides a second graphical user interface customized for use by the primary physician. In a further detailed embodiment, each of the first and second graphical user interfaces provide access to the patient chart record. In yet a further detailed embodiment, the first and second graphical user interfaces provide access to one or more of the following functions: drug-drug interaction checking; drug-disease interaction checking; drug warnings; drug pharmacology; pregnancy and lactation hazard information; therapeutic duplication checking; and drug-allergy checking. Continue reading about Internet-based, customizable clinical information system... 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