Clinical protocols often require that a number of different things be done in a certain sequence and the timing of the sequence is very important. Time-zero represents the time that the chemotherapy agent is administered. For instance, a chemotherapy protocol may require hydration two hours before chemotherapy administration and a lab two hours after administration is complete. In this instance, chemo medication order is considered the time zero. Each of the other items in the sequence is then set to take place at a particular time offset with respect to the time-zero item or order. In the above example, hydration order would be offset from time-zero by negative two hours (or a clinically acceptable time range including the time that is two hours prior to chemotherapy administration) and the lab draw would be offset from the chemotherapy administration by two hours (or a clinically acceptable time range including the time that is two hours from the chemotherapy administration). Actions taking place outside of the time frame, may lead to inaccurate results and, ultimately, affect patient safety.
Clinical orders are requests placed by healthcare providers or clinicians and are generally for, e.g., procedures, medications, laboratory tests, evaluations, treatments, nursing tasks to be done for a patient, and the like. A healthcare plan includes multiple orders for treatment for a particular problem or ailment. For example, a healthcare plan for a cancer patient may include multiple medication orders, laboratory testing orders and orders for diagnostic tests. Often times, an order (or set of orders) will set forth a healthcare plan having components which span multiple patient visits. For instance, a healthcare plan for a chemotherapy protocol may specify that a particular medication is to be given in a specified dosage on three separate days, e.g., Day 1, Day 8, and Day 15. In this instance, each day may be viewed as a separate phase of a plan. Phases, however, are not limited to units of time. In simple terms, a phase is merely a plan within a plan and, accordingly, may be a unit of time, a diagnostic grouping, or any other sub-plan within a healthcare plan.
Many protocols have a series of orders with a recurring pattern. For instance, the same chemotherapy regimen may take place multiple times—once per week, once per day, or the like. To accommodate this situation, orders for each treatment period (that is, orders for each instance of the recurring regimen) are generally ordered as a separate phase. This is not ideal, however, as it leads to much duplicate activity. For instance, clinicians must build each phase (even though each phase is identical), initiate each phase, verify the orders in the phase each time a phase is initiated, and the like. Further, each instance of a particular order is presented one time for each phase for which it is ordered—which can lead to confusion with respect to determining what has been done and what remains to be done. Still further, there is generally no relationship between the phases, that is, no way for the clinical computing system to determine if two phases are being implemented too close together, too far apart, etc.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems in a clinical computing environment for collectively ordering recurring orders, e.g., chemotherapy protocols where the same group of medications is to be administered in the same order multiple times over the course of several days. Embodiments hereof permit each treatment period (that is, each instance of a recurring order or group of orders) to be activated independently (e.g., on different encounters) even though the ordering activity for the treatment schedule (that is, all treatment periods or instances of the recurring order or group of orders) takes place only once. Relationships between orders within a recurring group or phase, as well as relationships between different instances of the group or phase (e.g., between treatment periods included in a treatment schedule wherein the same group of orders is to be executed on two different days) are established utilizing time offsets. Each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated, a new time zero is established and future administration times are calculated utilizing the time offsets with respect to the new time zero. Additionally, each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated and a new time zero is established, future treatment periods included in the treatment schedule are scheduled for future initiation based upon the time offsets.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention relates to one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for collectively ordering instances of recurring orders. The method includes receiving an order, the received order having an order detail associated therewith indicating that it is to be repeated a plurality of times on a specified schedule, and permitting each instance of the order to be independently activated the plurality of times.
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for collectively ordering multiple treatment periods associated with a single treatment schedule order. The method includes receiving an order indication for a treatment schedule, the treatment schedule having a plurality of treatment periods; receiving an indication to activate a first of the plurality of treatment periods; activating the first of the plurality of treatment periods; receiving an indication to activate a second of the plurality of treatment periods; and activating the second of the plurality of treatment periods. A second order indication is not received prior to activating the second of the plurality of identical treatment periods.
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems in a clinical computing environment for collectively ordering recurring orders, e.g., chemotherapy protocols where the same group of medications is to be administered in the same order multiple times over the course of several days. Embodiments hereof permit each treatment period (that is, each instance of a recurring order or group of orders) to be activated independently (e.g., on different encounters) even though the ordering activity for the treatment schedule (that is, all treatment periods or instances of the recurring order or group of orders) takes place only once. This supports clinical billing requirements while having the user see only one order, verify one order, and document against one order.
