NATURALLY EXPRESSED MEDICAL PROCEDURE DESCRIPTIONS GENERATED VIA SYNCHRONIZED DIAGRAMS AND MENUS
A computing device-based system and method are described for generating a medical procedure description recorded into the system by a physician. The system and method manipulate a set of database records comprising medical content which is naturally descriptive of clinical procedures and clinically accurate diagrams which are naturally descriptive to document a medical procedure. To support the generation of a set of said medical procedure descriptions, the system and method provide interchangeable, connected, ontologically-based medical procedure database cartridges of medical content terms, rules, and diagrams that naturally describe constrained procedure representations for clinical procedure descriptions.
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This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/745,759 filed on Dec. 23, 2003, entitled NATURALLY EXPRESSED MEDICAL PROCEDURE DESCRIPTIONS GENERATED VIA SYNCHRONIZED DIAGRAMS AND MENUS, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe field of the present invention generally relates to systems and methods for medical procedure documentation, and in particular to a system and method for generating naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions via a synchronized diagram and menu system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe invention generally relates to graphical user interfaces, and more particularly to a graphical user interface used by physicians to quickly and concisely document procedures and/or exams conducted in healthcare facilities.
The development of graphical user interfaces started in the development labs of Xerox, IBM, and others and eventually made it to the public domain via the introduction of the Apple LISA personal computer, X-Windows on Unix terminals, TopView from IBM, and Windows from Microsoft. As the graphical user interface established itself as the primary means of computer to human interfacing there have been various methods seeking to improve the look, the feel, and the speed at which information is transferred from the end user to the software application and database operating under a graphical user interface. The present invention serves to improve upon these already developed methods by tying together methods that have been heretofore not engineered in a way the benefits the physician during their documentation of medical procedures and exams. The traditional method of physician medical procedure documentation is via the dictation and transcription model. Several vendors have developed structured methods of medical procedure documentation that are based on menus and menu trees. Other structured methods have been based on anatomic diagrams and annotating diagrams with text that documents findings, intervention, and maneuvers conducted during the medical procedure. A structured language bridge or ontology does not exist that uniquely matches up the documentation conducted via the menu method and the diagram method.
The invention allows the physician to generate naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions via a synchronized diagram and menu system. The physician is free to choose either method of documentation, either via a diagram or via a menu system. Entries or changes in one method of documentation are automatically synchronized with the other. This enables the physician to quickly and concisely generate naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions in a method that suits their needs.
There are systems and methods that address these issues. However, the prior art does not sufficiently address the issue of providing an efficient and effective means to solve these problems. There are several software systems in the public domain that allow for the entry of information via a menu system and several software systems that allow documentation and annotations to be completed via a diagram but none of the prior art brings these two methods together in a synchronized manner.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a method and system for designing and implementing a system and method for generating naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions via a synchronized diagram and menu system. In this manner, physicians are able to describe their procedures in a clinical style that is natural to the physician with alternative user interface methods that allows for the rapid entry of concise and complete medical procedure documentation.
The object of the invention is to provide a concise and complete procedure documentation system that generates naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions by allowing the physician to work with a user interface that is consistent with their style of documentation for their medical specialty. For example, cardiologists typically utilize pictures to describe their findings when speaking with the patient's family in the waiting room. The physician draws a heart showing the patient's family the findings and interventions that they encountered during the procedure. Afterward, the physician has to dictate their note and wait for the transcription to return before they are “completed” with the procedure. With the invention in place, the physician can utilize the diagram documentation method and use these diagrams as part of the procedure description and also use the diagrams to show the patient's family the findings and interventions.
It is another objective of the invention to keep the two methods of documentation synchronized to ensure that the documentation is correct independent of the method of data entry. The synchronization will additionally help to reduce medical errors. For example, the physician could document their procedure completely by using the diagrams and the documentation generated by the invention would have all of the information necessary to correctly assign the CPT and ICD9 codes associated with the medical procedure. Alternatively, the physician could document their procedure completely by using the menuing system and the documentation generated by the invention would have all of the information necessary to correctly assign the CPT and ICD9 codes associated with the medical procedure. The physician could choose to use either method during the procedure documentation process and the invention would keep the data synchronized.
