Medical information system, fee calculation device, and fee calculation method

Abstract

The present invention suppresses costs associated with system changes. A medical information system according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with: a first medical appliance (101A) that acquires a medical image during a surgery; an edge server (300) that processes the medical image acquired by the first medical appliance; and a second medical appliance (101B) that displays the medical image processed by the edge server. The edge server is provided with: a framework (301) constituted of one or more applications for processing the medical image; and a price calculation unit (303) that calculates a price corresponding to the status of usage of the one or more applications in relation to the medical image.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method. [Background technology]

[0002] Medical information systems that provide computationally intensive image processing on external computer processing devices connected to medical devices such as hospital servers are being developed. In recent years, use cases are being considered in which applications provided by multiple companies are operated on a single system, rather than one company building the entire medical information system. In such use cases, rather than providing functions to users in the form of built-in hardware as in the past, it is possible to flexibly combine the functions required by users and provide them on a server in the form of applications. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6466060 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the medical field, it is desirable to build flexible systems that meet the various needs of users. However, conventionally, systems built to meet the needs of users were provided in the form of an outright purchase by the user. In such cases, once a system is introduced, it is difficult to flexibly change the system in response to subsequent business expansion, changes in operations, or the evolution of medical technology, resulting in the problem of incurring large costs.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method that can reduce the costs associated with system changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A medical information system according to an embodiment includes an edge server connected to medical equipment that acquires medical images during surgery, and the edge server includes a framework made up of one or more applications that process the medical images, and a fee calculation unit that calculates a fee based on the usage of the one or more applications for the medical images. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an overview of a provision model according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an edge server according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a surgical procedure table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a fee table according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an edge server according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a fee calculation operation according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a fee calculation operation according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a fee calculation operation according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a fee calculation operation according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a fee calculation operation according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 11] 23 is a flowchart showing an example of a fee calculation operation according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that realizes functions according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0009] The explanation will be given in the following order. 1. Introduction 2. First embodiment 2.1 Overview of delivery model 2.2 Edge Server System Configuration 2.2.1 Edge Server Variations 2.3 Example of fee calculation operation 3. Second embodiment 3.1 Example of fee calculation operation 4. Third embodiment 4.1 Example of fee calculation operation 5. Fourth embodiment 5.1 Example of fee calculation operation 6. Fifth embodiment 6.1 Example of fee calculation operation 7. Sixth embodiment 7.1 Example of fee calculation operation 8. Other embodiments 9. Summary 10.Hardware Configuration

[0010] 1. Introduction As mentioned above, in recent years, medical information systems that operate applications provided by multiple companies on a single system have been considered. By constructing such a system, it becomes possible to flexibly change a system once it has been introduced, so users can easily change the system in response to subsequent business expansion, changes in operations, and advances in medical technology.

[0011] In medical information systems that operate applications provided by multiple companies on a single system, there is a demand for fee-based applications rather than one-time purchase applications in order to introduce various applications to meet user needs.

[0012] In the following embodiments, a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method are proposed that can provide applications with a usage fee according to the user's usage. This makes it possible to propose a medical information system that can be flexibly modified after introduction and that can reduce the costs associated with system modifications. In addition, it becomes possible to pay the application provider a fee calculated from the billing amount according to the application's usage.

[0013] 2. First embodiment First, a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method according to a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] 2.1 Overview of delivery model Fig. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an overview of a provision model according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the provision model according to this embodiment includes a hospital 10, an application provider 20, and an edge server provider 30. In the provision model shown in Fig. 1, the edge server provider 30 receives an application provided by the application provider 20, and constructs an edge server, which is a system equipped with the application. The constructed edge server is then delivered to the hospital 10, which is the user.

[0015] (Hospital 10) The hospital 10 is a user of the medical information system provided by the edge server provider 30, and uses the medical information system provided by the edge server provider 30 to perform image processing, analysis, and other processing on various information (hereinafter referred to as medical information), such as medical images (which may be videos) acquired by medical equipment such as X-ray diagnostic equipment, X-ray CT equipment, MRI equipment, nuclear medicine diagnostic equipment, and ultrasound diagnostic equipment, fluorescent signals and sample data acquired by fluorescent diagnostic equipment such as flow cytometers and fluorescent microscopes, and electronic medical records created based on patient diagnoses.

