Physician-centric health care delivery platform

• US 10,303,851 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HANA Patent Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Md24 Patent Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Nguyen, Linh C., Nguyen, An-Dien, Le, Khiem Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Paulson, Sheetal R
• Application Number:
  US14/212,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20140276552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2037/0023 Drug applicators using microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2037/003 having a lumen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2037/0046 Solid microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0244 Micromachined materials, e.g. made from silicon wafers, microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] or comprising nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3303 Using a biosensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/005 Parameter used as control input for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0015 by using microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14248 of the skin patch type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A system for diagnosing and/or treating a patient comprising a patient information database for storing and retrieving patient health data related to the patient. The data includes one or more of real-time patient health information, at least one clinical practice guideline, at least one patient questionnaire and a patient medical history. At least one server is operative to access the patient information database. A computing device remotely located from the server, including a microprocessor, configured to store a computer application and is configured for communication with the server for retrieving of the patient health data. The computer application generates at least one of a patient diagnosis or a patient treatment recommendation using the retrieved patient health data.

Claims

1. A system for diagnosing and treating a patient, the system comprising:

a patient information database for storing and retrieving patient health data related to the patient, the patient health data including real-time patient health information;

at least one server operative to access said patient information database;

a computing device remotely located from the server, the computing device configured to execute a physician-centric clinical support system application (“

diagnostic computer application”

), wherein the computing device is configured for communication with the server for retrieving the patient health data;

at least one remote telehealth/telemedicine device accessible to the patient configured for monitoring and generating the real-time patient health information and communicating the real-time patient health information generated to the server for storage within the patient information database, the real-time patient health information including blood pressure and pulse oxygenation before, during and after treatment;

the diagnostic computer application configured to generate a patient treatment recommendation using the retrieved patient health data including the real-time patient health information, the diagnostic computer application configured to process the patient health data for at least one clinical practice guideline for congestive heart failure to generate the patient treatment recommendation to remotely manage the congestive heart failure of the patient; and

a drug delivery device remotely operative by a medical professional for real-time access to the patient health data including the real-time patient health information responsive to the patient treatment recommendation to dispense fluids in accordance with the patient treatment recommendation into the patient from the drug delivery device;

the drug delivery device comprising;

an array of microneedles each configured with an out-of-plane configuration to penetrate skin of the patient for the delivery device worn in direct contact with the skin of the patient, the array of microneedles including micro-linear actuators configured for transdermal injections to less than one millimeter;

a microfluidic chip having an array of microtubules with corresponding microfluidic channels respectively coupled to the array of microneedles for delivery of fluids from reservoirs of the drug delivery device to the array of microneedles for an array of different fluidic drugs for the fluids for the patient;

a micro pump coupled to pump a selected fluid of the fluids from a reservoir of the reservoirs through a microfluidic channel of the microfluidic channels to a microneedle of the array of microneedles for the patient;

a microcontroller in electrical communication with the micro pump to control operation of the micro pump to dispense the fluid in accordance with the patient treatment recommendation into the patient from the reservoir; and

a heart rate sensor coupled to the microcontroller.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the communication is over a network;

the at least one clinical practice guideline for the congestive heart failure includes a hypervolemia guideline to manage volume overload for managing the congestive heart failure of the patient via remote operation of the drug delivery device by the medical professional; and

the patient health data further includes one or more of at least one patient questionnaire and a patient medical history.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the network is the Internet.

4. A system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the communication is wireless.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computing device is selected from a list comprising a personal desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computing device and a smart device.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computing device further stores a scheduling computer application wherein execution of the scheduling computer application initiates a videoconference with the medical professional.

