JP2009205359A - Reception support apparatus and method, and medical network system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively reduce congestion of patients by a method acceptable to a medial institution adopting an appointment system. <P>SOLUTION: A reception support apparatus acquires a predictive value (the predicted number of patients) of the number of non-appointment patients who visit a hospital without appointment. The number of acceptable patients is decided so that the number of patients (dotted line) who visit the hospital with appointment is relatively reduced in a time zone when the predicted number of patients (full line) is relatively large, while the acceptable number of patients with appointment is increased when the number of the predictive patients is relatively small. Since the number of patients with appointment becomes small in a time zone in which congestion is anticipated, more patients without appointment can be accepted. Since more patients with appointment can be accepted in an uncrowded time zone, the patients with appointment are urged to make an appointment in the uncrowded time zone. The total number of patients with appointment and without appointment may not largely exceed the total number of patients which can be accepted by the medical institution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reception support apparatus and method, and a medical network system.

  In medical facilities such as clinics and hospitals, there is a problem that the waiting time for medical treatment after a patient visits until medical treatment is started is a problem. One of the causes of prolonged waiting time for medical care is that the patient concentrates at a time. Medical facilities have a limit on the total number of patients that can be accepted per unit time depending on the number of staff and the number of medical facilities, etc. Turn into.

  Many medical facilities such as diabetes and heart disease that require regular visits, such as diabetes and heart disease, and medical facilities such as dental clinics, have adopted a reservation system as a means of reducing the concentration of patients and leveling the number of patients. is doing.

  However, even in medical facilities that use a reservation system, only a patient who makes a reservation and visits (reserved patient) is accepted, and a patient who does not make a reservation (non-reserved patient) is completely excluded. This is difficult not only for medical ethical reasons such as dealing with emergency cases, but also for business reasons such as preventing long-term decline in the number of patients caused by the complete elimination of unscheduled patients. Is the actual situation. Therefore, when the number of non-reserved patients is larger than expected, there is a problem that patient concentration occurs.

  Patent Document 1 describes a patient number prediction system that predicts the number of patients to visit in units of time, day of the week, and date. As a method of relieving the concentration of patients, it is conceivable to guide the patient during a vacant time period by notifying the patient of the prediction result by this system. However, in this method, the prediction result is only notified to the patient, and it is left to the patient to make a final decision as to whether or not to select a free time zone to avoid the crowded time zone. The number of patients coming to the hospital cannot be actively controlled and is not effective.

In addition, in the order reservation system described in Patent Document 2, the reservation patient who made a reservation at a preset reference time is given priority to the reservation patient so that the order is given priority over the non-reservation patient whose visit time is early. Giving incentives. By giving incentives to reserved patients, it can be expected to positively induce patients to make appointments. In the long term, this will lead to a reduction in the number of non-reserved patients and an effect of reducing patient concentration. .
JP 2005-115782 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-152829

  However, although the method using the sequential reservation system of Patent Document 2 is a method that is welcomed by reserved patients, there are many disadvantages of non-reserved patients, and therefore, it is difficult to accept in consideration of the actual situation in the medical field. This is because, in the method using the sequential reservation system, all reserved patients who are reserved in the base time zone have priority over non-reserved patients, and all non-reserved patients are postponed, so if there are many reserved patients, Outpatient waiting time for treatment is very long. In addition, the treatment of giving priority to the appointment patient in front of the appointment patient does not give a positive impression to the appointment patient. Instead, it provides an incentive to encourage the appointment patient to make an appointment. It may also result in harming the impression of the facility. If this happens, the reputation of unscheduled patients who feel uncomfortable may lead to a drop in the number of patients in the medical facility, which can be a fatal problem for the management of the medical facility.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and its object is to reduce the concentration of patients effectively and in a manner that is more easily accepted by medical facilities that employ a reservation system than before. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, the reception support apparatus of the present invention is a reception support apparatus that supports reception of medical appointments, and obtains a predicted number of patients that are predicted values of non-reserved patients who visit the hospital without making a reservation. When the patient number acquisition means and the predicted patient number are relatively large, the reservation acceptance number for accepting the reserved patient to make a reservation and visit is relatively small, and when the predicted patient number is relatively small And a reservation acceptance number determining means for determining the reservation acceptance number so as to relatively increase the reservation acceptance number. Here, the medical treatment includes at least one of diagnosis, treatment, and examination.

  The reservation acceptance number determination means preferably determines the reservation acceptance number in units of time zones set by dividing a daily medical treatment time.

  Limit value setting means for setting a reservation upper limit value for determining the upper limit of the reservation acceptance number and a reservation lower limit value for determining the lower limit thereof, and the reservation acceptance number determining means is within a range set by the limit value setting means. It is preferable to determine the number of reservations accepted.