[0016] (Application Provider 20) The application provider 20 is, for example, an application developer and provider, and creates various applications for processing, analyzing, and interpreting medical information, and provides the created applications to the edge server provider 30 in response to a request from the edge server provider 30 (or hospital 10).

[0017] (30 edge server providers) The edge server provider 30 constructs an edge server according to the scale and purpose of introduction of the hospital 10, and delivers the constructed edge server to the hospital 10. The edge server constructed by the edge server provider 30 may have a functional configuration of a general information processing device as long as it is capable of executing the application provided by the application provider 20. The edge server may be a single server or a server group consisting of multiple servers. In this case, some or all of the edge servers may be cloud servers. When some or all of the edge servers are cloud servers, the edge server provider 30 provides the hospital 10 with access information and the like for accessing the cloud server.

[0018] Furthermore, the edge server provider 30 may provide the hospital 10 with edge servers in various ways, such as for each hospital, for each site or ward of the hospital, for each floor of a ward, or for each medical department of the hospital.

[0019] 2.2 Edge Server System Configuration Next, an example of an edge server provided by the edge server provider 30 to the hospital 10 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an edge server according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the edge server 300 includes, for example, a framework 301, a medical image analysis unit 302, a fee calculation unit 303, a surgical procedure table 304, an in-hospital system reference unit 305, and a fee table 306. Of the edge server 300, for example, the medical image analysis unit 302, the fee calculation unit 303, the surgical procedure table 304, the in-hospital system reference unit 305, and the fee table 306 constitute a fee calculation device (or system) that calculates the usage fee according to the usage status of the applications 201a, 201b, ... under the management of the framework 301.

[0020] (Framework 301) The framework 301 is a framework that configures services to be provided to the hospital 10, and is used by an operator accessing it from a user terminal 102 in the hospital 10. The framework 301 is configured, for example, from one or more applications 201a, 101b, ... provided by an application provider 20. Hereinafter, when the one or more applications 201a, 101b, ... are not individually distinguished, they will be referred to as 201. Medical information such as medical images acquired by medical equipment 101 in the hospital 10 is input to each application 201 in the framework 301.

[0021] The applications 201 constituting the framework 301 can be added or replaced at any time. That is, even after the edge server 300 is constructed, the applications 201 constituting the framework 301 can be changed, for example, by a procedure similar to the procedure for installing or uninstalling a general application. This allows the hospital 10, which is the user, to freely change the framework 301 even after the medical information system is introduced, thereby making it possible to suppress the cost associated with changing the system.

[0022] Here, the framework 301 that controls the multiple applications 201 generates information (hereinafter referred to as application usage information) for calculating the usage fee for each application 201 from the usage status of the application 201 by the hospital 10, which is the user, and transmits the generated application usage information to the fee calculation unit 303. In addition, the framework 301 transmits, for example, images or videos (hereinafter referred to as surgical images) input from the medical device 101A during surgery to the medical image analysis unit 302.

[0023] (Medical Image Analysis Department 302) The medical image analysis unit 302 analyzes the surgical images input from the framework 301 to generate information (hereinafter referred to as surgical information) for calculating the usage fee for each application 201, and transmits the generated surgical information to the fee calculation unit 303.

[0024] (Fee calculation unit 303) The fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee for each application 201 based on the application usage information and / or surgery information input from the framework 301 and / or the medical image analysis unit 302. For example, the fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee for each application 201 by referring to the fee table 306 based on the application usage information. At that time, the fee calculation unit 303 may refer to the surgical procedure table 304 based on the surgery information input from the medical image analysis unit 302, and calculate or correct the usage fee for the application 201 based on the identified surgical procedure. In addition, the fee calculation unit 303 may obtain information on the subject of billing (for example, information on the medical department in charge of the patient's diagnosis, surgery, etc., and information on whether or not the medical fee points have been counted) from the in-hospital system 103 installed in the hospital 10, and calculate or correct the usage fee for the application based on the obtained information (hereinafter referred to as medical information).

