Computer-implemented method for optimizing the usage of medical imaging apparatuses
AssigneeSiemens Healthcare GmbH
InventorsEva Rothgang, Matthias Siegert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for optimizing operation of at least one medical imaging apparatus, and a computer for implementing such a method, an appointment request from a patient, and at least one patient attribute, are entered into a computer, and the patient attribute is forwarded from the computer to the medical imaging apparatus. The medical imaging apparatus provides the computer with the duration of the medical imaging procedure to be conducted, as a function of the patient attribute, and forwards a designation of that duration to the computer. The computer selects an appointment dependent on the duration and the availability of the medical imaging apparatus. The selected appointment is stored by the computer.
Claims16
A computer-implemented method for optimizing the operation of medical imaging apparatuses in one or more service centers, comprising:
- a. appointment request by a patient to an appointments scheduling system;
- b. acquisition of at least one patient attribute by the appointments scheduling system;
- c. forwarding the patient attribute from the appointments scheduling system to the medical imaging apparatus;
- d. providing a duration of a medical imaging process by the medical imaging apparatus as a function of the patient attribute, and forwarding said duration to the appointments scheduling system;
- e. selection of an appointment by the appointments scheduling system as a function of the duration of the medical imaging process and an availability of the medical imaging apparatus(es);
- and
- f. storing of the appointment selected by the patient by the appointments scheduling system.
A method for operating an appointments scheduling system, comprising:
- processing of an appointment request of a patient by the appointments scheduling system;
- acquisition of at least one patient attribute by the appointments scheduling system;
- forwarding of an appointment request to a medical imaging apparatus and/or one or more patient attributes to the medical imaging apparatus by the appointments scheduling system;
- reception, by the appointments scheduling system, of a response of the medical imaging apparatus, comprising a duration of a medical imaging process and/or an acquisition coil that is installed in the medical imaging apparatus at the time of the appointment request;
- calculation, by the appointments scheduling system, of the duration of an appointment on the basis of the appointment request, at least one patient attribute, the duration of the medical imaging process and, if applicable, a length of time for changing the acquisition coil;
- and
- assignment and/or sorting of the appointments on the basis of patient attributes of the patients in order to minimize a number of acquisition coil changes.
A method for operating a medical imaging apparatus, comprising:
- receiving an appointment request and/or at least one patient attribute;
- providing a duration of a medical imaging process as a function of at least one patient attribute;
- and
- forwarding the duration of the medical imaging process.
An interface for minimizing setup times between an appointments scheduling system and a medical imaging apparatus,
- wherein the interface is configured to forward an appointment request of the appointments scheduling system to the medical imaging apparatus;
- wherein the data format can be converted by the interface;
- wherein the interface is configured to record a response of the medical imaging apparatus to the appointment request and to pass on said response to the appointments scheduling system;
- wherein the response is converted by the interface into a different data format;
- and
- wherein the interface of the appointments scheduling system is configured to store the appointment request and/or the response in the event that the appointments scheduling system and/or the medical imaging apparatus cannot be reached.
A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a scheduling computer that schedules appointments for a medical imaging apparatus, and said programming instructions causing said scheduling computer to:
- receive an appointment request by a patient;
- receive at least one patient attribute;
- forward the patient attribute from the appointments scheduling computer to the medical imaging apparatus;
- receive a duration of a medical imaging process from the medical imaging apparatus as a function of the patient attribute;
- select an appointment by the appointments scheduling computer as a function of the duration of the medical imaging process and an availability of the medical imaging apparatus(es);
- and
- store the appointment selected by the patient by the appointments scheduling computer.
A medical imaging apparatus comprising:
- a medical data acquisition device;
- a scheduling computer;
- said scheduling computer being configured to receive an appointment request by a patient to an appointments scheduling computer;
- said scheduling computer being configured to acquire at least one patient attribute by the appointments scheduling computer;
- said scheduling computer being configured to forward the patient attribute from the appointments scheduling computer to the medical imaging apparatus;
- said scheduling computer being configured to provide a duration of a medical imaging process by the medical imaging apparatus as a function of the patient attribute, and forwarding said duration to the appointments scheduling computer;
- said scheduling computer being configured to select an appointment by the appointments scheduling computer as a function of the duration of the medical imaging process and an availability of the medical imaging apparatus(es);
- and
- said scheduling computer being configured to store the appointment selected by the patient by the appointments scheduling computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.