  A calculation formula setting unit configured to set a plurality of different calculation formulas for determining the reservation acceptance number; and the reservation acceptance number determination unit may determine the reservation acceptance number based on the set calculation formula. preferable.

  The predicted patient number includes a plurality of predicted patient numbers for each time period of a day, and the reservation acceptance number determining means includes an average patient number obtained by averaging the predicted patient numbers for each time period, It is preferable to determine the number of reservations accepted for each time period as compared with the predicted number of patients for each time period.

  The reservation acceptance number determination means preferably determines the reservation acceptance number for each time period based on the difference between the average number of patients and the predicted number of patients for each time period.

The reservation acceptance number determining means is configured to calculate a calculated value C according to the following formula (1) or formula (2), where Ne is the predicted number of patients in the time period to be calculated and the average number of patients is Nav. Seeking
C = 2Nav-Ne Formula (1)
C = 3 / 2Nav-Ne / 2 (2)
When the calculated value C is within the range between the reservation upper limit value and the reservation lower limit value, the calculated value C is set as the reservation acceptance number, and when the calculated value C is out of the range, the reservation upper limit value. Alternatively, the reservation lower limit value is preferably set as the reservation acceptance number.

  The predicted number of patients is the predicted number of patients for each day of the week, and the reservation acceptance number determination means determines the number of reservations accepted for each time period based on the predicted number of patients for each day of the week. It is preferable to do.

  It is preferable that the reservation acceptance number for each time period determined by the reservation acceptance number determination unit is output on a reservation screen provided with a reservation frame for each time period.

  The reception support method of the present invention is a reception support method for supporting reception of medical appointments, a predicted patient number acquisition step of acquiring a predicted patient number that is a predicted value of non-reserved patients who do not make a reservation, and the prediction If the number of patients is relatively large, the number of reservations accepted for accepting appointment patients who make appointments is relatively small, and if the number of predicted patients is relatively small, the number of reservations accepted is relatively The reservation acceptance number determining step for determining the reservation acceptance number is provided.

  The medical network system of the present invention is a medical network system comprising a first computer system of a plurality of medical facilities and a second computer system of a data center that is communicably connected to the first computer system via a network. The second computer system includes a predicted patient number acquisition unit that acquires a predicted patient number that is a predicted value of a non-reserved patient who does not make a reservation, and makes a reservation when the predicted patient number is relatively large. Reservation for determining the number of reservations accepted so that the number of reservations accepted is relatively large when the number of reservations accepted for receiving the patient to be visited is relatively small and the predicted number of patients is relatively small And an acceptance number determining means.

  The second computer system distributes a reservation screen for accepting a medical reservation for each medical facility to the client terminal that is the requester of the reservation, receives reservation application information from the client terminal, and receives the reservation application It is preferable to distribute the information to the reservation request destination.

  The second computer system preferably includes a search unit that searches for a medical facility that can be reserved in a time period specified by the client terminal.

  In the present invention, when the number of predicted patients, which is a predicted value of non-reserved patients who do not make a reservation, is relatively large, the number of reservations accepted for a reserved patient who makes a reservation and visits is relatively small. When the number is relatively small, the number of reservations accepted is determined so that the number of reservations accepted is relatively large, so it is easier for medical facilities that adopt a reservation system than before. In a manner and effectively, patient concentration can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the medical reception terminal 10 is installed in a clinic, for example, and is operated by staff such as doctors and nurses. The medical reception terminal 10 receives an application for patient medical reservation and manages the received reservation information. The medical reception terminal 10 is configured, for example, by installing a reception program 13 based on a personal computer or a workstation including a main body 11 and a console 12. The console 12 includes a display 14 and an input device 15 such as a keyboard 15a and a mouse 15b.

  The display 14 displays a reservation screen 17 which is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for accepting a medical reservation. The reservation screen 17 is provided with a reservation frame display area 18 for displaying a reservation frame 18a in a calendar format. The appointment frame 18a is set for each time slot divided in units of 30 minutes, such as 9:30 to 10:00, 10:00 to 10:30, for example.

  The number displayed in each reservation frame 18a is the remaining number of people that can be reserved in each reservation frame 18a, and the availability of the reservation frame 18a can be confirmed by displaying this remaining number of people. The number of reservations accepted is set in each reservation frame 18a. The number of reservations accepted is the maximum number that allows acceptance of a reserved patient for each reservation frame 18a. The remaining number of persons obtained by subtracting the number of received reservations from the number of reservations received is displayed in the reservation frame 18a. For example, when the number of reservations received in the reservation frame 18a for which the reservation acceptance number is set to “6” is “0”, the remaining number of people is displayed in the reservation frame 18a as “6”, and the number of receptions is “ When the number is “1”, the remaining number of people is subtracted by 1 to “5”.