[0025] (Surgery Table 304) The surgical procedure table 304 holds the usage fee for each surgical procedure of the surgery. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the surgical procedure table 304 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the surgical procedure table 304 is associated with a usage fee for each surgical procedure. Note that in this example, a usage fee is set for each surgical procedure, but this usage fee may be the usage fee for the application 201 that is expected to be used for each surgical procedure or is registered to be used. Alternatively, the usage fee registered in the surgical procedure table 304 may be a basic fee, to which the usage fee for the application 201 that was actually used may be added.

[0026] Furthermore, the identification of the surgical procedure may be performed in the medical image analysis unit 302 or in the fee calculation unit 303. When the identification is performed in the medical image analysis unit 302, the surgery information includes information for identifying the surgical procedure.

[0027] (Hospital System Reference Section 305) The in-hospital system reference unit 305 is communicatively connected to the in-hospital system 103 via a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, a mobile communication network (including LTE (Long Term Evolution), a fifth generation mobile communication system, etc.), and acquires medical information from the in-hospital system 103.

[0028] (Price Table 306) The fee table 306 holds the usage fee for each application 201. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the fee table 306 according to this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 4, usage fees according to the number of times each application 201 is used are registered. However, the fee table 306 shown in Fig. 4 is merely an example, and may be modified in various ways, as described later.

[0029] As described above, the edge server 300 inputs medical information such as medical images (or videos) from the medical device 101A in the hospital 10, performs a predetermined process on the input medical information using the application 201 provided by the application provider 20, and transmits the processing result obtained to the medical device 101B in the hospital 10. Note that the medical device 101B may be the same medical device as the medical device 101A, or may be a different medical device. Also, the medical device 101B is not limited to a medical device, and may be various devices such as a simple display device or an information processing device such as a personal computer.

[0030] For example, if the medical device 101A is a CCU (Camera Control Unit) of an endoscopic system, the edge server 300 performs image processing on the endoscopic image (medical information) received from the CCU (medical device 101A) using application 201, and transmits the result to the monitor (medical device 101B).

[0031] 2.2.1 Edge Server Variations 2 illustrates an example in which a medical information system is constructed in a single edge server 300, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, as in a modified example illustrated in FIG. 5, some (or all) of the functions of the edge server 300 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be arranged in a cloud server on a network or an in-hospital server in the hospital 10 (hereinafter, referred to as a cloud server / in-hospital server 320). In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, a medical image analysis unit 302, a fee calculation unit 303, a surgical procedure table 304, an in-hospital system reference unit 305, and a fee table 306 are arranged in the cloud server / in-hospital server 320, and a usage fee calculation information transmission unit 311 is added to the edge server 300.

[0032] The usage fee calculation information transmission unit 311 transmits the application usage information and surgical images input from the framework 301 and the medical information input from the in-hospital system reference unit 305 to the fee calculation unit 303 of the cloud server / hospital server 320.

[0033] 2.3 Example of fee calculation operation Next, an example of the fee calculation operation according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the fee calculation operation according to this embodiment. Note that in the following description, an example of calculating the fee incurred when using the medical information system during surgery will be shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to calculate the fee incurred when using the medical information system for images or videos recorded during surgery, or sample data acquired during analysis or interpretation of tissue samples.

[0034] 6, during surgery in the hospital 10, in this operation, first, the framework 301 of the edge server 300 specifies identification information (hereinafter, referred to as application ID) for identifying the application 201 used during the surgery (step S101). The specified application ID is transmitted from the framework 301 to the fee calculation unit 303.

[0035] Next, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 acquires identification information (hereinafter referred to as a surgery ID) for identifying a surgery using the application 201 corresponding to the identified application ID by referring to the in-hospital system 103 (step S102). Note that the in-hospital system 103 manages an application ID for identifying the application 201 used for each surgery.

[0036] Then, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 links the acquired surgery ID and application ID and transmits them to the fee calculation unit 303 (step S103).

[0037] The fee calculation unit 303 records the received surgery ID and application ID in a specified recording device in a linked state (step S104).

[0038] Thereafter, the fee calculation unit 303 periodically refers to the recorded surgery ID and application ID to identify the number of surgeries using each application 201 (step S105). Note that periodically may be, for example, monthly, weekly, or daily.