Relationships between orders within a recurring group or phase, as well as relationships between different instances of the group or phase (e.g., between treatment periods included in a treatment schedule wherein the same group of orders is to be executed on two different days) are established utilizing time offsets. Each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated, a new time zero is established and future administration times are calculated utilizing the time offsets with respect to the new time zero. Additionally, each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated and a new time zero is established, future treatment periods included in the treatment schedule are scheduled for future initiation based upon the time offsets. Embodiments hereof further permit time-zero orders to be rescheduled as a group. Adjustments to a partial day of treatment, a whole day of treatment, or all days of treatment within a treatment schedule may be made. An exemplary operating environment for embodiments of the present invention is described below.
Referring to the drawings in general, and initially to
Embodiments of the present invention may be operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the present invention include, by way of example only, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, mobile computing systems, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above-mentioned systems or devices, and the like.
Embodiments of the present invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The present invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in local and/or remote computer storage media including, by way of example only, memory storage devices.
With continued reference to
The server 110 typically includes, or has access to, a variety of computer-readable media, for instance, the database cluster 112. Computer-readable media can be any available media that may be accessed by the server 110, and includes volatile and nonvolatile media, as well as removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable storage media may include, without limitation, volatile and nonvolatile media, as well as removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. In this regard, computer-readable storage media may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVDs) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which may be accessed by the server 110. Combinations of any of the above also may be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
The computer-readable storage media discussed above and illustrated in
The server 110 may operate in a computer network 114 using logical connections to one or more remote computers 116. The remote computers 116 may be located at a variety of locations in a medical or research environment, for example, but not limited to, clinical laboratories, hospitals and other inpatient settings, veterinary environments, ambulatory settings, medical billing and financial offices, hospital administration settings, home health care environments, and clinicians' offices. Clinicians may include, but are not limited to, a treating physician or physicians; specialists such as surgeons, radiologists, cardiologists, and oncologists; mid-level providers; residents; fellows; emergency medical technicians; physicians' assistants; nurse practitioners; nurses; nurses' aides; pharmacists; dieticians; microbiologists; laboratory experts; laboratory technologists; genetic counselors; researchers; veterinarians; students; and the like. The remote computers 116 may also be physically located in non-traditional medical care environments so that the entire health care community may be capable of integration on the network. The remote computers 116 may be personal computers, mobile computing devices, wireless computing devices, servers, routers, network PCs, peer devices, other common network nodes, or the like, and may include some or all of the elements described above in relation to the server 110. The devices can be personal digital assistants or other like devices.
Exemplary computer networks 114 may include, without limitation, local area networks (LANs) and/or wide area networks (WANs). Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet. When utilized in a WAN networking environment, the server 110 may include a modem or other means for establishing communications over the WAN, such as the Internet. In a networked environment, program modules or portions thereof may be stored in the server 110, in the database cluster 112, or on any of the remote computers 116. For example, and not by way of limitation, various application programs may reside on the memory associated with any one or more of the remote computers 116. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers (e.g., the server 110 and one or more of the remote computers 116) may be utilized.
In operation, a user may enter commands and information into the server 110 or convey the commands and information to the server 110 via one or more of the remote computers 116 through input devices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device (commonly referred to as a mouse), a trackball, or a touch pad. Other input devices may include, without limitation, microphones, satellite dishes, scanners, or the like. Commands and information may also be sent directly from a remote healthcare device to the server 110. In addition to a monitor, the server 110 and/or remote computers 116 may include other peripheral output devices, such as speakers and a printer.
Although many other internal components of the server 110 and the remote computers 116 are not shown, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that such components and their interconnection are well known. Accordingly, additional details concerning the internal construction of the server 110 and the remote computers 116 are not further disclosed herein.
Although methods and systems of embodiments of the present invention are described as being implemented in a WINDOWS operating system, operating in conjunction with an Internet-based system, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the described methods can be implemented in any system supporting collectively building and ordering groups of repeatable orders. As contemplated by the language above, the methods of embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented on a stand-alone desktop, personal computer, or any other computing device used in a healthcare environment, home-computing environment, or any of a number of other locations.