7. A method for diagnosing and treating a patient, the method comprising:

providing a patient information database for retrieving and storing patient health data related to the patient;

providing at least one server operative to access the patient information database;

providing at least one computing device remotely located from the server, the computing device configured to execute a physician-centric clinical support system application (“

diagnostic computer application”

), wherein the computing device is configured for communication with the server;

providing the patient with a remote telehealth/telemedicine device to monitor, generate and communicate real-time patient health information, the real-time patient health information including blood pressure and pulse oxygenation before, during, and after treatment and a heart rate sensor for monitoring the patient;

communicating the real-time patient health information to the patient information database for storage therein;

generating a patient treatment recommendation by executing the diagnostic computer application with the computing device based upon the real-time patient health information for at least one clinical practice guideline for congestive heart failure for remote management of the congestive heart failure of the patient; and

remotely controlling a dispensing of fluid in accordance with the patient treatment recommendation into the patient from a drug delivery device operative by a medical professional with real-time access to the patient health data including the real-time patient health information responsive to the patient treatment recommendation, the dispensing of the fluid comprising;

having the drug delivery device attached for direct contact with skin of the patient;

actuating a microneedle of the drug delivery device to penetrate skin of the patient for the drug delivery device worn in direct contact with the skin of the patient, the actuating including selecting a microneedle of an array of microneedles each configured with an out-of-plane configuration to penetrate skin of the patient for the delivery device worn in direct contact with the skin of the patient, the array of microneedles including micro-linear actuators configured for transdermal injections to less than one millimeter;

pumping the fluid through a microfluidic channel coupled to the microneedle for delivery of the fluid from a reservoir to the microneedle for the patient; and

the pumping including operating a micro pump under control of a microcontroller in electrical communication with the micro pump, the micro pump coupled to pump the fluid selected from fluids in reservoirs including the reservoir through the microfluidic channel of microfluidic channels corresponding to the array of microneedles to the microneedle to dispense the fluid in accordance with the patient treatment recommendation into the patient from the reservoir.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

storing the at least one clinical practice guideline within the patient information database, the at least one clinical practice guideline including a hypervolemia guideline to manage volume overload for managing the congestive heart failure; and

storing one or more of at least one patient questionnaire or at least one patient medical history within the patient information database, wherein the at least one of the patient diagnosis or the patient treatment recommendation is generated by the diagnostic computer application based upon the real-time patient health information and the one or more of the at least one patient questionnaire or the at least one patient medical history for the at least one clinical practice guideline.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising remotely instructing the patient by the diagnostic computer application to reduce or discontinue use of a diuretic.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising remotely instructing the patient by the diagnostic computer application to initiate or intensify dietary sodium restriction and fluid restriction.

11. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising remotely instructing the patient by the diagnostic computer application to initiate or intensify dietary fluid restriction.

12. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the computing device further stores a scheduling computer application wherein execution of the scheduling computer application initiates a videoconference.

13. A system for diagnosing and treating a patient, the system comprising:

a telehealth/telemedicine device coupled to monitor, generate and communicate real-time patient health information before, during, and after treatment to a server for storage of the real-time patient health information in a patient information database;

a computing device remotely located from the server configured to execute a diagnostic application to retrieve patient health data from the patient information database;

the diagnostic computer application configured to generate a patient treatment recommendation using the patient health data including the real-time patient health information, the diagnostic computer application configured to process the patient health data for at least one clinical practice guideline for congestive heart failure to generate the patient treatment recommendation to remotely manage the congestive heart failure of the patient; and

a drug delivery device remotely operative by a medical professional for real-time access to the patient health data including the real-time patient health information responsive to the patient treatment recommendation to dispense fluid in accordance with the patient treatment recommendation into the patient from the drug delivery device, the drug delivery device comprising;

an array of microneedles each configured with an out-of-plane configuration to penetrate skin of the patient for the delivery device worn in direct contact with the skin of the patient, the array of microneedles including micro-linear actuators configured for transdermal injections to less than one millimeter;

a microfluidic chip having an array of microtubules with corresponding microfluidic channels respectively coupled to the array of microneedles for delivery of fluids from reservoirs of the drug delivery device to the array of microneedles for an array of different fluidic drugs for the fluids for the patient;

a micro pump coupled to pump a selected fluid of the fluids from a reservoir of the reservoirs through a microfluidic channel of the microfluidic channels to a microneedle of the array of microneedles for the patient;

a microcontroller in electrical communication with the micro pump to control operation of the micro pump to dispense the fluid in accordance with the patient treatment recommendation into the patient from the reservoir; and

a heart rate sensor coupled to the microcontroller.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the real-time patient health information includes blood pressure and pulse oxygenation for the patient.