Patent ID: 7286997

Claim:
A method for operating a computerized clinical information system for a healthcare facility comprising the steps of: providing a clinical information system including a plurality of user computers operatively coupled to a global computer network, and at least one computer server operatively coupled to the global computer network, the computer server having access to at least one clinical information memory source, and operative to communicate with the user computers and exchange clinical data between the clinical information memory source and the user computer over the global computer network in a secure manner, each of the user computers operating a software tool allowing a user to view and modify at least certain of the clinical data; providing an electronic patient chart database on the clinical information memory source, the electronic patient chart database having a plurality of patient chart records; linking a patient chart record with a primary physician; logging into the computerized clinical information system using the software tool on a first one of the user computers by a user other than the primary physician; entering an event for submission to the patient chart record by the user using the software tool on the first one of the user computers; logging into the computerized clinical information system using the software tool on a second one of the user computers by the primary physician linked with the patient chart record; in automatic response by the clinical information system to the step of entering the event for submission to the patient chart record, automatically routing the event by the clinical information system to the second one of the user computers in the form of an electronic message for review and approval by the primary physician; reviewing and approving the event by the primary physician using the software tool on the second one of the user computers; and adding the approved event to the patient chart record; wherein the software tool on the second one of the user computers provides the primary physician with a graphical user interface that includes a plurality of graphical in-boxes, each of which is designated for a respective category of clinical events associated with the healthcare facility, and the routing step automatically detects a clinical event type for the event and routes the event to a first graphical in-box in the plurality of graphical in-boxes having the designated category associated with the detected clinical event type.