[0039] Then, the fee calculation unit 303 refers to the fee table 306 to calculate the usage fee according to the number of times each application 201 is used during the regular period (step S106).

[0040] After that, the edge server 300 judges whether or not to end this operation (step S107), and if it is to be ended (YES in step S107), this operation is ended. On the other hand, if it is not to be ended (NO in step S107), this operation returns to step S101.

[0041] In this example, the case where the usage fee is calculated periodically is illustrated, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the hospital 10 wants to refer to the current usage fee, the usage fee may be calculated in response to a request from the hospital 10.

[0042] 3. Second embodiment Next, a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method according to a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where a fee is calculated according to the operation time (for example, surgery time, analysis time, etc.) shortened by using the medical information system will be described.

[0043] The provision model and medical information system in this embodiment may be similar to the provision model and medical information system described using Figures 1 to 5 or Figure 6 in the first embodiment described above, so detailed description will be omitted here.

[0044] 3.1 Example of fee calculation operation 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the fee calculation operation according to this embodiment. In the following description, as in the first embodiment, a case in which a fee incurred when using a medical information system during surgery is calculated is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to calculate a fee incurred when using the medical information system for images or videos recorded during surgery or sample data acquired during analysis or interpretation of tissue samples.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, during surgery at the hospital 10, in this operation, similar to steps S101 to S102 in FIG. 6, the framework 301 identifies the application ID of the application 201 used during the surgery (step S201), and the in-hospital system reference unit 305 refers to the in-hospital system 103 to obtain the surgery ID of the surgery that used the application 201 corresponding to the identified application ID (step S202).

[0046] After that, when the surgery is completed, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 refers to the in-hospital system 103 to obtain the surgery time required for this surgery and the surgery time required for the same surgical procedure as this surgery without using the application 201 identified in step S101 (hereinafter referred to as the standard surgery time) (step S203). Note that the in-hospital system 103 is assumed to record the standard surgery time that serves as a guideline for the surgery time for each surgical procedure when the medical information system is not used. This standard surgery time may be, for example, the average value of multiple surgeries using the same surgical procedure.

[0047] Then, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 transmits the acquired operation time and standard operation time to the fee calculation unit 303 (step S204).

[0048] When the fee calculation unit 303 receives the surgery time and the standard surgery time, it subtracts the surgery time from the standard surgery time to calculate the difference between the two, i.e., the surgery time shortened (reduced time) by using the application 201 provided by the medical information system (step S205).

[0049] Thereafter, the fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee for this surgery by, for example, multiplying a preset fee per unit time saved (unit fee) by the saved time calculated in step S205 (step S206). The calculated usage fee may be recorded together with the date and time in the edge server 300, and may be periodically tallied and billed to the hospital 10.

[0050] After that, the edge server 300 determines whether or not to end this operation (step S207) in the same manner as in step S107 in Fig. 6, and ends this operation if it is to be ended (YES in step S207). On the other hand, if it is not to be ended (NO in step S207), this operation returns to step S201.

[0051] It is also possible that the standard operation time may change depending on the surgeon and medical staff (including the number of people) in charge of the operation, the type and number of medical devices used in the operation, etc. In that case, the in-hospital system 103 may manage the standard operation time for each surgeon and medical staff (including the number of people) in charge of the operation, the type and number of medical devices used in the operation, etc.

[0052] 4. Third embodiment Next, a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method according to a third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where a fee is calculated for each surgical procedure will be described.

[0053] The provision model and medical information system in this embodiment may be similar to the provision model and medical information system described using Figures 1 to 5 or Figure 6 in the first embodiment described above, so detailed description will be omitted here.

[0054] 4.1 Example of fee calculation operation 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the fee calculation operation according to this embodiment. In the following description, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case where a fee incurred when using a medical information system during surgery is calculated is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to calculate a fee incurred when using the medical information system for images or videos recorded during surgery or sample data acquired during analysis or interpretation of tissue samples.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 8, during surgery in the hospital 10, in this operation, similar to step S101 in FIG. 6, the framework 301 identifies the application ID of the application 201 used during the surgery (step S301).