As previously mentioned, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems in a clinical computing environment for collectively ordering recurring orders, e.g., chemotherapy protocols where the same group of medications is to be administered in the same order multiple times over the course of several days. As utilized herein, a “protocol” describes an explicit, detailed plan of treatment for a specific medical treatment. A “protocol order” is an order that originated from an electronic treatment plan (e.g., from a PowerPlan, available from Cerner Corporation of Kansas City, Mo.) and is defined to span multiple days of treatment and to occur on specific days within a treatment schedule. By way of example, a protocol order may specify administration of “Ifsofamide 1300 mg/m2, IV, once, Days 1-5.” This exemplary protocol order spans the entire treatment of days one through five.
A protocol order is associated with at least one, and generally multiple, day-of-treatment orders. A “day-of-treatment order” is an order that is a child of a protocol order and only occurs on its assigned day of treatment. Using the above example, there would be five day-of-treatment orders in the system, each day-of-treatment order with a relationship to the protocol order. Day-of-treatment orders may be either day-of-treatment one-time orders or day-of-treatment template orders. A “day-of-treatment one-time order” is a day-of-treatment order that has a frequency with a meaning of one-time. An exemplary day-of-treatment one-time order would be administration of “Ifosfamide, 1300 mg/m2, IV, once, Day 1.” A “day-of-treatment template order” is a group order that represents that clinical activity is to occur more than once a day. A template order will always be associated with a protocol order and will always have a frequency that will create one or more child orders. An exemplary “day-of-treatment template order” would be administration of “Mesna, 360 mg/m2, IV, every 4 hours×2 doses, Day 1.”
A “treatment period interval” represents the time interval between treatment periods (days of treatment), generally defined in days. Treatment period intervals are used with a healthcare plan to calculate days of treatment. By way of example, a treatment schedule with treatment to be given on Day 1, Day 8 and Day 15 has a treatment period interval equal to seven days between treatment periods. A treatment schedule with treatment delivered on Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 has a treatment period interval equal to one day between each treatment period.
A “treatment period duration” represents the time frame in which the day-of-treatment orders (one-time or template) within a phase are to be completed. This applies both to medication orders and non-medication orders. By way of example, a treatment schedule defined for Day 1, Day 8 and Day 15 with seven day treatment period intervals may have an expectation that the treatment given on Day 1 should not last longer than twenty-four hours.
A “minimum tolerance interval,” as utilized herein, is the recommended minimum amount of time between two instances within a day-of-treatment order and across multiple day-of-treatment orders. As more fully described below, in embodiments, with this relationship established between day-of-treatment orders, the user may receive an alert or warning if a greater amount of time exists. For instance, if a chemotherapy drug is assigned to be given once on Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 and the minimal tolerance interval is defined as eight hours, if a user tries to move the start date/time on the order for Day 2 closer to the order on Day 1 and there are not eight hours between the two orders, the user may receive a warning message that the doses are too close. In embodiments, the user will be permitted to continue through the warning message. Units may include minutes, hours, days, weeks, and the like. In embodiments, minimum tolerance intervals apply only to medication orders.
A “future status,” as used herein, is a status of an order which represents that the order is not yet associated to an encounter. A “fuzzy” or “estimated” date, as used herein, is an estimated date and time as to when a procedure is to be done prior to that procedure being scheduled.
