Medical records, documentation, tracking and order entry system

Abstract

The new system provides: automatic incorporation of dictated text; medical records summary generation in medical English text; parsing dictation to data; prephrased text; automatic generation of medical record as consequence of data entry; automatic notation of allergies, significant medical conditions and pregnancy; pregnancy linking, automatically; security card—close on pull; multi-look grease board; outstanding orders listing for all patients in the department; department layout; room selection excludes occupied rooms; nurses notes to text; nurses notes from physician orders to nurses; lab request screen shows all previously ordered labs; therapeutics; ACLS recording; lacerations; doctor specific prescriptions and medication orders; review of systems; coding level alerts differential diagnosis—filter to sex and age; diagnosis—fractures to text; doctor interval reexamination; patient instructions predicated on what was done; patient instruction video on demand; patient informed consent video on demand; video teleconferencing; electronic signatures; automatic backup and incremental backup with system on-line; critical management reports; and automatic research data extraction.

1 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . A method for maintaining electronic access to medical tasks that are to be performed or have been performed by medical staff, the method comprising for each task performed on a patient the steps of:
 adding a first medical order entry, corresponding to a task to be performed on a patient, to an electronic patient database and setting a status indicator on the first medical order entry indicative of a need for completion of the task by medical staff;   presenting, via a patient tracking module, a listing of tasks to be performed in accordance with status indicators that identify a need for completion of a specified task; and   selecting, by medical staff, the task corresponding to the first medical order entry from the listing of tasks and, upon completion of the task, clearing the status indicator to indicate completion of the task associated with the first medical order entry.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising:
 adding, in association with clearing the status indicator, an indication of procedures performed in association with completing the task corresponding to the first medical order entry.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38  wherein the indication of procedures performed includes a record of observations. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38  further comprising adding the procedures performed in association with completing the task to a patient record. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising:
 adding, in association with clearing the status indicator, an indication of who completed the task.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41  further comprising:
 adding, in association with clearing the status indicator, an indication of when the task was noted as completed.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the presenting step comprises listing a set of tasks to be performed on a particular patient. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43  wherein the set of tasks to be performed on a particular patient are accessed via an electronic greaseboard. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the task comprises a nurse's order arising from a physician order. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising:
 presenting patient-specific warning in association with the task corresponding to the first medical order entry.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising:
 associating the task corresponding to the first medical order entry with a particular medical staff member.   
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 37  wherein during the presenting step, a patient entry in a greaseboard view is presented in a distinct color indicative of a task to be completed for the patient.