  In the figure, each reservation frame 18a shows a state where no reservation is entered, and the remaining number of people in each reservation frame 18a matches the number of reservations accepted. For example, the remaining number of reservation slots 18a of “9:00 to 9:30” on Monday, February 4 and “09:30 to 10:00” on the same day is “4”, and the number of reservations accepted “4”. The remaining number of people from “9:00 to 9:30” on February 5 (Tuesday) and “9:30 to 10:00” on the same day is “5”, and the number of reservations accepted is also “5”.

  The staff, for example, hears the desired date and time from the patient who visited the hospital, confirms the availability of the desired date and time on the reservation screen 17, and if the reservation frame 18a for the desired date and time is available, Perform a reservation operation. When the reservation frame 18a of the desired date and time is not vacant, the vacant state of the reservation frame 18a is notified to the patient, or in some cases, the reservation screen 17 is shown to the patient and the reservation frame 18a is selected.

  When one of the reservation frames 18a is selected with the pointer 19 of the mouse 15b and the mouse 15b is clicked, an input window 20 is displayed. In the input window 20, for example, a reservation date and time corresponding to the selected reservation frame 18a, a text box for inputting a patient ID and a patient name, an execution button, and a cancel button are displayed. When the keyboard 15a is operated to input the patient ID and patient name as reservation application information in the text box and the execution button is clicked with the mouse 15b, the reservation is confirmed. In the figure, the reservation frame 18a of “10:30 to 11:00” on Thursday, February 7 is selected, and when the reservation is confirmed, the remaining number of people in the reservation frame 18a is subtracted by one. Thus, “6” is updated to “5”.

  The main body 11 includes a CPU 21, a memory 22, an HDD 23, and a LAN port 24, which are connected via a data bus 25. The HDD 23 stores a control program such as an operating system and a reception program 13. The memory 22 is a work memory for the CPU 21 to execute processing. The CPU 21 loads the control program stored in the HDD 23 into the memory 22 and executes processing according to the program, thereby comprehensively controlling each part of the apparatus. The CPU 21 functions as a reception processing unit 21 a and a reservation acceptance number determination unit 21 b by executing the reception program 13.

  The reception processing unit 21 a performs processing for generating and updating the reservation screen 17 displayed on the display 14 and processing for receiving reservation application information input through the console 12. The reservation acceptance number determination unit 21b performs a reservation acceptance number determination process for determining a reservation acceptance number for each reservation frame 18a. As will be described later, the reservation acceptance number determination process is a process that supports reservation acceptance by automatically determining the reservation acceptance number based on the prediction data. In the acceptance program 13, in addition to the program body, the reservation acceptance number determination unit 21 b uses settings for determining the reservation acceptance number, such as limit values for determining the upper limit and lower limit of the reservation acceptance number, and a calculation formula for calculating the reservation acceptance number. Data 13a is included. Limit values and calculation formulas can be changed through the console 12.

  The LAN port 24 is a network interface that performs transmission control with the LAN 26. The medical reception terminal 10 is connected to the DB server 27 via the LAN 26 so as to be communicable. The DB server 27 is configured, for example, by installing a DBMS (Data Base Management System) based on a personal computer or a workstation. The reception processing unit 21 a and the reservation acceptance number determination unit 21 b access the DB server 27 through the LAN port 24.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the DB server 27, various DBs such as a reception data DB 31, a schedule DB 32, and a prediction data DB 33 are constructed in the storage unit. The DB server 27 performs processing such as reading, updating, and searching of data in each DB in response to requests issued by the reception processing unit 21a and the reservation acceptance number determining unit 21b.

  The reception data DB 31 stores reception data for which a reservation has been received. When the reservation is accepted, an acceptance record is created for each case based on the reservation application information. The reception data is a set of a plurality of reception records. In each reception record, items such as a reception ID issued for each reception, a patient ID, a patient name, a reservation frame ID, and a reservation date and time are recorded.

  Schedule data is stored in the schedule DB 32. The schedule data includes calendar data in which information on business days and information on reservation slots 18a set for each time zone is recorded, reservation acceptance number data in which the number of reservations accepted for each reservation slot 18a is recorded, and each reservation slot 18a. It consists of received number data that records the received number.

  The reservation acceptance number data includes a plurality of reservation acceptance number records 36 generated on a daily basis. In one reservation acceptance number record 36, the number of reservation acceptances set for each reservation frame 18a for one business day is recorded. In the reception number data, the number of receptions accepted in each reservation frame 18a every business day is recorded. In the reception number data, the number of receptions in the reservation frame 18a is updated every time a reservation is received. The number of receptions is subtracted from the number of reservations received recorded in the reservation acceptance number record 36, and the remaining number of reservation frames 18a displayed on the reservation screen 17 is updated.