Embodiments hereof permit each treatment period (that is, each instance of a recurring order or group of orders) to be activated independently (e.g., on different encounters) even though the ordering activity for the treatment schedule (that is, all treatment periods or instances of the recurring order or group of orders) takes place only once. Relationships between orders within a recurring group or phase, as well as relationships between different instances of the group or phase (e.g., between treatment periods included in a treatment schedule wherein the same group of orders is to be executed on two different days) are established utilizing time offsets. Each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated, a new time zero is established and future administration times are calculated utilizing the time offsets with respect to the new time zero. Additionally, each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated and a new time zero is established, future treatment periods included in the treatment schedule are scheduled for future initiation based upon the time offsets.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
In accordance with embodiments hereof, when a healthcare plan with a treatment schedule is ordered, a dialog box is presented to the user. In embodiments, the dialog may be configured to capture and display pertinent information related to a plan with at least one phase having a plurality of recurring orders, for instance, a chemotherapy plan. With reference to
Turning to
In embodiments, another selectable action option for a treatment period is “Do Not Order.” If “Do Not Order” is selected as an action for a treatment period, the orders linked to that treatment period will not be ordered. The ability to select “Do Not Order” for a treatment period may be useful when managing patient care across venues. For example, if a patient receives Day 1 and Day 2 of a chemotherapy treatment schedule in an outpatient setting and the patient condition changes so they require inpatient care, the provider can discontinue the plan at the outpatient venue and re-order the plan at an inpatient venue. When the plan is re-ordered, the provider can select “Do Not Order” for Day 1 and Day 2 preventing duplicate therapy from being ordered. Thus, the user interface 600 of
With reference to either
With reference to
As illustrated, if an order or outcome is assigned to a treatment period, the text “Planned” is presented in the column representing the treatment period to which it is assigned. In embodiments, this functionality only applies when a check box in front of the order or outcome is selected. Thus, in the screen display 800 of
With continued reference to
In embodiments, when the “Add Order” menu option is selected from the “Action” menu for a specific treatment period (for instance, with reference to menu 1410 of
In embodiments, within the treatment schedule view, order sentences may be presented below the order mnemonic. In such embodiments, a visual indication is presented before the order sentence if there is more than one order sentence predefined. This is shown in the screen display 1000 of
As shown in the screen displays 1100 and 1200 of
With reference to
If the phase is initiated, then all treatment periods and orders within the treatment periods are associated to the encounter open at the time the phase is initiated. If the phase has been “Future Initiated,” the orders in a treatment period can be activated on different encounters. In embodiments, there are two options for activating treatment periods, “Activate All” 1410 and “Activate” 1412. As illustrated, “Activate All” is a selectable button 1410 on the toolbar above the phase which activates each treatment period and associates the orders in each treatment period for the current encounter. Selecting the “Activate” button 1412 for a specific treatment period associates the orders from the treatment period to the current encounter. Subsequent treatment periods are left in a “Future” status to be activated on different outpatient encounters. In embodiments, to activate treatment periods across encounters, the encounters must be associated to the same facility.
Once a treatment period is activated, the orders being activated are presented, as shown in the screen display 1500 of
Note that in embodiments, if the start date/time of the treatment period being activated is more than one day in the past, a “Change Start Date/Time” dialog 1700 opens and allows the user to set a new date/time for the treatment period, as shown in the screen display of
Turning now to the screen display 1800 of
Orders that originate from a plan contain a treatment schedule display in the order profile similar to continuing or parent/child orders. There is one order spanning multiple treatment periods which groups the orders from each treatment period. The order spanning multiple treatment periods is considered the protocol order. In embodiments, the protocol order presents the summary of the assigned treatment periods on the clinical display line and grouped below the protocol order are the orders assigned to the individual treatment periods. As previously set forth, these orders may be referred to as day-of-treatment orders. In embodiments, the day-of-treatment orders present only the treatment period assigned to the order on the clinical display line. With reference to the screen display 1900 of
As previously set forth, protocol orders are defined to occur during specific treatment periods within the phase schedule of a chemotherapy plan and they are associated to either a day-of-treatment template order or a day-of-treatment one-time order. In embodiments, when a phase with a treatment schedule is initiated or future-initiated creating protocol and day-of-treatment orders, interaction checking occurs against the protocol order. In embodiments, actions of “Modify,” “Void,” and “Cancel/Discontinue” may be taken on protocol orders, e.g., chemotherapy plans, as more fully described below.
