System for sensing and recording consumption of medical items during medical procedure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9922304-B2
Application number	US-201414504859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2014
Priority date	Nov 5, 2013
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus senses and records consumption of medical items during performance of a medical procedure. The medical items are enclosed in wrappers having RFID tags in which medical item information is encoded. The apparatus includes a shielded enclosure that attenuates radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags disposed outside the shielded enclosure to levels that are substantially undetectable within the internal space. RFID antennas inside the shielded enclosure receive radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags on wrappers that are removed from used items and placed inside the enclosure. An RFID reader decodes the medical item information encoded in the RFID tags. A computer processor executes a medical item inventory module including instructions for generating a post-op list of medical items consumed during the medical procedure. Item billing information and usage trend information may be derived from the post-op list. Also, Latex alerts and item expiration alerts may be generated based on information encoded in the RFID tags.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for sensing and recording consumption of medical items during performance of a medical procedure, wherein the medical items are at least initially enclosed in wrappers having RFID tags disposed in or on the wrappers, wherein medical item information regarding the medical items is encoded in the RFID tags, the apparatus comprising:
a shielded enclosure having an internal space for receiving the wrappers of the medical items, the shielded enclosure configured to attenuate radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags disposed outside the shielded enclosure to levels that are substantially undetectable within the internal space;
one or more first RFID antennas for receiving radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags attached to the wrappers disposed within the internal space, wherein the radio frequency signals contain the medical item information encoded in the RFID tags;
at least one first RFID reader electrically connected to the one or more first RFID antennas, the at least one first RFID reader for decoding the medical item information contained in the radio frequency signals emanated from the RFID tags;
a portal having:
a portal opening through which unused wrappers pass, the unused wrappers enclosing medical items that are available for use; and
one or more second RFID antennas for receiving radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags attached to the unused wrappers that pass through the portal; and

at least one second RFID reader electrically connected to the one or more second RFID antennas of the portal, the at least one second RFID reader for decoding the medical item information contained in the radio frequency signals emanated from the RFID tags that pass through the portal; and
a computer in electrical communication with the at least one first RFID reader and the at least one second RFID reader, the computer having a processor for executing a medical item inventory module comprising:
instructions for receiving the medical item information decoded by the at least one first RFID reader and generating a post-op used-item list of medical items consumed during the medical procedure based on the medical item information encoded in the RFID tags attached to used wrappers disposed in the internal space of the shielded enclosure;
instructions for receiving the medical item information decoded by the at least one second RFID reader and generating a post-op unused-item list of medical items that were not consumed during the medical procedure based on medical item information encoded in RFID tags attached to the unused set of wrappers that pass through the portal; and
instructions for analyzing the post-op unused-item list of medical items that were not consumed during the medical procedure and post-op unused-item lists generated during multiple other medical procedures of the same type performed by the same doctor to determine trends in the lack of usage of certain medical items listed on Bills of Materials or Doctor Preference Cards.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a waste bin that is disposable within the internal space of the shielded enclosure, the waste bin having an open top for receiving the used wrappers that are dropped into the waste bin during performance of the medical procedure.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the shielded enclosure includes a door in a sidewall of the shielded enclosure, the door covering an opening that is large enough to accommodate the waste bin.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein:
the shielded enclosure includes a switch disposed adjacent the door, such that opening or closing the door engages the switch to cause a change in state of the switch; and
the at least one first RFID reader is electrically connected to the switch, wherein a change in state of the switch triggers the at least one first RFID reader to start or stop decoding information encoded in the radio frequency signals emanated from the RFID tags.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the shielded enclosure includes an aperture through which the used wrappers may be deposited into the internal space as medical items are consumed during performance of the medical procedure, the aperture including means for attenuating radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags disposed outside the shielded enclosure to levels that are substantially undetectable within the internal space.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the means for attenuating radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags disposed outside the shielded enclosure comprise one or more covers disposed over the aperture.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the medical item inventory module further comprises instructions for recording time information in the post-op used-item list, the time information indicating a time at which each wrapper of the used set of wrappers was deposited into the internal space of the shielded enclosure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the medical item inventory module further comprises instructions for generating billing information based on the post-op used-item list of medical items consumed during the medical procedure.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the medical item inventory module further comprises:
instructions for comparing the post-op used-item list and the post-op unused-item list to a pre-op list of medical items that were picked from inventory to be consumed during the medical procedure;
instructions for generating a first alert message if any item in the pre-op list does not appear in at least one of the post-op used-item list and post-op unused-item list; and
instructions for generating a second alert message if any item in the post-op used-item list or the post-op unused-item list does not appear in the pre-op list.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wrappers comprise a pre-op set of wrappers enclosing medical items that were picked from inventory to be consumed during the medical procedure, and wherein:
the portal opening allows passage of the pre-op set of wrappers through the portal prior to beginning the medical procedure; and
the medical item inventory module further comprises instructions for receiving the medical item information decoded by the at least one second RFID reader and generating a pre-op list of medical items that were picked from inventory to be consumed during the medical procedure, the instructions generating the pre-op list based on medical item information encoded in RFID tags attached to the pre-op set of wrappers.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the portal opening comprises a passageway, an aperture, a window, a doorway, a gateway, a hallway, a pathway, an aisle, or a handheld scanning device.

12. An apparatus for sensing and recording consumption of medical items during performance of a medical procedure, wherein the medical items are at least initially enclosed in wrappers having RFID tags disposed in or on the wrappers, wherein medical item information regarding the medical items is encoded in the RFID tags, the apparatus comprising:
a waste bin having an open top for receiving a first set of wrappers dropped into the waste bin during performance of the medical procedure;
a shielded enclosure configured to attenuate radio frequency signals emanated from RFID tags disposed outside the shielded enclosure to levels that are substantially undetectable within the shielded enclosure, the shielded enclosure having a door covering an opening large enough to accommodate placement of the waste bin into and removal of the waste bin from within the shielded enclosure;
one or more first RFID antennas for receiving radio frequency signals emanated from RFID t

Assignees

• Deroyal Ind Inc

Inventors

• Debusk Brian C
• Kaylor Mary E
• Griffith Gerald T
• Waggoner Timothy J
• Griffith Jeffrey D
• Sewell Angela M
• Jacobs John G
• Hurd Rex A

Classifications

• G07F17/0092

  for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles (medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00) · CPC title

• G07G1/009

  the reader being an RFID reader · CPC title

• G16H10/60

  for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records · CPC title

• G06Q20/203

  Inventory monitoring · CPC title

• G06Q20/145

  Payments according to the detected use or quantity · CPC title