Patient check-in/scheduling kiosk

Abstract

A method and system for facilitating activity scheduling for a patient including the steps of providing an interface device for checking a patient in at the facility, receiving identifying information for the patient, identifying currently scheduled appointments for the patient where the currently scheduled appointments are associated with currently scheduled appointment activities, identifying at least one additional unscheduled activity for the patient in addition to the currently scheduled appointment activities, identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule including at least one open time slot during which the patient may complete the additional unscheduled activity and the currently scheduled appointment activities and presenting the at least one suggested appointment schedule to the patient.

1 . A method for allowing a patient at a medical facility using a public kiosk to schedule activities, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing the kiosk in a location for use by patients;   via the kiosk, receiving identifying information from the patient;   identifying currently scheduled appointments for the patient where the currently scheduled appointments are associated with currently scheduled appointment activities and initially scheduled appointment time slots;   identifying at least one additional unscheduled activity for the patient in addition to the currently scheduled appointment activities for the patient;   identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule including at least one open time slot during which the patient may complete the additional unscheduled activity and the currently scheduled appointment activities; and   via the kiosk, presenting the at least one suggested appointment schedule to the patient.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of receiving input via the kiosk to accept the suggested appointment schedule and automatically adding the additional unscheduled activity to the appointment schedule to update the currently scheduled appointments. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of providing an unfulfilled order database that includes unfulfilled orders for the patient and wherein the step of identifying at least one additional unscheduled activity for the patient includes accessing the unfulfilled order database and identifying a first unfulfilled order for the patient as the additional unscheduled activity. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further including the step of providing a resource schedule database that includes resource schedules for resources required to complete unfulfilled orders wherein unfulfilled orders are activities ordered to be completed that are currently unscheduled and wherein the step of identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule includes:
 identifying resources required to complete the first unfulfilled order for the patient; and 
 identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot in the resource schedules for the resources required to complete the first unfulfilled order wherein the non-conflicting time slot is different than the initially scheduled appointment time slots. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein at least one of the currently scheduled appointments is for a first time slot and wherein the step of identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot includes identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot that is temporally proximate the first time slot. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the step of identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot that is temporally proximate the first time slot includes identifying at least one time slot that is within one hour of the first time slot. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4  further including the step of providing a location database that includes locations where resources are used in the facility wherein a first currently scheduled appointment is for a first time slot and the step of identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot includes identifying the location of the first currently scheduled appointment and the locations of the resources required to perform the first unfulfilled order, using the location database to identify an estimated travel time between the location of the first currently scheduled appointment and the locations of the resources required to perform the first unfulfilled order and determining that a time interval at least as long as the estimated travel time exists between the first time slot and the non-conflicting time slot. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule includes identifying a schedule that includes multiple open time slots during which the patient may complete the additional unscheduled activity. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of identifying at least one additional unscheduled activity for the patient includes identifying multiple additional unscheduled activities for the patient in addition to the currently scheduled appointment activities for the patient and wherein the step of identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule includes identifying a schedule that includes open time slots during which the patient may complete each of the additional unscheduled activities and the currently scheduled appointment activities. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the suggested appointment schedule includes a distinct time slot for each of the additional unscheduled activities and for each of the currently scheduled appointment activities. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a first currently scheduled appointments is initially for a first time slot and wherein the step of identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule includes identifying a schedule wherein the activities associated with the first currently scheduled appointment are associated with a second time slot that is different than the first time slot. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  further including the step of receiving input via the kiosk to accept the suggested appointment schedule and automatically rescheduling the first currently scheduled appointment for the second time slot, cancelling the first currently scheduled appointment at the first time slot and adding the additional unscheduled activity to the appointment schedule in one of the open time slots. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of providing a prerequisites database that includes prerequisites associated with activities performed at the facility wherein prerequisites are activities that have to be performed prior to other activities being performed and wherein the step of identifying at least one additional unscheduled activity for the patient includes accessing the prerequisites database and identifying a first prerequisite associated with at least one of the currently scheduled appointment activities as the additional unscheduled activity. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further including the step of providing a resource schedule database that includes resource schedules for resources required to complete prerequisite activities and wherein the step of identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule includes:
 identifying resources required to complete the first prerequisite; and 
 identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot in the resource schedules for the resources required to complete the first prerequisite wherein the non-conflicting time slot is different than the initially scheduled appointment time slots. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein at least one of the currently scheduled appointments is for a first time slot and wherein the step of identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot includes identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot that is temporally proximate the first time slot. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the step of identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot includes identifying a time slot that is prior to the first time slot. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of providing a best practices database that correlates circumstance subsets with opportunistic activities that should be performed and wherein the step of identifying at least one additional unscheduled activity for the patient includes accessing the best practices database and identifying a first opportunistic activity as the additional activity. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further including the step of providing a resource schedule database that includes resource schedules for resources required to complete opportunistic activities and wherein the step of identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule includes:
 identifying resources required to complete the first opportunistic activity; and 
 identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot in the resource schedules for the resources required to complete the first opportunistic activity wherein the non-conflicting time slot is different than the initially scheduled appointment time slots. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein at least one of the currently scheduled appointments is for a first time slot and wherein the step of identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot includes identifying at least one non-conflicting time slot that is temporally proximate the first time slot. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a first currently scheduled appointment is for a first time, the step of identifying at least one suggested appointment schedule including identifying that the first currently scheduled appointment has been delayed and identifying a non-conflicting time slot that includes at least a portion of the first time slot.