  The prediction data DB 33 stores prediction results of the number of patients expected to visit the hospital. The prediction data includes, for example, a plurality of predicted patient number records 37 each recording a prediction result for each day of the week. The predicted number of patients record 37 records the predicted number of patients for each time period corresponding to the reservation frame 18a. The predicted number of patients is a predicted value of non-reserved patients who visit the hospital without making a reservation.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the reception processing unit 21 a accesses the schedule DB 32 in response to the call of the reservation screen 17 from the console 12, reads the schedule data, generates the reservation screen 17, and outputs it to the console 12. . When the reservation application information is input from the console 12, the reception processing unit 21a performs reception processing. In the reception process, the reception data DB 31 is accessed to add a reception record in which reservation application information is recorded. In addition, the schedule DB 32 is accessed to update the reception number data included in the schedule data. In the reception number data, the number corresponding to the reservation frame 18a that has received a reservation is incremented by one. When the reception processing unit 21a updates the reception number record, the reception processing unit 21a subtracts the reception number from the reservation reception number and updates the remaining number of people in the corresponding reservation frame 18a.

  The reservation acceptance number determination unit 21b reads and acquires predicted patient number records from the predicted data DB 33 one by one. Further, the reservation acceptance number determination unit 21 b reads setting data 13 a such as a limit value (reservation upper limit value and reservation lower limit value) of the reservation acceptance number and a calculation formula from the HDD 23. The reservation acceptance number determination unit 21b executes a reservation acceptance number determination process based on these, determines the reservation acceptance number of each reservation frame 18a on a business day basis, and determines the determined reservation acceptance number in the schedule DB 32. Record in the reservation acceptance number record 36. The prediction data is updated regularly (for example, every year or every month). Therefore, the reservation acceptance number determination process is executed in the previous month for all schedules for the next month, for example, for February at the beginning of January so that the latest prediction data can be used for prediction. The

  The bar graph shown in FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the predicted number of patients by time zone and the number of reservations accepted by time zone (by reservation frame) determined by the reservation acceptance number determination unit 21b. The solid line graph indicates the predicted number of patients, and the broken line indicates the number of reservations accepted. The reservation upper limit value Lu is set to “9”, and the reservation lower limit value Lw is set to “4”. The average number of patients Nav is an average value of the predicted number of patients for each time period, that is, a value obtained by dividing the total number of predicted patients in each time period by the number of time periods. In this example, (9 + 9 + 7 + 6 + 4 + 5 + 9 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 7 + 8 ) / 12 = “6” (rounded off).

  In the reservation acceptance number determination process, assuming that the predicted number of patients by time zone is Ne, an average number of patients Nav obtained by averaging the predicted number of patients Ne by time zone is obtained, and the average number of patients Nav and each of the time zones are calculated. Compared with the predicted number of patients Ne, based on the comparison result, in the time zone when the predicted number of patients Ne is relatively large, the reservation acceptance number is relatively small and the predicted number of patients Ne is relatively small In the time zone, the reservation acceptance number is determined so that the reservation acceptance number is relatively large.

  That is, out of the total number of acceptances that can be accepted per unit time regardless of whether the clinic has a reservation, the number of assignments assigned to reserved patients and the number of assignments assigned to non-reserved patients are changed according to the number of predicted patients. . In order to accept more non-reserved patients during times when the number of predicted patients is large, reduce the number of reservations that can be assigned to reserved patients, and increase the number of reservations that can be assigned to reserved patients during times when the number of predicted patients is small. . The total number of clinics accepted depends on the number and facilities of the clinic staff. Since the predicted number of patients is the predicted value of non-reserved patients, limiting the number of reserved patients increases the number of non-reserved patients accepted in non-reserved patients during the time when congestion is expected .

  For this reason, even if there are many non-reserved patients, the total number of clinics accepted will not be greatly exceeded, and the concentration of patients will be eased. For this reason, for both the non-reserved patient and the reserved patient, an increase in the waiting time for medical treatment is suppressed, and the stress caused by the medical waiting time is small. Since there is less stress on the reserved patient, there is no need to give priority to the reserved patient. As in the past, non-reserved patients are less likely to be ill, and the long-term decline in the number of patients is also eliminated, leading to stable management.

  In addition, since the number of reservation acceptances assigned to reserved patients increases during a time period when the predicted number of patients is small, many reserved patients can be guided during that time period. For this reason, leveling of the number of patients according to time zone can be expected.

