Managing provider roles in medical care

Abstract

Techniques for managing provider roles during medical care are supported. A system may include a central medical information management system that maintains information regarding ongoing treatment of patients, which can track medical professionals assigned to the patients. Medical professionals may use mobile devices to access and display the information regarding assigned case roles and may further use the mobile devices to coordinate assumption and handoff of roles.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A handheld apparatus comprising:
 a user interface comprising a display and capable of receiving user input;   a wireless network interface capable of coupling to a medical information management system, the medical information management system maintaining:
 a plurality of patient tracking records corresponding to a plurality of patients, the plurality of patient tracking records including a first patient tracking record corresponding to a first patient; and 
 an identification of a plurality of medical providers, each medical provider being associated with one or more caregiver case roles and one or more of the plurality of patient tracking records, wherein:
 each caregiver case role corresponds to a responsibility that a medical provider is eligible to take in the care of the plurality of patients; and 
 the plurality of medical providers includes a first medical provider and a second medical provider, 
 
   a memory maintaining a medical information management application;   a processor operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 communicate, to the medical information system, authentication information associated with the first medical provider; 
 after the authentication information is confirmed by the medical information system, retrieve, from the medical information management system, an identification of a subset of the patient tracking records, wherein the subset of the patient tracking records includes the first patient tracking record, the subset of the patient tracking records being determined based on:
 the one or more caregiver case roles associated with the first medical provider; and 
 a comparison of a number of patient treatment records currently associated with the first medical provider to a provider threshold; 
 
 in response to a user selection of the first patient tracking record, communicate, to the medical information management system, an update indicating a request for a role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record; and 
 receive, from the medical information management system, confirmation of the role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record. 
   
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 receive, from the medical information management system, a role handover request associated with the second medical provider, the role handover request indicating a desire for the second medical provider to assume the role assignment of the first medical provider associated with the first patient tracking record; and   display, on the user interface, a notification regarding the role handover request.   
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 in response to receiving, via user input, confirmation to handover a caregiver case role associated with the role handover request, communicating, to the medical information management system, an update indicating:
 removal, from the first patient tracking record, of the role assignment of the first medical provider; and 
 addition, to the first patient tracking record, a role assignment associated with the second medical provider. 
   
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 cease to display of the role handover request upon expiration of a predetermined time period.   
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 display a notification indicating that the first medical provider cannot assume a caregiver case role in the subset of the patient tracking records in response to a determination by the medical information system that the number of patient treatment records currently associated with the first medical provider exceeds a provider threshold.   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 retrieve, from the medical information management system, limited data corresponding to the first patient tracking record prior receiving confirmation of the role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record.   
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 retrieve, from the medical information management system, all data corresponding to the first patient tracking record subsequent to receiving confirmation of the role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record.   
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 retrieve, from the medical information management system, limited data corresponding to the first patient tracking record at a time after the role assignment of the first medical provider is removed, by the medical information management system, from the first patient tracking record.   
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the processor is further operable, when executing the medical information management application, to:
 receive, from the medical information management system, a notification regarding an occurrence of a role handover in each of the one or more patient tracking records associated with the first medical provider.   
     
     
         34 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the one or more caregiver case roles associated with each medical provider are determined based on each medical provider's professional qualifications. 
     