[0056] Next, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 refers to the in-hospital system 103 to identify the surgical procedure that uses the application 201 that corresponds to the identified application ID (step S302).

[0057] Then, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 notifies the fee calculation unit 303 of the identified operative procedure (step S303).

[0058] The fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee for the application 201 by referring to the surgical procedure table 304 based on the notified surgical procedure (step S304). The calculated usage fee may be recorded together with the date and time in the edge server 300, and may be periodically tallied and billed to the hospital 10.

[0059] After that, the edge server 300 determines whether or not to end this operation (step S305), similarly to step S107 in Fig. 6, and ends this operation if it is to be ended (YES in step S305). On the other hand, if it is not to be ended (NO in step S305), this operation returns to step S301.

[0060] 5. Fourth embodiment Next, a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method according to a fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case in which a fee is calculated for each calculation cost of each application 201 will be described.

[0061] The provision model and medical information system in this embodiment may be similar to the provision model and medical information system described using Figures 1 to 5 or Figure 6 in the first embodiment described above, so detailed description will be omitted here.

[0062] 5.1 Example of fee calculation operation 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the fee calculation operation according to this embodiment. In the following description, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case where a fee incurred when using a medical information system during surgery is calculated is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to calculate a fee incurred when using the medical information system for images or videos recorded during surgery or sample data acquired during analysis or interpretation of tissue samples.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 9, during surgery in the hospital 10, in this operation, similar to step S101 in FIG. 6, the framework 301 identifies the application ID of the application 201 used during the surgery (step S401).

[0064] Next, the framework 301 calculates the calculation cost used by each application 201 for each application ID identified in step S401 (step S402). The calculation cost may be calculated based on, for example, CPU resources, memory resources, processing time, etc., allocated to each application 201.

[0065] Then, the framework 301 transmits information relating to the calculated calculation cost (hereinafter, referred to as calculation cost information) to the fee calculation unit 303 (step S403).

[0066] The fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee for each application 201 based on the received calculation cost information (step S404). For example, the fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee for each application 201 by multiplying a preset fee per calculation cost (unit fee) by the calculation cost. The calculated usage fee may be recorded in the edge server 300 together with the date and time, and may be periodically tallied and billed to the hospital 10.

[0067] After that, the edge server 300 determines whether or not to end this operation (step S405), similarly to step S107 in Fig. 6, and ends this operation if it is to be ended (YES in step S405). On the other hand, if it is not to be ended (NO in step S405), this operation returns to step S401.

[0068] 6. Fifth embodiment Next, a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method according to a fifth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where a usage fee is calculated based on the actual usage time (hereinafter, also referred to as execution time) of each application 201 will be described.

[0069] The provision model and medical information system in this embodiment may be similar to the provision model and medical information system described using Figures 1 to 5 or Figure 6 in the first embodiment described above, so detailed description will be omitted here.

[0070] 6.1 Example of fee calculation operation 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the fee calculation operation according to this embodiment. In the following description, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case where a fee incurred when using a medical information system during surgery is calculated is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to calculate a fee incurred when using the medical information system for images or videos recorded during surgery or sample data acquired during analysis or interpretation of tissue samples.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 10, during surgery in the hospital 10, in this operation, similar to step S101 in FIG. 6, the framework 301 identifies the application ID of the application 201 used during the surgery (step S501).

[0072] Next, the framework 301 transmits the medical image (for example, a surgical video of a surgical operation) input from the medical device 101A to the medical image analysis unit 302 (step S502).

[0073] In response to this, the medical image analysis unit 302 analyzes the medical image to identify a scene that is in line with the intended use of the application 201 during surgery (step S503). Note that a scene that is in line with the intended use of the application 201 may be a scene in which the use of the application 201 is planned or predicted, such as a treatment scene in which hemostasis or cutting is performed on a blood vessel, in the case of the application 201 that executes image processing to clearly display a blood vessel area in a medical image.

[0074] Then, the medical image analysis unit 302 measures the execution time during which the application 201 that is in line with the purpose of use in the identified scene is used, and transmits the measured execution time to the fee calculation unit 303 (step S504).

