Electronic ecosystem for medical examination room

• US 10,383,518 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Midmark Corporation
• Original Assignee: Midmark Corporation
• Inventors: Abu-Tarif, Asad, Treon, Thomas L., Cordonnier, Steven K., Castillo, Carlos J., Menke, Robert, Zhang, Ruomei, Wells, Jon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Littlejohn, Jr., Mancil
• Application Number:
  US15/449,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20170172412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0437 Trolley or cart-type apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/704 Tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/0018 Physician's examining tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/44 for weight
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/445 in a horizontal position
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system comprises a storage device, a piece of medical equipment, a portable computing device, and a hub portal. The piece of medical equipment has at least one electrically powered feature and comprises either a medical examination table or a storage cabinet. The storage device is operable to store data and is remotely located relative to the first piece of medical equipment and relative to the portable computing device. The hub portal is operable to provide communication of one or both of data or commands between the storage device, the piece of medical equipment, and the portable computing device. A method includes enablement or activation of an electrically powered feature of medical equipment upon entry of a portable computing device into a medical examination room. The method also includes disablement or further activation of the electrically powered feature upon exit of the portable computing device from the medical examination room.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) emanating a wireless signal from a communication hub assembly located in an examination room, wherein the communication hub assembly is in communication with a remote server;

(b) sensing, by a proximity sensor located in the examination room, the presence or absence of a portable computing device in the examination room;

(c) forming a wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly via the wireless signal in response to the proximity sensor sensing the presence of the portable computing device in the examination room;

(d) collecting patient data from a patient with a medical device located in the examination room;

(e) transmitting the patient data from the medical device to the communication hub assembly;

(f) transmitting the patient data from the communication hub assembly to the portable computing device via the wireless connection; and

wherein the communication hub assembly maintains communication with the remote server in the absence of the portable computing device in the examination room.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) terminating the wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly in response to the proximity sensor sensing the absence of the portable computing device in the examination room; and

(b) in response to terminating the wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly, prompting a user to transmit the patient data from the portable computing device to the remote server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the proximity sensor sensing the presence of the portable computing device in the examination room, enabling an electronic feature of the medical device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

actuating the medical device via the portable computing device over the wireless connection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to forming the wireless connection, enabling an electronic feature of the medical device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

(a) terminating the wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly; and

(b) in response to terminating the wireless connection, disabling the electronic feature of the medical device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to forming the wireless connection, unlocking a medical cabinet located within the examination room.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

(a) terminating the wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly; and

(b) in response to terminating the wireless connection, locking the medical cabinet.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication hub assembly is statically located in the examination room.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

integrating the communication hub assembly into a vital signs monitor.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) terminating the wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly in response to the proximity sensor sensing the absence of the portable computing device in the examination room; and

(b) in response to terminating the wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly, automatically transmitting the patient data from the portable computing device to the remote server.

12. A method comprising:

(a) moving a portable computing device into a range of a communication hub assembly, wherein the communication hub assembly is in communication with a remote server via a communication link;

(b) in response to moving the portable computing device into the range of the communication hub assembly, enabling a wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly;

(c) in response to enabling the wireless connection between the portable computing device and the communication hub assembly, unlocking a cabinet located within the range of the communication hub assembly;

(d) collecting patient data from a patient with a medical device;

(e) transmitting the patient data from the medical device to the communication hub assembly;

(f) transmitting the patient data from the communication hub assembly to the portable computing device via the wireless connection;

(g) moving the portable computing device out of the range of the communication hub assembly;

(h) in response to moving the portable computing device out of the range of the communication hub assembly, disabling the wireless connection and locking the cabinet;

(i) in response to an event, prompting a user to transmit the patient data from the portable computing device to the remote server; and

wherein the communication link is free of the portable computing device and is maintained when the portable computing device is out of the range of the communication hub assembly.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the event comprises disabling the wireless connection.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the event comprises moving the portable computing device out of the range of the communication hub assembly.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

actuating a feature of the medical device via the portable computing device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the medical device comprises a medical examination table having a patient weight sensor, wherein the patient data is a weight measurement collected by the patient weight sensor, and further comprising:

(a) in response to enabling the wireless connection, enabling the weight sensor of the medical examination table; and

(b) in response to disabling the wireless connection, disabling the weight sensor of the medical examination table.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the medical device comprises a medical examination table having an electronic arm rest, and further comprising:

(a) in response to enabling the wireless connection, retrieving a patient specific configuration from the remote server and communicating it to the medical examination table; and

(b) in response to receiving the patient specific communication, automatically adjusting the arm rest to an arm rest position associated with the patient specific configuration.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the medical device comprises a medical examination table having an adjustable base, and further comprising:

(a) in response to enabling the wireless connection, retrieving a patient specific configuration from the remote server and communicating it to the medical examination table; and

(b) in response to receiving the patient specific communication, automatically adjusting the adjustable base to a base position associated with the patient specific configuration.