  In the reservation acceptance number determination process, the reservation acceptance number is determined within the range between the reservation upper limit value Lu and the reservation lower limit value Lw. Both the reservation upper limit Lu and the reservation lower limit Lw are determined by the judgment of individual clinics. For example, the reservation upper limit value Lu is set according to the total number of receptions determined for each clinic, and the reservation lower limit value Lw is set according to the number of patients to be secured at a minimum from the management judgment of the clinic. The

Specifically, in the reservation acceptance number determination process, each reservation acceptance number for each time period is determined based on the difference between the average number of patients Nav and the predicted number of patients Ne. In the reservation acceptance number determination process, for example, the calculated value C is obtained according to the following equation (1).
C = 2Nav-Ne Formula (1)
When the calculated value C is within the range between the reservation upper limit value Lu and the reservation lower limit value Lw (reservation upper limit value Lu ≧ calculated value C ≧ reservation lower limit value Lw), the calculated value C is set as the reservation acceptance number, and the calculated value C Is outside the above range, the reservation upper limit value Lu or the reservation lower limit value Lw is set as the reservation acceptance number.

  For example, in the time zone “10:00 to 10:30”, the predicted number of patients Ne is “7”, and the calculated value C = 2 × 6−7 = 5 according to Expression (1). Since the calculated value C satisfies the condition “9 ≧ calculated value C ≧ 4”, the calculated value C (“5”) is determined as the reservation acceptance number. In the time zone “11: 00 to 11:30”, the predicted number of patients Ne is “4”, and the calculated value C = 2 × 6−4 = 8 according to the equation (1). Also in this case, since the calculated value C satisfies the condition “9 ≧ calculated value C ≧ 4”, the calculated value C is determined as the reservation acceptance number.

  Further, the predicted number of patients Ne is “9” in the time zone “9: 00 to 9:30”. Since the average number of patients Nav is “6”, the calculated value C = 2 × 6-9 = 3 according to the equation (1). However, the reservation upper limit value Lu is set to “9” and the reservation lower limit value Lw is set to “4”, and the calculated value C = “3” does not satisfy the condition “9 ≧ calculated value C ≧ 4”. It is below the lower limit Lw. Therefore, the reservation lower limit Lw (“4”) is determined as the reservation acceptance number.

  Further, in the time zone “16: 0 to 16:30”, the predicted number of patients Ne is “2”, and the calculated value C = 2 × 6-2 = 10 according to the equation (1). In this case, the calculated value C = “3” does not satisfy the condition “9 ≧ calculated value C ≧ 4” and exceeds the reservation upper limit value Lu. Therefore, the reservation upper limit value Lu is determined as the reservation acceptance number.

Instead of the above formula (1), the following formula (2) may be used as a calculation formula for calculating the calculated value C.
C = 3 / 2Nav-Ne / 2 (2)
Formula (2) can suppress the fluctuation | variation of the reservation acceptance number according to time slot | zone compared with Formula (1).

  These formulas (1) and (2) are recorded in the setting data 13 a, and which one is used can be selected through the console 12.

  In addition, when a fractional part occurs in the calculated value C, such as when using the value of the average number of patients Nav or Equation (2), the reservation acceptance number determination unit 21b determines the fractions such as rounding, rounding down, and rounding up. Processing is performed to determine the number of reservations accepted.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The reservation acceptance number determination unit 21b executes reservation acceptance number determination processing for the next month at the beginning of the month. In step 101 (S101), the reservation acceptance number determination unit 21b accesses the prediction data DB 33, and corresponds to the day of the week to be calculated, such as Monday for Monday and Tuesday for Tuesday. The predicted patient number record 37 is acquired.

  Next, in S102, based on the predicted number of patients Ne in each time zone recorded in the predicted number of patients record 37, the average number of patients Nav in each time zone is calculated. In S103, the predicted number of patients Ne in the time zone to be calculated is read from the predicted number of patients record 37. In S104, the calculation formula selected from the above formula (1) or (2) is read, and the calculated value C is obtained. In S105, if the calculated value C has a fraction, fraction processing is executed.

  In S106, the calculated value C and the limit value (reservation upper limit value Lu or reservation lower limit value Lw) are compared, and the reservation acceptance number is determined based on the comparison result. In S107, the determined reservation acceptance number is recorded in the corresponding time zone field of the reservation acceptance number record 37. In S108, it is determined whether or not the processing has been completed for all time slots for one day. If not, the number of reservations accepted in the next time slot is determined according to the above procedure. When the process is completed for all time slots, the predicted number-of-patients record 37 for the day corresponding to the next day is acquired, and the number of reservations accepted for all time slots for that day is determined. By repeating such processing, the number of reservations accepted is determined for all days of the week (for business days). If it is determined in S109 that the processing for all days of the week has been completed, the reservation acceptance number determination process is terminated.

  A reservation screen 17 is generated based on the reservation acceptance number determined in this way. In each reservation frame 18a, the remaining number of persons is displayed with the determined number of reservations accepted as a maximum value. Each time one reservation is entered, the remaining number of people in the reservation frame 18a is subtracted one by one.