[0075] The fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee of the application 201 according to the execution time in the scene by, for example, referring to the fee table 306 (505). The calculated usage fee may be recorded together with the date and time in the edge server 300, and may be periodically tallied and billed to the hospital 10.

[0076] After that, the edge server 300 determines whether or not to end this operation (step S506), similarly to step S107 in Fig. 6, and ends this operation if it is to be ended (YES in step S506). On the other hand, if it is not to be ended (NO in step S506), this operation returns to step S501.

[0077] 7. Sixth embodiment Next, a medical information system, a fee calculation device, and a fee calculation method according to a sixth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case in which the usage fee of each application 201 is calculated for each medical department will be described.

[0078] The provision model and medical information system in this embodiment may be similar to the provision model and medical information system described using Figures 1 to 5 or Figure 6 in the first embodiment described above, so detailed description will be omitted here.

[0079] 7.1 Example of fee calculation operation 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the fee calculation operation according to this embodiment. In the following description, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case where a fee incurred when using a medical information system during surgery is calculated is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to calculate a fee incurred when using the medical information system for images or videos recorded during surgery or sample data acquired during analysis or interpretation of tissue samples.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 11, during surgery in the hospital 10, in this operation, similar to step S101 in FIG. 6, the framework 301 identifies the application ID of the application 201 used during the surgery (step S601).

[0081] Next, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 refers to the in-hospital system 103 to acquire a department ID for identifying the department in charge of the surgery (step S602).

[0082] Then, the in-hospital system reference unit 305 transmits the identified medical department ID to the fee calculation unit 303 (step S603).

[0083] The fee calculation unit 303 calculates the usage fee of each application 201 for each medical department (604) by, for example, referring to the fee table 306. The calculated usage fee may be recorded together with the date and time in the edge server 300, and may be periodically tallied and billed to the hospital 10.

[0084] After that, the edge server 300 determines whether or not to end this operation (step S605), similarly to step S107 in Fig. 6, and ends this operation if it is to be ended (YES in step S605). On the other hand, if it is not to be ended (NO in step S605), this operation returns to step S501.

[0085] 8. Other embodiments The fee calculation operations according to the above-described embodiments may be appropriately combined. For example, the fee calculation operation according to the fifth embodiment may be combined with the fee calculation operation according to the third embodiment to calculate the usage fee of the application 201 according to the execution time in a scene according to the surgical procedure. Also, for example, the fee calculation operation according to the second embodiment may be combined with the fee calculation operation according to the fourth embodiment to calculate the usage fee according to the shortened time of the surgery and the calculation cost of each application 201. Furthermore, for example, the fee calculation operation according to the first embodiment may be combined with the fee calculation operation according to the third embodiment to calculate the usage fee according to the number of times each application 201 is used for each surgical procedure.

[0086] In the above-described embodiment, the fee calculation unit may calculate the usage based on the usage status of the application installed in the converter connected to the medical device in addition to the application installed in the edge server 300. The converter is, for example, an IP converter that converts a signal output from the medical device into an IP (Internet Protocol) signal. The signal converted by the input side converter connected to the medical device is transmitted to the edge server 300 or the output side converter via a switcher and output to the medical device (for example, a display device) connected to the output side converter. At this time, the input signal from the medical device can be processed by an application pre-installed in the input side converter or the output side converter. The fee calculation unit determines the usage status of either or both of the application of the edge server and the application of the converter, and calculates the usage fee. This enables distributed processing in which processing that requires real-time performance is performed by the application of the converter, and processing with a large amount of calculation is performed by the edge server.

[0087] 9. Summary As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to calculate the usage fee for application 201 according to the number of surgeries in which application 201 is used, the surgery time (reduction in surgery time), whether or not it is covered by medical insurance, the calculation cost of use, the medical department used, etc.

[0088] According to the above-described embodiment, the calculation of the usage fee can be performed on the edge server 300, or on an in-hospital server or a cloud server outside the edge server. When the calculation is performed outside the edge server 300, information required for the calculation of the usage fee is transmitted from the edge server 300 to the fee calculation unit 303.

[0089] By providing the above-described configuration, according to the embodiment described above, it is possible to flexibly change the application 201 even after the system is introduced, thereby making it possible to reduce the costs associated with system changes.

