Hill-Rom Services, Inc.

Nortel Networks Corporation

John S Schroder

Jennifer A Gunn

Steven D Baker

Eric D Agdeppa

Thomas A Myers

Bradley T Smith

Andrew S Robinson

Laura A Hassey

Pamela Wells

Elizabeth A Kowal

Kiana Mathews Dezelon

Richard Joseph Schuman, Sr

Kenzi L Mudge

Britten J Pipher

David M Girardeau

Darren S Hudgins

Collin Davidson

Sherrod L Faulks

Ronald W Taylor

Adam Drufke

Dino R Bostic

John Moulson

Bartholomew F Sferrazza

Richard Henry Heimbrock

Timothy Joseph Receveur

Dan R Tallent

Douglas A Seim

Varad Narayan Srivastava

Frederick Collin Davidson

Stephen R Embree

Brandon Smith

Tanya M Hawthorne

Catherine Infantolino

Hubert Lechable

Jean-Marie Remoleur

Jimmy Samson

John V Harmeyer

Brandon M Ayers

Shwu-Yan Chang Scoggins

Janelle T Tucker

Sinan Batman

Eric G Agdeppa

Thomas A Meyers

High-accuracy locating systems and methods are used for determining successful caregiver rounding, monitoring whether housekeepers have properly cleaned patient beds, or determining whether patients have ambulated sufficient distances during recovery. Patient beds having at least two locating tags are used for establishing patient care zones around the patient beds. Locating anchors and equipment tags are moved around a patient room to determine optimum locating anchor placement within the patient room based on signal quality values. A locating tag on a patient bed switches roles to operate as a locating anchor in response to the patient bed becoming stationary. A locating tag has a digital compass which is used to determine a field of good ranging relative to a front of a caregiver wearing the locating tag.

Ultra-wideband locating systems and methods

Systems for voice control of medical devices in a healthcare facility are disclosed herein. The systems employ continuous speech processing software, voice recognition software, natural language processing software, and other software to permit voice control of the medical devices. Systems are also provided for distinguishing which medical device from among multiple medical devices in a patient room is the particular medical device to be controlled by voice input from a caregiver or a patient.

Voice control in a healthcare facility

A graphical user interface (GUI) of a patient bed is used by a caregiver to manually enter location data indicative of a location in a healthcare facility at which the patient bed is located. A first screen for manually entering location data is displayed on the GUI after a threshold period of time elapses subsequent to a power plug of the patient bed being plugged into an alternating current (AC) outlet of the healthcare facility and subsequent to casters of the patient bed being braked. A voice prompt is also given from the patient bed after the threshold period of time elapses to remind the caregiver to manually enter the location data. After manual entry of the location data, circuitry of the patient bed transmits the location data entered by the caregiver and a bed identification (ID) from the bed for receipt by a remote computer for purposes of making a bed-to-room association.

Bed interface for manual location

A locating system includes a tag with body that has a first button and a second button, a driver configured to determine a type of button press of at least one of the first button and the second button, and a control unit in communication with the driver. The control unit is configured to communicate the type of button press determined by the driver. The tag also includes a transmitter in communication with the control unit. At least one receiver is configured to selectively communicate with the transmitter. A controller is in communication with the at least one receiver. The controller is configured to determine a location of the tag within a predefined area based on information from the at least one receiver, correlate the type of button press from the tag with a message, and generate a notification to communicate the message.

Tags for locating system of medical facility

A mobile caregiver application is stored on mobile devices of caregivers for managing alert messages generated by a variety of equipment in a healthcare information system. The mobile caregiver application allows secure voice, text, and, optionally, video communication between caregivers using their mobile devices.

Caregiver and staff information system

A patient fall detection system includes a computer and multiple transceivers mounted at fixed locations in a healthcare facility. The transceivers are electronically coupled to the computer. A patient identification tag is worn by a patient and includes a tag transceiver. The high-accuracy locating system monitors a location of the patient ID tag via signals from the tag transceiver to determine whether a patient has entered a bathroom. The computer monitors at least one of an elevation of the patient ID tag in the bathroom, an elevation drop of the patient ID tag in the bathroom, or a time that the patient ID tag has been in the bathroom to determine whether the patient has fallen.

Bathroom clean monitoring in a healthcare facility

A caregiver badge system includes a caregiver badge configured to be worn by a caregiver and having a cavity defined therein. An identification badge is configured to be positioned within the cavity. The identification badge is removable from the caregiver badge. A transceiver is positioned within the caregiver badge and configured to communicate with a positioning system to identify a location of the caregiver. A battery is positioned within the caregiver badge to power the transceiver.

Caregiver locating tag having advanced functionality

Patient fall monitoring in bathroom in a healthcare facility

Method and apparatus for tunneling operating codes to and from a call server in a packet network. A signaling package for the Megaco/H.248 protocol is provided which encapsulates or 'tunnels' control and signaling codes for an endpoint device so that the codes can be communicated between a call server and the device. Only the call server and the endpoint device need have the intelligence to interpret the operating codes. Where the device is a programmable phone, the call server can be provisioned to understand and control specialized functions of the phone without adding new, telephone specific signaling to the standard Megaco/H.248 protocol for each type of phone to be supported. The media gateway that serves the specific telephone in question simply passes on any operating codes received.

Method and apparatus for tunneling operating codes to and from a call server in a packet network

Growing community of inventors

Apex, NC, United States of America

John S Schroder