  The number of reservations accepted is determined so as to be relatively small in a time zone when the predicted number of patients Ne is relatively large and relatively large in a time zone where the predicted number of patients Ne is relatively small. In the time zone in which congestion is expected, the number of reserved patients is limited, and the number of reservation acceptances of non-reserved patients assigned to non-reserved patients increases. For this reason, even if there are many non-reserved patients, the total number of clinics accepted will not be significantly exceeded. Therefore, both the non-reserved patient and the reserved patient have less stress due to the waiting time for medical treatment. Since the stress of the reserved patient is small, there is no need to preferentially handle the reserved patient as in Patent Document 2.

  Preferential treatment for reserved patients is also a concern that causes a long-term decline in the number of patients. In the present invention, since the concern is eliminated, the management is stabilized. As described above, according to the present invention, both the reserved patient and the non-reserved patient have less stress due to the waiting time for medical treatment, and there are advantages for the manager. Therefore, the present invention is more easily accepted by clinics that employ a reservation system.

  In addition, since the number of reservations accepted by the reserved patient increases during the vacant time zone, it is easy to guide the reserved patient to that time zone. In addition, when adjusting the appointment date and time for revisiting the patient face-to-face, if the appointment screen 17 is shown to the patient, it is easy to convince the patient of the availability of the appointment, and the guiding effect to the available time zone is also high.

  In addition, since the number of reservation acceptances assigned to reserved patients increases during a time period when the predicted number of patients is small, many reserved patients can be guided during that time period. For this reason, leveling of the number of patients according to time zone can be expected.

  In the above embodiment, the reservation acceptance number is determined using the forecast data for each day of the week, but the forecast data for each day may be used. For example, even on the same day of the week, the predicted number of patients can be expected to vary between early, mid and late months. It is also expected that there will be fluctuations depending on the season. Of course, the higher the accuracy of the prediction data, the better. Therefore, it is preferable to use all or various combinations of various parameters such as days of the week, holidays, seasons, large holidays, and year-on-year comparison for the purpose of improving accuracy. Moreover, you may use the prediction data using the method described in patent document 1 which uses environmental factors, such as air temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, pollen scattering amount, and the amount of ultraviolet rays, as a parameter of patient number prediction. In addition, the CPU of the medical reception terminal may perform a process of predicting the number of patients based on the number of reservations received recorded in the reception number record and the actual number of receptions of non-reserved patients.

  In the above embodiment, the reservation acceptance number is determined for each time period, but the reservation acceptance number may be determined in units of one day. If the busy day and the free day can be clearly distinguished, even if the number of reservations accepted is determined by day, a certain effect can be expected.

  Moreover, the calculation formula of the said embodiment is an example and you may use another calculation formula. For example, the number of reservations accepted is determined by the difference between the average number of patients and the predicted number of patients, but the number of reservations accepted may be determined by the ratio. Moreover, although the average number of patients is used as a reference value for comparing with the predicted number of patients, a reference value other than the average number of patients may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which various DBs are constructed on a DB server and used as DB storage means has been described. However, a DB may be stored in an HDD built in a computer system that constitutes a medical reception support terminal. Instead of the DB server, network storage such as NAS (Network Attached Storage) or SAN (Storage Area Network) may be used as DB storage means.

  In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the reception support apparatus of the present invention is incorporated in a single medical reception terminal by installing a reception program that realizes a reservation acceptance number determination process in addition to the reception process will be described as an example. However, for example, the reception support apparatus according to the present invention may be incorporated in a computer system including a server storing the reception program and a client terminal that accesses the server and receives an application service of the reception program. In this case, for example, a browser compatible with HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is installed in the client terminal, and the browser receives an application service by communicating with the server.

  According to this, since the application service provided by the server can be received by a plurality of client terminals, it is not necessary to install a reception program in a plurality of client terminals used as medical reception terminals. Such a configuration can be expected to have an effect of reducing the introduction cost when a plurality of medical reception terminals are required depending on the scale of the medical facility.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the present invention may be applied to a form of a medical network system 41 using a data center. The medical network system 41 includes a computer system of the data center 42 and client terminals 44 constituting a computer system of a plurality of medical facilities 43. The data center 42 is an application service provider that provides an application service for performing online reservation of medical treatment reservations from patients to each medical facility 43 via the WAN 45. As the WAN 45, for example, the Internet is used.

  The computer system of the data center 42 includes an application server 46, a center DB server 47, and a router 48, which are communicably connected via a LAN 49. The router 48 is a transfer device that exchanges data between different networks such as the LAN 49 and the WAN 45, and includes a LAN port connected to the LAN 49 and a WAN port connected to the WAN 45. The application server 46 and the center DB server 47 are connected to the LAN port of the router 48.

  The application server 46 is installed with a reception program acting as a reception process for each medical facility 43. In response to a request from the patient client terminal 50, the application server 46 receives the reservation application information and performs the reception process.