[0090] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to calculate an appropriate usage fee based on the usage status of the application 201 in the surgical scene. This allows the user to flexibly select the necessary application 201 from the many options provided by the application provider 20.

[0091] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, there is no need to frequently stop application 201 during surgery in order to reduce usage fees, so it is possible to calculate an appropriate usage fee while reducing disruption to the progress of the surgery.

[0092] 10.Hardware Configuration The edge server 300 and / or the cloud server / in-hospital server 320 according to the above-described embodiment, its modified examples, and application examples can be realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 12, for example. Fig. 12 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the computer 1000 that realizes the functions of the edge server 300 and / or the cloud server / in-hospital server 320. The computer 1000 has a CPU 1100, a RAM 1200, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1300, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1400, a communication interface 1500, and an input / output interface 1600. The components of the computer 1000 are connected by a bus 1050.

[0093] The CPU 1100 operates and controls each unit based on programs stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400. For example, the CPU 1100 loads the programs stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400 into the RAM 1200 and executes processes corresponding to the various programs.

[0094] The ROM 1300 stores boot programs such as a basic input output system (BIOS) executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 is started up, and programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1000 .

[0095] The HDD 1400 is a computer-readable recording medium that non-temporarily records programs executed by the CPU 1100 and data used by the programs. Specifically, the HDD 1400 is a recording medium that records a projection control program according to the present disclosure, which is an example of program data 1450.

[0096] The communication interface 1500 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to an external network 1550 (e.g., the Internet). For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from other devices and transmits data generated by the CPU 1100 to other devices via the communication interface 1500.

[0097] The input / output interface 1600 includes the I / F unit 18 described above, and is an interface for connecting the input / output device 1650 and the computer 1000. For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse via the input / output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 also transmits data to an output device such as a display, a speaker, or a printer via the input / output interface 1600. The input / output interface 1600 may also function as a media interface for reading a program or the like recorded on a predetermined recording medium. The medium may be, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0098] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the edge server 300 and / or the cloud server / hospital server 320 according to the above-described embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 executes a program loaded on the RAM 1200 to realize functions of the framework 301, the medical image analysis unit 302, the fee calculation unit 303, the hospital system reference unit 305, the usage fee calculation information transmission unit 311, and the like. The HDD 1400 stores programs and the like according to the present disclosure. The CPU 1100 reads and executes the program data 1450 from the HDD 1400, but as another example, the CPU 1100 may obtain these programs from other devices via the external network 1550.

[0099] Although the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can conceive of various modified or amended examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0100] In addition, the effects described in this specification are merely descriptive or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure may achieve other effects that are apparent to a person skilled in the art from the description of this specification, in addition to or in place of the above effects.

[0101] Note that the following configurations also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. (1) Edge servers connected to medical devices that capture medical images during surgery Equipped with The edge server includes: a framework comprising one or more applications for processing said medical images; a fee calculation unit that calculates a fee according to a usage status of the one or more applications for the medical image; Equipped Medical information systems. (2) a fee table for managing a fee for each of the one or more applications for each number of uses; The fee calculation unit calculates the fee by referring to the fee table based on the number of times each of the one or more applications is used in the surgery. The medical information system according to (1) above. (3) The hospital server reference unit further includes an in-hospital server reference unit that acquires information about the surgery from an in-hospital server installed in the hospital. The fee calculation unit calculates the fee based on the difference between a standard surgery time for a procedure identical to the surgery included in the information on the surgery acquired by the hospital server reference unit and the surgery time of the surgery. The medical information system according to (1) or (2). (4) The framework transmits information regarding a computational cost of each of the one or more applications on the medical image to the fee calculation unit; The fee calculation unit calculates the fee based on the computation cost of each of the one or more applications. The medical information system according to any one of (1) to (3) above. (5) A medical image analysis unit is further provided to identify a scene from the medical image according to a purpose of use of each of the one or more applications during the surgery, The fee calculation unit calculates the fee based on execution times of the one or more applications in the scene. The medical information system according to any one of (1) to (4) above. (6) The hospital server reference unit further includes an in-hospital server reference unit that acquires information about the surgery from an in-hospital server installed in the hospital. The fee calculation unit calculates the fee for the medical department in charge of the surgery included in the information on the surgery acquired by the in-hospital server reference unit. The medical information system according to any one of (1) to (5) above. (7) The medical information system according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the fee calculation unit periodically calculates the fee. (8) The medical information system according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the fee calculation unit adds a fee according to the usage of an application installed in a converter connected to the medical device for the medical images. (9) a framework comprising one or more applications for processing medical images acquired during surgery; a fee calculation unit that calculates a fee according to a usage status of the one or more applications for the medical image; A fee calculation device comprising: (10) A method for calculating usage-based fees for one or more applications that process medical images acquired during surgery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 10. Hospital 20 Application Providers 30 Edge Server Providers 101A, 101B Medical Equipment 103 In-hospital system 201a, 201b, … Applications 300 Edge Servers 301 Framework 302 Medical Image Analysis Department 303 Fee Calculation Department 304 Surgical Table 305 In-Hospital System Reference Department 306 Price Table 311 Fee calculation information transmission unit 320 Cloud Server / Hospital Server

