System and methods for providing cleaning services in health care facilities

Abstract

A system for providing transportation services in a health care facility includes a communication network, a transportation services management system, one or more dispatcher devices, and one or more transport responder mobile devices. The transportation services management system stores and retrieves information relating to dispatches of transportation services jobs at one or more health care facilities. The dispatch devices exchange, with the transportation services management system, information relating to the transportation services jobs and display information to a transportation dispatch manager. The transport responder mobile devices exchange, with the transportation services management system, information relating to the transportation services jobs and display information to transport responders.

1 - 47 . (canceled) 
     
     
         48 . A system for providing cleaning services in a health care facility, comprising:
 a communication network;   a cleaning services management system configurable to store and retrieve information relating to dispatches of cleaning services jobs at one or more health care facilities;   one or more dispatcher devices, wherein each of at least one of the one or more dispatcher devices is configurable to:
 exchange with the cleaning services management system, over the communication network, information relating to the transportation services jobs; and 
 display information to a cleaning dispatch manager; and 
   one or more cleaning responder mobile devices, wherein each of at least one of the one or more cleaning responder mobile devices is configurable to:
 exchange with the cleaning services management system, over the communication network, relating to the cleaning services jobs; and 
 display information to a cleaning responder. 
   
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the dispatch device is a mobile device. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein at least one of the dispatcher devices is configurable to display one or more input screens for receiving cleaning service requests. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein at least one of the dispatcher devices is configurable to display one or more input screens for receiving cleaning service requests, wherein at least a first one of the input screens is configurable to receive patient cleaning requests, wherein at least a second one of the input screens is configurable to receive equipment cleaning requests. 
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the at least one of the dispatcher devices is configured to simultaneously display to a dispatcher:
 a request panel comprising a list of one or more cleaning service requests; and   a responder panel comprising a list of one or more responders.   
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein the cleaning service request panel comprises a list of cleaning service requests. 
     
     
         54 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein responder panel is sorted based on one or more predetermined sorting criteria. 
     
     
         55 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein the responder panel comprises availability information for at least one of the responders. 
     
     
         56 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein the responder panel comprises suitability information for at least one of the responders. 
     
     
         57 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein at least one of the dispatcher devices is configured to display all of the responders for a shift in a single list. 
     
     
         58 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein at least one of the dispatcher devices is configured to receive a message entered by a dispatch manager and send the message to one of the responders. 
     
     
         59 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein at least one of the dispatcher devices is configured to receive a message entered by a dispatch manager and send the message to all of the responders in an organization. 
     
     
         60 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the at least one of the dispatcher devices is configured to display, over a network, progress information for at least one cleaning request to a requester of the request. 
     
     
         61 . A method for providing cleaning services in a health care facility, comprising:
 sending to one or more mobile devices a notification about a cleaning services job;   displaying, on at least one of the mobile devices, the notification; and   receiving, by way of at least one of the mobile devices, a response relating to the cleaning services job; and   assigning, by way of least one of the mobile devices, at least one responder to the cleaning services job.   
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the response comprises an acceptance of the job by the responder. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the response comprises a rejection of the job by the responder. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 61 , further comprising receiving, by way of least one of the mobile devices, a status update relating to the cleaning services job. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 61 , further comprising delaying assignment of the cleaning services job based on pre-determined criteria. 
     
     
         66 . A tangible, computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:
 sending to one or more mobile devices a notification about a cleaning services job;   displaying, on at least one of the mobile devices, the notification; and   receiving, by way of at least one of the mobile devices, a response relating to the cleaning services job; and   assigning, by way of least one of the mobile devices, at least one responder to the cleaning services job.   
     
     
         67 . A method for providing cleaning services in a health care facility, comprising:
 sending, over a communication network, to one or more candidate responders, a notification of a cleaning services job;   displaying information about the cleaning services job to the one or more candidate responders;   receiving, over the network, from at least one of the candidate responders, one or more responses relating to the cleaning services job; and   assigning at least one of the candidate responders to the cleaning services job based on at least one of the one or more responses to the job notification, wherein the number of responders assigned to the cleaning services job is based on predetermined criteria.