Thus, as will be appreciated from a review of the drawings and detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments, the present invention overcomes the significant limitations and shortcomings of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe benefits of this invention will become clear and will be best appreciated with reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. Other objects, advantages, and novel features will be apparent from the description when read in conjunction with the appended claims and attached drawings.
The present invention is an automated medical procedure documentation method utilizing a synchronized menu and diagramming system to generate the naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions.
A computer based system and method are described for generating naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions via a synchronized diagram and menu system which concisely and completely summarizes a clinical procedure description recorded into the system by a physician. The system and method manipulate a set of database records comprising medical content, such as procedure descriptions and medical diagrams which are naturally descriptive of clinical procedures.
The system provides the features that eliminate the error prone process of dictation and the often lengthy delays associated with transcribing, reviewing, recreating, and approving transcripts. Additionally, the system provides a diagram that can be used in a natural way to describe the findings, interventions, etc. that are part of the medical procedure. A minimal learning curve is required to become productive when using the invention.
The system's document driven charge capture module completes the process by transferring the documentation to the healthcare facilities billing system.
The present invention is a software program operating on a single general purpose computing device or a plurality of computing devices interconnected via a network system. The procedure documentation is readily available for review, print, fax, email operations.
The invention interface comprises a set of procedure descriptors designed as anticipatory driven drop down menus that controls the information input by a physician to document a medical procedure and an interface that allows for a simple interaction between a diagram and icons that represent, for example, various procedure or exam based findings, maneuvers, and interventions. The invention uses an anticipatory menu physician interface, which emulates a typical procedural workflow and a clinician's thought processes, instantly and automatically adapting to each piece of information that is input by the physician with a corresponding anatomic diagram that is tied to the procedure being documented.
A procedure description narrative is constructed based on the initial procedure category selected by a physician. As the physician documents the procedure using the anticipatory interface menus, the narrative is edited as the next procedure description item is selected from a next menu in the documentation process. While the physician is documenting the procedure using the anticipatory interface menus, a concurrent process is taking place that creates the synchronized diagram for printing, review, or editing. At the completion of the procedure documentation process, the procedure description narrative is completed and its description fields are filled in. The system reduces the time spent by the physician paging through a maze of screens to find the correct place to record information. The system also reduces the time spent by the physician scrolling through dozens of pull-down menus or the time spent by the physician reading through endless lists of words in search for terminology appropriate for the procedure at hand. The system reduces the time spent by the physician in documenting their procedure description by allowing the physician to document via a method that is more intuitive to their style.
Alternatively, the physician can invoke the diagram method of documentation and be presented with a diagram that presents the anatomy of the patient specific to the procedure being documented with icons representing various maneuvers, findings, and interventions. Certain elements of the diagram method are better represented with menus and thus the menu system is invoked to augment the diagram method of generating naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions.
The present invention can be better understood with reference to the following diagrams. The components within the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Referring to
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A plurality of printers is also included in this configuration. The computing devices may have their own local printers.
The system is written with commercially available application development and database applications. The system can be written in any programming language using commercially available database system. Referring to
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To maximize the value of the information maintained by the system, it is important to facilitate both information entry, to ensure that the system can access all pertinent information, and information retrieval, to ensure that the information is accessible and that such retrieved information is accurately provided to the provider for proper interpretation. Further, the physicians must have confidence that the information is accurate, secure, and fail-safe; otherwise, physicians will be reluctant to rely upon the system for maintaining medical information.
In a typical configuration, the program modules of the system are organized in a multi-tier architecture. Several computing devices throughout the healthcare facility are equipped with the client-side components of the system, which can access other server-side components located on other computing devices via the network. The client-side system components physician user interface comprises a number of screens in a computing environment that prompts the physician for input and displaying output.
Examples of suitable user interfaces include traditional Windows clients, browser/HTML based, J2EE, JAVA, XML based, Windows Forms, Windows .NET, Windows FX, speech recognition, speech navigation, and Pocket PC interfaces. These may be produced by vendors including but not limited to IBM, Novell, Apple, Sun, and Microsoft.
While the preferred implementation for a hospital setting is a network environment, many of the system functions, including the physician interface and data management functions can be performed on a single computing device.
The discussions are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment for the server and client computing devices. As noted previously, the system is implemented as a series of program modules, comprising computer executable instructions executed either on a server or client computing device. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, and data structures that perform specific coordinated and synchronized tasks.
