Patent ID: 7562026

Claim:
An automated radiology resource monitoring system compensating for unscheduled delay, comprising: at least one repository including, data identifying scheduled procedures, data identifying room and equipment availability and data identifying healthcare worker availability; a tracking unit, electrically coupled to said at least one repository, for monitoring patient status including progress of currently occurring patient procedures and arrival of patients scheduled for a patient procedure; an information management processor, electrically coupled to said tracking unit, for updating a task schedule of a healthcare worker in response to a change in patient status indicated by said tracking unit and in response to data derived from said at least one repository and for adaptively compensating for an unscheduled delay in a currently scheduled patient procedure by arithmetically estimating times of completion of procedures and duties based on, predetermined duration times of corresponding procedures and duties and delays associated with room, worker or equipment availability, by providing information to a user supporting updating a patient schedule and re-directing a patient in response to a candidate schedule; and a display processor, electrically coupled to said tracking unit and said information management processor, for initiating display of a single composite image identifying progress of currently occurring patient procedures, availability of particular equipment, room, and healthcare worker for performing a procedure for a particular patient at a particular time, and associated delay times for a particular patient using particular equipment, room, and healthcare worker, in response to data derived from said tracking unit and said information processor.