  A reservation site is established in the application server 46, and the application server 46 selects the desired medical facility 43 from among the plurality of medical facilities 43 for the client terminal 50 that has accessed the reservation site, and selects it. A reservation screen corresponding to the schedule of the medical facility 43 is distributed. This reservation screen is the same as the reservation screen 17 of the above embodiment except that a plurality of medical facilities 43 can be selected. The client terminal 50 is, for example, a personal computer. In addition to a personal computer, a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a PDA may be used.

  The center DB server 47 stores a reception data DB 51, a schedule DB 52, a prediction data DB 53, and a medical facility information DB 54, and performs processing such as data writing, updating, and searching according to access from the application server 46.

  The reception data DB 51, schedule DB 52, and prediction data DB 53 are substantially the same as the reception data DB 31, schedule DB 32, and prediction data DB 33 of the above embodiment, except that data corresponding to a plurality of medical facilities 43 are stored. Different. As shown in FIG. 7, the medical facility information DB 54 stores basic information of each medical facility 43 such as a facility ID, name, department, contact information, and address.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the application server 46 executes a reception program, whereby the CPU 56 functions as a reception processing unit 56a and a reservation acceptance number determination unit 56b. The reception processing unit 56a distributes the reservation screen to the client terminal 50 and receives reservation application information. The reception processing unit 56a performs reception processing based on the received reservation application information, and distributes processed reception data to the client terminals 44 of the medical facilities 43, respectively. The reservation acceptance number determination unit 56 b determines the number of reservation frames accepted for each medical facility 43.

  In addition, the reception processing unit 56 a executes a search process for the medical facility 43 that can be reserved at the date and time desired by the patient based on the search request from the client terminal 50, and returns the search result to the client terminal 50.

  The search process is performed as shown in FIG. 9, for example. When the reservation frame 58a desired by the patient is filled in the reservation screen 58 of the medical facility 43 selected by the patient (indicated by “X”), clicking the reservation frame 58a with the mouse pointer 58b of the client terminal 50 A search condition input box 59 is opened.

  In the search condition input box 59, for example, a list box for selecting a medical department and a text box for inputting a desired medical treatment date and postal code are provided. The name of the medical department and the desired medical treatment date and time are the same as the clicked reservation frame 58a ("February 4, 2008, 9:00"), and the name of the selected medical facility 43 (for example, cardiology) is automatically Is input. The zip code is a search condition for designating an area where the patient can visit, such as around the patient's home. When a search condition is input and a search button is clicked, a search request is issued from the client terminal 50 to the reception processing unit 56a of the application server 46.

  When receiving the search request, the reception processing unit 56a accesses the medical facility information DB 54, compares the basic information of each medical facility 43 with the search condition, and searches for the medical facility 43 that matches the search condition. For example, based on a zip code input as a search condition, a medical facility 43 located within a predetermined area such as a radius of 3 km including the area of the zip code is searched. If there is a medical facility 43 that matches the search condition, the basic information is extracted, and a candidate display screen 60 that displays the extracted basic information is distributed to the client terminal 50.

  On the candidate display screen 60, the name and address of the medical facility 43 are displayed, and detailed information (equipment, medical staff, specialty fields, etc.) can be displayed by clicking the detail button. When the desired medical facility 43 is selected from the candidate display screen 60, the screen shifts to the reservation screen of the selected medical facility 43. Thereby, the patient can make a reservation for the medical facility 43 on the desired date and time.

  With such a search service, it is possible to introduce a medical facility 43 that can be reserved to a patient at a date and time desired by the patient. For the patient, there is an advantage that it is easy to make a reservation for the date and time that suits his / her convenience. In addition, the medical facility 43 can also be expected to have a merit that patient concentration is eased.

  In the above-described embodiment, a medical appointment from a patient to a medical facility has been described as an example. However, a medical appointment that is performed between medical facilities, such as commissioning an examination, may be accepted.

  In the above embodiment, the application server of the data center is described as an example in which both the reservation acceptance number determination process and the reception process are performed. However, the application server performs only the reservation acceptance number determination process without performing the reception process. And the result of the determined reservation acceptance number may be distributed to the computer system of the medical facility.

  Further, instead of storing various DBs in the center DB server of the data center, each DB is stored in the computer system of each medical facility, and the application server accesses the computer system of each medical facility via the WAN to store the data. Reading and writing may be performed to perform reception processing and reservation acceptance number determination processing.

  In the above-described embodiment, the medical network system of the present invention is distributed to the computer systems of a plurality of medical facilities that are medical treatment request destinations and the medical treatment reservation application information from the client terminals of the requesting sources to the medical facility computer systems. However, the present invention can also be applied to other forms. For example, there may be a medical network system in which a single hospital has a plurality of bases, each base serves as a request source, a request destination, and a data center, and a plurality of computer systems at each base are connected via a network. Alternatively, a medical network system in which computer systems of a plurality of hospitals are connected via a network may be used. In this case, one of the hospitals becomes a data center and plays a host role. In any of the above cases, the network connecting the computer systems may be a WAN or a LAN.