The physician logs on to the system with a user name and password 1300
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The invention utilizes a well known and established object oriented design pattern documented in the book “Design Patterns-Elements of Reusable Object Oriented Software” by Gamma, Helm, Johnson, and Vlissides coupled with the invention's ontology inference engine that enables a documentation method utilizing a synchronized menu and diagramming system to generate the medical procedure descriptions.
The well-known object oriented design pattern is called the Observer Pattern in the book but is known by other names such as the Publish-Subscribe model. The key objects in the algorithm are the subject and observer. A subject may have any number of dependent observers. All observers are notified whenever the subject undergoes a change in state. In response, each observer will query the subject to synchronize its state with the subject's state. This kind of interaction is also known as publish-subscribe. The subject is the publisher of notifications. It sends out these notifications without having to know who its observers are. Any number of observers can subscribe to receive notifications.
Referring to the present invention, the system is managed by two primary subjects called Main Document and Diagram Document with a number of observers for each subject. Main Document and Diagram Document are programming object code that are responsible for keeping track of its observers and holding data before it is written to the database. The Main Document subject is responsible for the procedure note documentation functionality, see
Referring to
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The physician next selects their procedure from the menu 2100. The observer, Tree Menu, observes the menu selection and informs the subject, Main Document, of the data change. Main Document may be uncoordinated with its observer's Tree Menu and Edit Window and informs them that they need to get coordinated. The observers react to this message and then query the subject, Main Document, for the change in data and the screen is refreshed with the data selected, see
Referring now to
The physician could continue to document their procedure note using the aforementioned method. Alternatively, the physician could choose to document the procedure using the diagramming approach, see
After the physician selects the menu selection, Diagram Documentation 2400, the system creates a subject called Diagram Document and two observers called Diagram Tree Menu and Diagram Window. The system informs the subject of its observers and the subject is now in control of the application. Diagram Document calls its observers, Diagram Tree Menu and Diagram Window informing them that they need to get coordinated. After receiving this information from the subject the observers, Diagram Tree Menu and Diagram Window query the subject and retrieve the data that has changed.
The data retrieved by the observers is processed by the ontology inference engine. The ontology inference engine maps the data elements between the menu data elements and diagram data elements. This mapping enables the synchronization between the two disparate representations of data.
Referring now to
The physician, in this example, decides to document a stenosis in an artery. Referring now to
Referring now to
The data retrieved by the observers is processed by the ontology inference engine. The ontology inference engine maps the data elements between the menu data elements and diagram data elements. This mapping enables the synchronization between the two disparate representations of data.
Referring now to
The Diagram Windows observer reacts to the additional actions given to it by the Diagram Document subject. Referring to
The data retrieved by the observers is processed by the ontology inference engine. The ontology inference engine maps the data elements between the menu data elements and diagram data elements. This mapping enables the synchronization between the two disparate representations of data.
The Diagram Tree Menu observer displays data 2904 that is the result of the degree selection, see
The Diagram Windows observer reacts to the additional actions given to it by the Diagram Document subject. Referring to
The data retrieved by the observers is processed by the ontology inference engine. The ontology inference engine maps the data elements between the menu data elements and diagram data elements. This mapping enables the synchronization between the two disparate representations of data.
The Diagram Tree Menu observer displays data 3008 that is the result of the description selection, see
The Diagram Windows observer reacts to the additional actions given to it by the Diagram Document subject. Referring to
The data retrieved by the observers is processed by the ontology inference engine. The ontology inference engine maps the data elements between the menu data elements and diagram data elements. This mapping enables the synchronization between the two disparate representations of data.
The Diagram Tree Menu observer displays data 3109 that is the result of the Thrombus selection, see
The system creates a subject called Main Document and two observers called Tree Menu and Edit Window. The system informs the subject of its observers and the subject is now in control of the application. Main Document calls its observers, Tree Menu and Edit Window informing them that they need to get coordinated. After receiving this information from the subject the observers, Tree Menu and Edit Window query the subject and retrieve the data that has changed.
Referring now to
A system for the generating of naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions via a synchronized diagram and menu system has been described when documenting via the diagramming functionality. The procedure description documented in the diagram where propagated and synchronized with the menus. Now we need to describe the synchronized diagram and menu system when documenting via the menu functionality.