In embodiments, to modify a protocol order across the entire treatment period, users may right-click the name of the order and select “Modify.” Modifications made to the protocol order are propagated to day-of-treatment orders that are active. In embodiments, to modify the order for a specific day only, users may right-click the individual day and select “Modify.” The start date/time of the order determines how the modifications affect the order. For instance, if the protocol status is “Future” and a user selects a “Modify” action, the modifications may be applied to each day-of-treatment order. If the protocol status is “Ordered” but the start date/time is in the future and the user selects a “Modify” action, the modifications may be applied to each day-of-treatment order. If the protocol status is “Ordered” and the start date/time is in the past and the user selects a “Modify” action, the modifications may be applied to all active, incomplete, and future day-of-treatment orders having a stop date/time that is not in the past. If the stop date/time for the day-of-treatment order is in the past and it is a “Non-PRN” one-time order, the day-of-treatment order may be updated with the modifications. If the day-of-treatment order is not a one-time order (e.g., a continuing, continuous, IV, or PRN order, or the like), the day-of-treatment orders having a stop date/time that is in the past may not be updated when the user selects a “Modify” action. If the protocol status is “Ordered” and the start date/time is in the past, when the user modifies the frequency or changes the order from “PRN” to “Non-PRN,” the modifications may be applied to the current day-of-treatment order and all day-of-treatment orders with a start date/time in the future. If the protocol status is “Ordered” and the start date/time is in the past, when the user modifies the duration, the new value may be applied to all day-of-treatment orders with a start date/time in the future. The new duration value may not be applied to the current day-of-treatment order.
In embodiments, users can void medication and non-medication protocol orders. When users select to void a protocol order, all orders in the past and future that are associated to the protocol order also are voided. In embodiments, to void an order, users may right-click the order at the protocol level and select “Void,” or select the order and then select “Void” from the current menu.
Users may perform a “Cancel/Discontinue” action on protocol orders. In embodiments, to cancel or discontinue an order, users may right-click the order and select “Cancel/Discontinue,” or select “Cancel/Discontinue” from the current menu. For instance, when canceling or discontinuing protocol orders, if the protocol order is in a status other than “Future,” all orders that are scheduled in the future, are not end-stated, and that are eligible may be updated to a “Canceled” status. Orders that are scheduled in the past with a stop date and time in the future may be updated to a “Discontinued” status. If the protocol order contains a single day-of-treatment one-time order, it may be updated to a “Discontinued” status, even though the stop date/time is in the past. Day-of-Treatment orders may also be canceled or discontinued.
In embodiments, for day-of-treatment one-time orders, if the order is in an “Ordered” status and the start and stop date/time is in the past, the orders may remain in an “Ordered” status. For continuing day-of-treatment orders, if the order is in an “Ordered” status and the start and stop date/time is in the past, the day-of-treatment orders may be updated to a “Pending/Complete” status. If the day-of-treatment template order is in a “Future” status, all child orders associated to that template may be updated to a “Canceled” status even if they are in the past. If a day-of-treatment template order is in a status other than “Future,” all child orders associated to that template may be updated to a status of “Future” and orders scheduled in the past may not be changed. If a user cancels or discontinues a child order (only allowed for non-medications) or a one-time order, only that particular order may be cancelled.
As previously set forth, a day-of-treatment order may be either a one-time order or a template order, which is the grouper order that indicates when clinical activity is to occur more than once a day. Both orders are associated to the protocol order and the template order always has child orders. In addition to the Cancel/Discontinue action, day-of-treatment level orders may also be completed or rescheduled.
In embodiments, if a medication or non-medication is a one-time order, users may complete the order at the day-of-treatment level. To complete the order, users may right-click and select “Complete.” Users may also select the order and select “Complete” from the current menu.
In embodiments, users may reschedule a day-of-treatment order, but may receive a warning message if one of two situations occurs. First, if the user causes the stop date/time to exceed the defined treatment period duration (for medication and non-medication orders), a warning message may be received. Secondly, if the user causes the last dose for an order to become too close to the subsequent first dose for the day-of-treatment order as defined by the minimum tolerance interval (for medication orders), a warning message may be received.
