Beacon-Based Medical Resource Tracking for Cost Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The healthcare industry faces challenges in managing medical resources effectively due to rising costs and inefficiencies in predicting resource allocation and revenue forecasting, as traditional actuarial methods are not accurate and do not account for real-time data in hospital settings.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing beacons and gateways to track personnel, patients, and equipment in a medical environment, generating time-based expenditure analysis by determining the duration of their presence in specific locations, allowing for predictive modeling and resource management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional actuarial methods are used for cost prediction, then the system is simple to operate, but the prediction accuracy is insufficient and does not account for real-time data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional actuarial methods with a beacon-based tracking system that uses wireless signals to automatically monitor and record the location and time of medical resources, personnel, and equipment. This substitution enables real-time data collection and automated predictive modeling, significantly improving cost prediction accuracy while maintaining manageable system complexity through standardized beacon deployment and automated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces beacons as intermediary devices that mediate between physical medical resources and the digital tracking system. These beacons automatically transmit location and time data to the server, enabling accurate real-time monitoring without requiring complex manual data collection systems, thus improving measurement precision while keeping the overall system relatively simple.
2Loss of information
If beacon tracking system is implemented, then real-time data collection capability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements beacons as universal tracking devices that can monitor multiple types of objects (personnel, equipment, supplies) simultaneously using the same hardware and protocol. This multi-functionality reduces the need for different specialized tracking systems for each resource type, thereby improving real-time data availability while preventing excessive system complexity through standardized universal tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the tracking functions of multiple resources into a unified system where all beacons communicate with a single server that processes all location and time data centrally. This consolidation approach enables comprehensive real-time data collection across the entire medical facility while maintaining manageable system complexity through centralized processing rather than distributed complex architectures.
3Measurement precision
If time-based expenditure analysis is performed, then resource allocation prediction accuracy is improved, but the processing time and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary data organization and categorization as beacon location and time data is collected, structuring information in advance according to resource types, locations, and time periods. This preliminary organization enables faster and more accurate resource utilization prediction when analysis is needed, improving measurement precision while reducing actual processing time by avoiding unstructured data handling during the prediction phase.
Data Source
AI summary
A gateway, a server, and a method are provided. The method includes receiving at least one message from a corresponding number of gateways, wherein each received message includes a first identification parameter associated with each gateway, and a second identification parameter associated with a beacon. The method also includes identifying a location the beacon is located, wherein the location is one location within an environment. The method further includes deriving a time duration that the beacon is located in the location. The method additionally includes determining a cost based on the time duration that the beacon is located in each location, wherein each location has a cost value associated with it.