Method and system for providing centralized anatomic pathology services
First Claim
1. A method for providing centralized anatomic pathology services comprising:
- providing a plurality of regional pathology laboratories, each laboratory servicing a geographic region;
maintaining in memory pathology information accessible by pathologists associated with any of the plurality of regional laboratories via a communications link;
collecting tissue requiring pathology processing from a medical entity located in a first geographic region, the step of collecting being performed by an agent of the regional pathology laboratory located in the first geographic region;
processing the tissue to create a tissue slide;
creating a digital, diagnostic quality image of the tissue slide;
storing the image in the memory; and
providing access to the stored diagnostic image to a pathologist via the communications link, to enable diagnosis by the pathologist without physical possession of the slide.
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Abstract
A method for providing centralized anatomic pathology services. A plurality of regional pathology laboratories is provided, each laboratory servicing a defined geographic region. A master storage (e.g., database) of pathology information is maintained, the storage being accessible by pathologists associated with any regional laboratory via a communications link. Tissue samples requiring pathology processing are collected from a medical entity located in a first geographic region by a regional pathology laboratory. The tissue is processed, and a tissue slide is created. A digital, diagnostic quality image of the tissue slide is created and stored in the master storage. A pathologist, who may be remotely located with respect to the first geographic region, is provided with access to the stored diagnostic image via the communications link, to enable diagnosis by the pathologist without physical possession of the slide. The digital, diagnostic quality image may be compressed before it is stored in the master storage. The diagnosis may be a primary or a secondary diagnosis. In the case of a secondary or supplemental diagnosis, the pathologist is provided with access to any prior analysis and annotations, stored in the master storage, relating to the diagnostic image. A system for implementing the method is also disclosed.
48 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method for providing centralized anatomic pathology services comprising:
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providing a plurality of regional pathology laboratories, each laboratory servicing a geographic region;
maintaining in memory pathology information accessible by pathologists associated with any of the plurality of regional laboratories via a communications link;
collecting tissue requiring pathology processing from a medical entity located in a first geographic region, the step of collecting being performed by an agent of the regional pathology laboratory located in the first geographic region;
processing the tissue to create a tissue slide;
creating a digital, diagnostic quality image of the tissue slide;
storing the image in the memory; and
providing access to the stored diagnostic image to a pathologist via the communications link, to enable diagnosis by the pathologist without physical possession of the slide. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for providing centralized anatomic pathology services comprising:
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a scanning device for creating a digital, diagnostic quality image of a tissue slide;
a database configured to store pathology information, including the digital, diagnostic quality image;
a processor configured to compress the digital, diagnostic quality image prior to storage in the database and provide access to pathology information, including the image, to an authorized user to enable diagnosis by the user without physical possession of the slide; and
a communications link connecting a plurality of regional pathology laboratories and other authorized users to the server computer, where each laboratory services a defined geographic region. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for providing centralized anatomic pathology services to a plurality of health institutions, each health institution being located in a geographic region, comprising:
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providing a network of regional pathology laboratories, each laboratory servicing a geographic region;
collecting tissue requiring pathology processing from each of a plurality of health institutions located in a first geographic region, the step of collecting being performed by an agent of the regional pathology laboratory located in the first geographic region;
transporting the collected tissue to the regional pathology laboratory located in the first geographic region;
processing the tissue to create a tissue slide; and
analyzing the tissue slide to render a diagnosis, the step of analyzing being performed by a pathologist; and
maintaining a centralized records database of diagnostic information accessible by authorized users via a communications link. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for providing centralized anatomic pathology services to a plurality of health institutions, each health institution being located in a geographic region, comprising:
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providing a plurality of regional pathology laboratories, each laboratory servicing a geographic region;
establishing a relationship with a health institution to provide the health institution with anatomic pathology services without acquiring an existing pathology practice;
collecting tissue requiring pathology processing from each of a plurality of health institutions located in a first geographic region, the step of collecting being performed by an agent of the regional pathology laboratory located in the first geographic region;
transporting the collected tissue to the regional pathology laboratory located in the first geographic region;
processing the tissue to create a tissue slide; and
analyzing the tissue slide to render a diagnosis, the step of analyzing being performed by a pathologist. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A system for creating diagnostic quality, digital pathology images comprising:
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a charge coupled device (CCD);
a biaxial positioning device;
a lens having a higher resolution than the human eye can resolve;
a light source;
a collimator for collimating the light source toward the tissue slide and CCD; and
a controller for configuring the CCD, the positioning device, the light source, and the collimator. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42)
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Specification