Now referring to
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The observer, Tree Menu, executes the additional actions and the physician is next presented with a Locations menu 3402. The same interactions described above between the subject, Main Document, and the observers, Tree Menu and Edit Window, occur each time a menu is presented and selected by the physician. The physician makes a menu selection and in this example, the physician has selected a location of Mid-LAD Artery 3401. The observer, Tree Menu, observes the menu selection and informs the subject, Main Document, of the data change. Main Document may be uncoordinated with its observer's Tree Menu and Edit Window and informs them that they need to get coordinated. The observers react to this message and then query the subject, Main Document, for the change in data and the screen is refreshed with the data selected.
Referring to
The observer, Tree Menu, executes the additional actions and the physician is next presented with a Degree menu 3502. The same interactions described above between the subject, Main Document, and the observers, Tree Menu and Edit Window, occur each time a menu is presented and selected by the physician. The physician makes a menu selection and in this example, the physician has selected a degree of 44 3504. The observer, Tree Menu, observes the menu selection and informs the subject, Main Document, of the data change. Main Document may be uncoordinated with its observer's Tree Menu and Edit Window and informs them that they need to get coordinated. The observers react to this message and then query the subject, Main Document, for the change in data and the screen is refreshed with the data selected.
Referring to
The observer, Tree Menu, executes the additional actions and the physician is next presented with a Stenosis Type menu 3602. The same interactions described above between the subject, Main Document and the observers, Tree Menu and Edit Window, occur each time a menu is presented and selected by the physician. The physician makes a menu selection and in this example, the physician has selected a Stenosis Type of Discrete 3604. The observer, Tree Menu, observes the menu selection and informs the subject, Main Document, of the data change. Main Document may be uncoordinated with its observer's Tree Menu and Edit Window and informs them that they need to get coordinated. The observers react to this message and then query the subject, Main Document, for the change in data and the screen is refreshed with the data selected.
Referring to
The observer, Tree Menu, executes the additional actions and the physician is next presented with a Description menu 3702. The same interactions described above between the subject, Main Document, and the observers, Tree Menu and Edit Window, occur each time a menu is presented and selected by the physician. The physician makes a menu selection and in this example, the physician has selected a Description of Eccentric 3704. The observer, Tree Menu, observes the menu selection and informs the subject, Main Document, of the data change. Main Document may be uncoordinated with its observer's Tree Menu and Edit Window and informs them that they need to get coordinated. The observers react to this message and then query the subject, Main Document, for the change in data and the screen is refreshed with the data selected.
Referring to
The observer, Tree Menu executes the additional actions and the physician is next presented with a Thrombus menu 3802. The same interactions described above between the subject, Main Document, and the observers, Tree Menu and Edit Window, occur each time a menu is presented and selected by the physician. The physician makes a menu selection and in this example, the physician has selected a Thrombus of Yes 3804. The observer, Tree Menu, observes the menu selection and informs the subject, Main Document, of the data change. Main Document may be uncoordinated with its observer's Tree Menu and Edit Window and informs them that they need to get coordinated. The observers react to this message and then query the subject, Main Document, for the change in data and the screen is refreshed with the data selected.
Referring to
The physician's documenting of the findings via the menuing system has resulted in the creation of a synchronized diagram that has the stenosis correctly placed on the diagram given the information that was entered by the physician.
Referring to
The data retrieved by the observers is processed by the ontology inference engine. The ontology inference engine maps the data elements between the menu data elements and diagram data elements. This mapping enables the synchronization between the two disparate representations of data.
Referring now to
A system for the generating of naturally expressed medical procedure descriptions via a synchronized diagram and menu system has been described when documenting via the menu functionality. The procedure description documented in the menu where propagated and synchronized with the diagrams.
The description of invention demonstrates synchronization between the Findings of a Cardiac Catheterization procedure and a diagram but the invention is not limited to a specific section of the medical procedure description.
Referring to
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments disclosed herein are exemplary in nature and that various changes can be made without departing from the scope and the spirit of this invention. Such various changes would become clear to one of ordinary skill in the art after inspection of the specification and the drawings. In that regard, as many changes as are possible to the embodiments of this invention utilizing the teachings thereof, the descriptions above, and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted in the illustrative and not the limited sense. The invention therefore is not to be restricted except within the spirit and scope of any appended claims.
