Automated Resource Management System for Health Services Facility

Abstract

An automated resource management system for a retail business includes a point-of-sale system and an access control system in communication with the point-of-sale system. The access control system can be configured to detect, and/or receive a signal from, an electronic device associated with a customer of the retail store, such as a cellular phone. Upon automatic detection of a billable event (e.g., retrieving an item from a vending machine) while the access control system determines that the user is within the retail store, automatic billing or invoicing of the customer by the point-of-sale system can occur.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An automated resource management system for a facility of a health services organization, the resource management system comprising:
 a display for presenting information to a receptionist of the health services organization;   a reservation system communicably coupled to the display and comprising:
 a processing device; and 
 a memory device storing executable instructions that when accessed by the processing device instantiate an occupancy engine configured to:
 receive a signal from an electronic device associated with the health services customer upon arrival of the health services customer at the facility; 
 automatically in response to receiving the signal, access a database to retrieve information associated with the health services customer, the information comprising an appointment record and at least one of:
 a customer medical record; 
 customer identity information; 
 customer allergy information; 
 customer vehicle information; and 
 customer order or reservation history; 
 
 cause the information to be automatically shown on the display to the receptionist; and 
 automatically check the health services customer in for an appointment associated with the appointment record. 
 
   
     
     
         22 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the occupancy engine is further configured to, in response to determining that the health services customer has vacated the facility, initiating billing of the health services customer for the appointment. 
     
     
         23 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the display is positioned, at least in part, at an entry way of the facility. 
     
     
         24 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the input from the comprise a wireless signal from the electronic device is transmitted at least in part over one of:
 a near-field communications link;   a Wi-Fi communications link; or   a Bluetooth communications link.   
     
     
         25 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the electronic device is selected from a group consisting of:
 a cellular phone;   a health monitoring device; and   a wearable electronic device.   
     
     
         26 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the occupancy engine is configured to, in response to determining that the appointment has finished, update a health services customer database based at least in part on the appointment. 
     
     
         27 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the occupancy engine is configured to wirelessly track the location of the electronic device within the facility as the health services customer moves within the facility at least in part by triangulating a source of a wireless signal transmitted by the electronic device. 
     
     
         28 . The automated resource management system of  claim 27 , wherein the wireless signal comprise at least one of:
 a Bluetooth signal; or   a Wi-Fi signal.   
     
     
         29 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the occupancy engine is configured to wirelessly track the location of the electronic device within the facility as the health services customer moves within the facility at least in part by receiving input from a video capture system. 
     
     
         30 . The automated resource management system of  claim 29 , wherein the video capture system is configured for facial recognition of the health services customer. 
     
     
         31 . The automated resource management system of  claim 29 , wherein the video capture system comprise a depth-finding imaging system. 
     
     
         32 . The automated resource management system of  claim 21 , wherein the occupancy engine is configured to wirelessly track the location of the electronic device within the facility as the health services customer moves within the facility at least in part by receiving input from a motion detection system. 
     
     
         33 . The automated resource management system of  claim 32 , wherein the motion detection system comprises a sensor selected from a group consisting of infrared sensors and ultrasonic sensors. 
     
     
         34 . An automated resource management system for automatic billing of health services customers in a facility, the automated resource management system comprising:
 a display;   an occupancy tracking system; and   an reservation system communicably coupled to the display and the video capture system, the reservation system comprising:
 a processing device; and 
 a memory device storing executable instructions that when accessed by the processing device configure the reservation system to:
 wirelessly receive an input corresponding to a request to access the facility by a health services customer; 
 accessing a health services customer database to identify the health services customer based on the input; 
 permitting access at an entryway of the facility to the health services customer; 
 track a location of the health services customer within the facility based on input received from the occupancy tracking system; 
 determine that an appointment by the health services customer has occurred; and 
 initiate, with the point-of sale system, billing of the health services customer for the appointment in response to determining that the appointment has occurred. 
 
   
     
     
         35 . The automated resource management system of  claim 34 , wherein the input is provided wirelessly by an electronic device associated with the health services customer. 
     
     
         36 . The automated resource management system of  claim 34 , wherein the input is received, at least in part, from a biometric identification system. 
     
     
         37 . An automated resource management system for automatic billing of a health services customer in a facility, the automated retail management system comprising:
 a display;   an reservation system communicably coupled to the video capture system and the display, the reservation system comprising:
 an actuator positioned at an entryway of the facility and configured to:
 permit ingress to the facility by a health services customer; and 
 permit egress of the facility by the health services customer; 
 
 a wireless receiver configured to receive identity information corresponding to a health services customer, the identity information received from a portable electronic device; wherein the reservation system is configured to: 
   determine that an appointment by the health services customer has occurred in the facility; and   initiate, with a point-of sale system, billing of the health services customer for the appointment in response to one of:
 determining that the appointment has occurred; or 
 the actuator permitting egress of the facility by the health services customer. 
   
     
     
         38 . The automated resource management system of  claim 37 , wherein the actuator is configured to permit ingress to the facility by the health services customer in response to the wireless receiver receiving the identity information. 
     
     
         39 . The automated resource management system of  claim 37 , wherein the appointment relates to services offered at the facility. 
     
     
         40 . The automated resource management system of  claim 37 , wherein billing of the health services customer comprises updating a health services customer database.