Electronic medication management applications may by default present the protocol order with the assigned treatment periods in the order sentence. The order type on a protocol order is “Protocol” which differentiates it from a day-of-treatment order. Selecting the “+” sign expands the protocol order to display the day-of-treatment orders that are related. This is shown in the screen display 2000 of
In embodiments, protocol orders may be presented in a “Medications” column of an electronic medical record. In such embodiments, the protocol order may present the assigned treatment periods in the clinical display line of the order to clarify when medications are expected to be administered. The tasks displayed in the date/time columns represent tasks generated by the day-of-treatment orders and display the assigned treatment period on the task. In the example shown in the screen display 2100 of
Outcomes in a treatment schedule phase present a unique set of results for each treatment period. In embodiments, if a result is not found for a treatment period, the text “No Result” may be presented. Otherwise, the treatment period presents the most recent result value, the indicator that determines whether the result value meets the expectation, the date/time of the result and indication of a variance or outcome note. In embodiments, to view the variance information related to a result, users may hover over the corresponding treatment period to present a tool tip containing variance information. Users may also double-click the treatment period cell to view additional outcome results. This is shown in the screen display 2200 of
In embodiments, if “View More Results” is selected in the tool tip 2210 or the user double-clicks on the treatment period cell for the outcome result, the outcome results window presents a list of results based on the result range on the initial load. If there are additional outcome results that did not load, the “Load More” button may be enabled. Selecting “Load More” loads additional results until all results for the treatment period are presented. If the outcome is assigned to multiple treatment periods, users may view results from a different treatment period by selecting the treatment period from the drop down menu. This is shown in the screen display 2300 of
Within the electronic medical document, outcomes assigned to treatment periods may be grouped by the name of the treatment period and sorted in ascending order, as shown in the screen display 2400 of
In embodiments, the abilities to discontinue orders across all treatment periods or discontinue an individual treatment period are supported in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. To discontinue orders from all treatment periods, users may select the “Discontinue” option above the phase or right-click on the phase name in the navigator. The “Discontinue” dialog opens and presents the protocol orders and outcomes. The protocol orders and outcomes present the summary of treatment periods being discontinued in the details.
In embodiments, to discontinue orders for a specific treatment period, users may select the “Discontinue” option from the “Actions” menu in the selected treatment period column. This is shown with reference to
In embodiments, the “Change Time Zero” menu option for a treatment period is only available when the orders in a treatment period are in an “Ordered” status and the treatment period has started, but the start of the time zero order is still in the future. Once “Change Time Zero” is selected, the “Change Time Zero” dialog 2600 is presented (as shown in the screen display of
In embodiments, scheduling orders included in a phase of a plan can be linked to treatment periods of, for instance, a chemotherapy treatment schedule. Once an appointment linked to a treatment period is confirmed, the treatment period start date/time is updated with the appointment date/time. Additionally, when users change the start date/time of a treatment period, linked appointment information may be presented in the “Change Start Date/Time” dialog, as shown in the screen display 2700 of
Orders in a plan may be rescheduled in the electronic medical record. In embodiments, a user may select the order he or she wishes to reschedule, right-click the order, and select “Reschedule Admin Times” from the menu. A list of different days may be presented depending on the order selected. The user may then select the day of the order he or she wishes to reschedule. A rescheduling window, such as window 2800 shown in
It should be noted that, in embodiments, if the user wants only to reschedule the order selected and not the other related orders on the plan, he or she may select “No” from the “Do you want to reschedule related orders?” option 2910 shown in
Any broken orders in the plan will generally not update when the dates and times are changed. In embodiments, if a user makes changes to the orders that potentially overlap with other orders, a warning symbol may be presented in the Administration Time” column. Selection of “Reschedule” will then present a warning message. The user may position the cursor over the warning icon for more details on the warning.
As can be understood, embodiments of the present invention provide computerized methods and systems in a clinical computing environment for collectively ordering recurring orders, e.g., chemotherapy protocols where the same group of medications is to be administered in the same order multiple times over the course of several days. Embodiments hereof permit each treatment period (that is, each instance of a recurring order or group of orders) to be activated independently (e.g., on different encounters) even though the ordering activity for the treatment schedule (that is, all treatment periods or instances of the recurring order or group of orders) takes place only once. Relationships between orders within a recurring group or phase, as well as relationships between different instances of the group or phase (e.g., between treatment periods included in a treatment schedule wherein the same group of orders is to be executed on two different days) are established utilizing time offsets. Each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated, a new time zero is established and future administration times are calculated utilizing the time offsets with respect to the new time zero. Additionally, each time that a treatment period (i.e., an instance of the recurring order or group of orders) is activated and a new time zero is established, future treatment periods included in the treatment schedule are scheduled for future initiation based upon the time offsets.
The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated and within the scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61293523 | Jan 2010 | US |