Patent ID: 8060377

Claim:
A method of executing a patient care plan for a patient being treated at a health care facility, the method comprising: providing an electronic medium and an associated electronic processor; developing the patient care plan including a plurality of sequential phases of care, the phases of care including at least an intake phase, a care phase and a discharge phase, the phases of care being established when the patient is first diagnosed at the health care facility and the phases corresponding to the course of treatment indicated by the first diagnosis, wherein each of the phases including a plurality of actions and care objectives relating the treatment of the patient, and wherein the patient care plan is developed jointly by a plurality of health care providers including at least a physician, a pharmacist and a nurse; recording the patient care plan in the electronic medium utilizing the electronic processor; defining a tollgate associated with each of the phases, the tollgate listing all of the actions and care objectives associated with the planned treatment of the patient during the corresponding phase and addressing the tollgate requires that the status of each of the actions and care objectives of the corresponding phase be determined, wherein each of the actions and care objectives listed with the tollgate associated with a particular phase must be addressed before the next sequential phase of the patient care plan may begin; recording the actions and care objectives of each tollgate in the electronic medium utilizing the electronic processor; executing the actions and care objectives of the first phase of the patient care plan; determining that the actions and care objectives of the tollgate corresponding to the first phase of the patient care plan have been met; recording the status of the actions and care objectives listed with the tollgate in the electronic medium utilizing the electronic processor and altering a status indicator to indicate whether the objectives of the tollgate have been met; and executing the actions and care objectives of the next sequential phase of the patient care plan.