Patent ID: 8700425
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: G06Q,G16H

Abstract:
1. A computer implemented method of dynamically predicting a size of an imminent influx of arriving patients into an emergency department of a hospital, the computer implemented method comprising: a processor receiving an input that describes a quantity of current patients in each triage classification level, wherein the current patients are waiting in an emergency department on a current date; the processor determining a longest wait time that a patient, from each triage classification level, is currently waiting in the emergency department; the processor determining an average wait time that patients, from each triage classification level, are currently waiting in the emergency department; the processor calculating a current patient backlog in the emergency department based on the quantity of current patients, the longest wait time for each triage classification level and the average wait time for each triage classification level; the processor calculating a sum of weight-adjusted triage classification levels of all of the current patients waiting in the emergency department, wherein a larger sum of weight-adjusted triage classification levels of all patients currently in the emergency department predicts a relatively higher imminent influx of arriving patients into the emergency department, and wherein a smaller sum of weight-adjusted triage classification levels of all patients currently in the emergency department predicts a relatively lower imminent influx of arriving patients into the emergency department; the processor tracking current patient arrival rates in the emergency department to calculate a current change in patient arrival rates; and the processor utilizing the current patient backlog, the sum of weight-adjusted triage classification levels of all patients currently in the emergency department, and the current change in patient arrival rates to predict a size of an imminent influx of arriving patients into the emergency department, wherein predicting the size of the imminent influx of arriving patients is performed by utilizing historical trends from a historical database, wherein the historical database contains data describing a previous patient backlog in the emergency department on a previous date, a sum of weight-adjusted triage classification levels of all patients previously in the emergency department on the previous date, and a previous change in patient arrival rates in the emergency department on the previous date.