The invention is by no means restricted to the embodiment shown. Many alternative versions are feasible in respect of the actual construction of the means used. The invention is not limited to procedure descriptions completed for procedures performed in Cardiology but in fact can be used to document procedures in any medical specialty. It should be noted that the invention is not restricted either to a special type of data, special configurations of data, programming languages, database systems, operating systems, or computing devices.
Claims
1. A method for documenting a medical procedure, comprising the steps of:
- (a) recording a medical procedure description; and
- (b) constructing said medical procedure description using a synchronized diagram and menu system.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said constructing said medical procedure description comprises the steps of:
- (a) accessing a procedures representations database of procedure term and attributes representations;
- (b) selecting a procedure term and attributes representation from said procedure representations database that is associated with said medical procedure description; and
- (c) constructing said medical procedure description using said selected term and attributes representation via synchronized diagram and menu system.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said accessing a procedures representations database of said procedure term and attributes representations further comprises:
- (a) accessing a database of procedure terminologies that are interconnected to said procedures representations database of said procedure term and attributes representations.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein said accessing a database of procedure terminologies further comprises:
- (a) accessing a database of diagrams interconnected to said procedures representations database.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said selecting said procedure term and attributes representation further comprises:
- (a) automatically selecting a plurality of diagrams from said database of diagrams that are interconnected to said procedure term and attributes representation.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said constructing said medical procedure description further comprises:
- (a) associating said diagram for said procedure term and attributes representation to said menu, wherein said diagram and said menu are synchronized in their medical procedure description
7. A method for documenting a medical procedure, comprising the steps of:
- (a) recording a medical procedure description;
- (b) constructing said recording a medical procedure description using a synchronized diagram and menu system;
- (c) accessing a procedures representations database of procedure term and attributes representations; and
- (d) selecting a procedure term and attributes representation from said procedure representations database that is associated with said medical procedure description.
8. The method for documenting a medical procedure according to claim 7, further comprising:
- (e) accessing a database of procedure terminologies.
9. The method for documenting a medical procedure according to claim 8 further comprising:
- (f) accessing a database of diagrams interconnected to said procedures representations database of said procedure term and attributes representations.
10. The method for documenting a medical procedure according to claim 9 further comprising:
- (g) automatically selecting a plurality of diagrams from said database of diagrams that are interconnected to said procedure term and attributes representation; and
- (h) associating said diagram for said procedure term and attributes representation to said menu, wherein said diagram and said menu are synchronized in their medical procedure description.
11. A documentation system for medical procedure descriptions comprising:
- (a) a computing device;
- (b) a user interface residing on said computing device for recording a medical procedure description; and
- (c) a diagram and menu system configured for construct a medical procedure description, wherein said diagram and menu system concisely summarizes said medical procedure description.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein said system further comprises a first database residing on said computing device, said database operably connected to said user interface and comprising medical content including a plurality of medical procedure descriptions, diagrams, and programming logic.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein said system further comprises a second database residing on said computing device, said second database operably connected to said user interface and comprising a set of procedures terms and attributes representations.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein said system further comprises an anticipatory user interface for accessing said procedure terms and attributes representations, wherein said medical procedure description is concisely constructed using said diagram and menu system.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein said system further comprises a diagram and menu ontology interference engine residing on said user interface.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 27, 2010
Publication Date: Aug 19, 2010
Applicant: PROVATION MEDICAL, INC. (Minneapolis, MN)
Inventors: Conrad Barski (Minneapolis, MN), John Starmer (Minneapolis, MN), Ingrid Svensson (Plymouth, MN), Steve Swenson (Lakeville, MN), Robert Duke (Maplewood, MN), Steve R. Claypool (Minneapolis, MN), Ying Ching Yu (Roseville, MN), Peter E. Crist (Rockford, MN), Linda R. Peitzman (Eden Prairie, MN), David A. Del Toro (Woodbury, MN)
Application Number: 12/767,898
International Classification: G06Q 50/00 (20060101); G06Q 10/00 (20060101); G06F 17/30 (20060101); G06F 3/048 (20060101);