     
         35 . A method comprising:
 communicating authentication information associated with a first medical provider to a medical information management system, wherein the medical information management system maintains: a plurality of patient tracking records corresponding to a plurality of patients, the plurality of patient tracking records including a first patient tracking record corresponding to a first patient; and an identification of a plurality of medical providers, each medical provider being associated with one or more caregiver case roles and one or more of the plurality of patient tracking records, wherein:
 each caregiver case role corresponds to a responsibility that a medical provider is eligible to take in the care of the plurality of patients; and 
 the plurality of medical providers includes the first medical provider and a second medical provider; 
   after the authentication information is confirmed by the medical information system, retrieving, from the medical information management system, an identification of a subset of the patient tracking records, wherein the subset of the patient tracking records includes the first patient tracking record, the subset of the patient tracking records being determined based on:
 the one or more caregiver case roles associated with the first medical provider; and 
 a comparison of a number of patient treatment records currently associated with the first medical provider to a provider threshold; 
   in response to a user selection of the first patient tracking record, communicating, to the medical information management system, an update indicating a request for a role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record; and   receiving, from the medical information management system, confirmation of the role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , the method further comprising:
 receiving, from the medical information management system, a role handover request associated with the second medical provider, the role handover request indicating a desire for the second medical provider to assume the role assignment of the first medical provider associated with the first patient tracking record; and   displaying, on a user interface, a notification regarding the role handover request.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , the method further comprising:
 ceasing to display of the role handover request upon expiration of a predetermined time period.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , the method further comprising:
 displaying a notification indicating that the first medical provider cannot assume a caregiver case role in the subset of the patient tracking records in response to a determination by the medical information system that the number of patient treatment records currently associated with the first medical provider exceeds a provider threshold.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 retrieving, from the medical information management system, limited data corresponding to the first patient tracking record prior receiving confirmation of the role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 retrieving, from the medical information management system, limited data corresponding to the first patient tracking record subsequent to receiving confirmation of the role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record.   
     
     
         41 . A medical information management system, comprising:
 a communication interface operable to communicate with one or more medical information management applications residing on a plurality of wireless handheld devices, the plurality of wireless handheld devices comprising at least a first wireless handheld device and a second wireless handheld device;   one or more storage devices operable to maintain:
 a plurality of patient tracking records corresponding to a plurality of patients, the plurality of patient tracking records including a first patient tracking record corresponding to a first patient; and 
 an identification of a plurality of medical providers, each medical provider being associated with authentication information, one or more caregiver case roles, and one or more of the plurality of patient tracking records, wherein:
 each caregiver case role corresponds to a responsibility that a medical provider is eligible to take in the care of the plurality of patients; and 
 the plurality of medical providers includes the first medical provider and a second medical provider; 
 
   one or more processors operable to:
 receive, from the medical information management application residing on the first wireless handheld device, authentication information associated with the first medical provider; 
 confirm, by comparing the received authentication information to the stored authentication information, access of the first wireless handheld device to the medical information management system; 
 identify a subset of the patient tracking records to communicate to the first wireless handheld device, the identification based on:
 the one or more caregiver case roles associated with the first medical provider; and 
 a comparison of a number of patient treatment records currently associated with the first medical provider to a provider threshold; 
 
 communicate an identification of the subset of the patient tracking records to the first wireless handheld device, the subset including the first patient tracking record; 
 receive, from the first wireless handheld device, an update indicating a request for a role assignment of the first medical provider to the first patient tracking record; and 
 updating the first patient tracking record to reflect the role assignment of the first medical provider. 
   
     
     
         42 . The medical information management system of  claim 41 , wherein the communication interface:
 receives, from a medical information management application residing on a second wireless handheld device, a role handover request associated with the second medical provider, the role handover request indicating a desire for the second medical provider to assume the role assignment of the first medical provider associated with the first patient tracking record; and   communicates, to the first wireless handheld device, a notification regarding the role handover request.   
     
     
         43 . The medical information management system of  claim 42 , wherein:
 the communication interface receives, from the first wireless handheld device, an update indicating:
 removal of the role assignment of the first medical provider from the first patient tracking record; and 
 addition of a role assignment associated with the second medical provider to the second medical provider; and 
   in response to receiving the update, the one or more processors are further operable to:
 update the first patient tracking record to indicate removal of the role assignment of the first medical provider and addition of the role assignment of the second medical provider. 
   
     
     
         44 . The medical information management system of  claim 42 , wherein:
 the one or more processors are further operable to:
 begin a timer for a predetermined time period upon communicating the notification regarding the role handover request to the first wireless handheld device; and 
   the communication interface is further operable to:
 upon expiration of the predetermined time period, communicate instructions to the first wireless handheld device to cease to display the notification regarding the role handover request.