Medical device interoperability methods, apparatus, and system

A control arrangement to enable medical device interoperability, the control arrangement including a network map of a network that is indicative of connectivity between access points, network switches, routers, bridges, and a plurality of medical devices that are located within a medical facility, each of the plurality of medical devices including at least one of a network address or a MAC address,

• wherein the control arrangement is configured to:
• receive a query message from a clinician device to identify possible other medical devices of the plurality of medical devices that are associated with a same patient or located in a same area as a first medical device, the first medical device configured to use medical device data from the other medical devices,
• perform a filter routine using the network map to identify which of the other medical devices of the plurality of medical devices are proximally close to each other or connected to a common router or access point,
• cause the identified other medical devices to be displayed via a user interface of the clinician device,
• receive a selection of one of the displayed other medical devices, the selection corresponding to a second medical device, and
• enable the second medical device to transmit the medical device data to the first medical device by transmitting at least one of the network address or the MAC address of the first medical device to the second medical device.

A clinician device for specifying medical device interoperability, the clinician device including:

• a display screen;
• a processor in communication with the display screen;
• and
• a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing instructions that define or specify an application, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• transmit a query message to a server connected to a memory device storing a network map of a network that is indicative of connectivity between access points, network switches, routers, bridges, and a plurality of medical devices that are located within a medical facility, each of the medical devices including at least one of a network address or a MAC address, the query message:
• including a request to identify possible other medical devices of the plurality of medical devices that are located in a same area as a first medical device, the first medical device configured to use medical device data from other medical devices, and
• causing the server to perform a filter routine using the network map to identify which other medical devices of the plurality of medical devices are proximally close to each other,
• receive a message from the server that is indicative of the identified other medical devices, cause the identified other medical devices to be displayed via a user interface on the display screen,
• receive a selection of one of the displayed other medical devices, the selection corresponding to a second medical device, and
• transmit a message to the server indicative of the selection, causing the server to enable the second medical device to transmit the medical device data to the first medical device by at least transmitting the at least one of the network address or the MAC address of the first medical device to the second medical device.

A method to enable medical device interoperability, the method including:

• storing in a memory device a network map of a network that is indicative of connectivity between access points, network switches, routers, bridges, and a plurality of medical devices that are located within a medical facility, each of the medical devices including at least one of a network address or a MAC address;
• receiving, in a server that is connected to each of the plurality of medical devices via the network, a query message from a clinician device to identify possible other medical devices of the plurality of medical devices that are located in a same area as a first medical device, the first medical device configured to use medical device data from other medical devices;
• performing, via the server, a filter routine using the network map to identify which other medical devices of the plurality of medical devices are within a close proximity of each other;
• causing, via the server, the identified other medical devices to be displayed via a user interface of the clinician device;
• receiving, in the server, a selection of one of the displayed other medical devices, the selection corresponding to a second medical device;
• and
• enabling, via the server, the second medical device to transmit the medical device data to the first medical device by at least transmitting the at least one of the network address or the MAC address of the first medical device to the second medical device.