Claims

1. Edge servers connected to medical devices that capture medical images during surgery Equipped with The edge server includes: a framework comprising one or more applications for processing said medical images; an in-hospital server reference unit that acquires information about the surgery from an in-hospital server installed in the hospital; a fee calculation unit that calculates a fee according to the usage status of the one or more applications for the medical image based on a difference between a standard surgery time for the same surgical procedure as the surgery included in the information about the surgery acquired by the hospital server reference unit and the surgery time of the surgery; Equipped Medical information systems.

2. An edge server connected to a medical device that acquires medical images during surgery Equipped with The edge server includes: an in-hospital server reference unit that acquires information about the surgery from an in-hospital server installed in the hospital; a fee calculation unit that calculates a fee according to the usage status of the one or more applications constituting a framework made up of one or more applications that process the medical images, based on the difference between a standard surgery time for the same surgical procedure as the surgery included in the information about the surgery acquired by the in-hospital server reference unit and the surgery time of the surgery; Equipped Medical information systems.

3. a fee table for managing a fee for each of the one or more applications for each number of uses; The fee calculation unit calculates the fee by referring to the fee table based on the number of times each of the one or more applications is used in the surgery. The medical information system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The hospital server reference unit further includes an in-hospital server reference unit that acquires information about the surgery from an in-hospital server installed in the hospital. The fee calculation unit calculates the fee for the medical department in charge of the surgery included in the information on the surgery acquired by the in-hospital server reference unit. The medical information system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. 5. The medical information system according to claim 1, wherein the fee calculation unit calculates the fee periodically.

6. a framework consisting of one or more applications for processing medical images acquired during surgery; an in-hospital server reference unit that acquires information about the surgery from an in-hospital server installed in the hospital; a fee calculation unit that calculates a fee according to the usage status of the one or more applications for the medical image based on a difference between a standard surgery time for the same surgical procedure as the surgery included in the information about the surgery acquired by the hospital server reference unit and the surgery time of the surgery; A fee calculation device comprising:

7. An in-hospital server reference unit that acquires information about surgery from an in-hospital server installed in a hospital; a fee calculation unit that calculates a fee according to the usage status of the one or more applications constituting a framework made up of one or more applications that process medical images acquired during the surgery, based on the difference between a standard surgery time for the same surgical procedure as the surgery included in the information about the surgery acquired by the in-hospital server reference unit and the surgery time of the surgery; A fee calculation device comprising:

8. A fee calculation method implemented by a computer, comprising: An in-hospital server reference step of acquiring information about the surgery from an in-hospital server installed in the hospital; a fee calculation step of calculating a fee according to the usage status of the medical images for one or more applications constituting a framework made up of one or more applications that process medical images acquired during the surgery, based on the difference between a standard surgery time for the same surgical procedure as the surgery included in the information about the surgery acquired in the hospital server reference step and the surgery time for the surgery; A fee calculation method having the above.

9. The computer is an edge server connected to a medical device that acquires the medical images during the surgery. The fee calculation method according to claim 8.

Images