  As shown in the above embodiment, the present invention naturally extends to a program form and further to a storage medium for storing the program.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a medical treatment reception terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the content of the data stored in DB. It is explanatory drawing of a reception process part and a reservation acceptance number determination part. It is a graph explaining the determination method of the number of reservation acceptance. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a reservation acceptance number determination process. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a medical network system. It is explanatory drawing of medical facility information DB. It is a schematic block diagram of an application server. It is explanatory drawing of a search process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Medical treatment reception terminal 11 Main body 12 Console 14 Display 15 Input device 17 Reservation screen 18a Reservation frame 21a Reception processing part 21b Reservation acceptance number determination part 27 DB server 31 Reception data DB
32 Schedule DB
33 Prediction data DB
36 Reservation Acceptance Number Record 37 Predicted Patient Number Record 41 Medical Network System 44, 50 Client Terminal 46 Application Server 47 Center DB Server 56a Reception Processing Unit 56b Reservation Acceptance Number Determination Unit

Claims (13)

In the reception support device that supports the reception of medical appointments,
A predicted patient number acquisition means for acquiring a predicted patient number that is a predicted value of a non-reserved patient who visits without making a reservation;
When the predicted number of patients is relatively large, the number of accepted reservations for accepting reserved patients to make a reservation is relatively small. When the predicted number of patients is relatively small, An acceptance support apparatus, comprising: a reservation acceptance number determining means for determining the reservation acceptance number so as to increase relatively.   2. The reception support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reservation acceptance number determination means determines the reservation acceptance number in units of time zones set by dividing a daily medical treatment time. It has a limit value setting means for setting a reservation upper limit value that determines the upper limit of the reservation acceptance number and a reservation lower limit value that determines the lower limit thereof,
3. The reception support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reservation acceptance number determining means determines the reservation acceptance number within a range set by the limit value setting means. A calculation formula setting means for setting a plurality of different calculation formulas for determining the reservation acceptance number;
4. The reception support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the reservation acceptance number determination means determines the reservation acceptance number with the set calculation formula. The predicted number of patients includes a plurality of predicted number of patients according to the time period of a day,
The reservation acceptance number determination means compares the average number of patients with the predicted number of patients for each time period and the estimated number of patients for each time period, and accepts reservations for each time period. 5. The reception support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number is determined.   The said reservation acceptance number determination means determines the reservation acceptance number according to the said time slot | zone based on the difference of the said average patient number and each estimated patient number according to the said time slot | zone. Reception support device. The reservation acceptance number determining means is configured to calculate a calculated value C according to the following formula (1) or formula (2), where Ne is the predicted number of patients in the time period to be calculated and the average number of patients is Nav. Seeking
C = 2Nav-Ne Formula (1)
C = 3 / 2Nav-Ne / 2 (2)
When the calculated value C is within the range between the reservation upper limit value and the reservation lower limit value, the calculated value C is set as the reservation acceptance number, and when the calculated value C is out of the range, the reservation upper limit value. Alternatively, the reception support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a reservation lower limit value is set as the reservation acceptance number. The predicted number of patients is the predicted number of patients by day of the week,
The reception support apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the reservation acceptance number determination means determines the reservation acceptance number for each time period based on the predicted number of patients for each day of the week.   9. The reservation acceptance number for each time period determined by the reservation acceptance number determination unit is output on a reservation screen provided with a reservation frame for each time period. Reception support device. In the reception support method that supports the reception of medical appointments,
A predicted patient number acquisition step of acquiring a predicted patient number that is a predicted value of non-reserved patients who visit the hospital without making a reservation;
When the predicted number of patients is relatively large, the number of accepted reservations for accepting reserved patients to make a reservation is relatively small. When the predicted number of patients is relatively small, And a reservation acceptance number determination step for determining the reservation acceptance number so as to increase the number of reservations. In a medical network system comprising a first computer system of a plurality of medical facilities and a second computer system of a data center connected to the first computer system via a network,
The second computer system includes:
A predicted patient number acquisition means for acquiring a predicted patient number that is a predicted value of a non-reserved patient who visits without making a reservation;
When the predicted number of patients is relatively large, the number of accepted reservations for accepting reserved patients to make a reservation is relatively small. When the predicted number of patients is relatively small, A medical network system, comprising: a reservation acceptance number determining means for determining the reservation acceptance number so as to increase relatively. The second computer system delivers a reservation screen for accepting a medical appointment for each medical facility to the client terminal requesting the appointment,
12. The medical network system according to claim 11, wherein reservation application information is received from the client terminal, and the received reservation application information is distributed to the reservation request destination.   13. The medical network system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the second computer system includes a search unit that searches for a medical facility that can be reserved in a time period designated by the client terminal.

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