Virtual physician office systems and methods

• US 20040148194A1
• Filed: 01/27/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turcan, Diane Brown, Wellons, David L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,248,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for enabling a virtual physician office (VPO) that uses a network-based physician practice application and leverages the assets of a shared, communications network of legacy systems. A data connection is established with a rule-based application dataserver of a telecommunications network facility to control access, sharing, notification, security, and/or management of electronic healthcare communications. Typically, the rule-based application dataserver is associated with a central office (“CO”), a mobile telephone switching center (“MTSO”), or a combination CO/MTSO.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic healthcare communication to a network-based communications system, the electronic healthcare communication associated with a physician office legacy system;

categorizing the electronic healthcare communication as at least one of (1) data associated with an access agent, (2) data associated with a security agent, (3) data associated a messaging agent, (4) data associated with a transactional agent, (5) data associated with a troubleshooting agent, and (6) data associated with an application agent; and

if the electronic healthcare communication is associated with the application agent, then accessing and using an application to process the electronic healthcare communication, the application running on a server of the network-based communications system,

wherein the network-based communications system enables an exchange of the electronic healthcare communication between the physician office legacy system and one or more communications devices associated with at least one telecommunications service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing and using the application to process the electronic healthcare communication further comprises the step of accessing and using a physician practice management application to process the electronic healthcare communication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of categorizing the electronic healthcare communication further comprises the steps of:

accessing at least one rule-based application dataserver associated with a central office of a telecommunications network, the rule-based application dataserver providing a rule-based engine to interpret the electronic healthcare communication; and

using the rule-based application dataserver to categorize the electronic healthcare communication.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the rule-based application dataserver comprises the server associated with the network-based communications system having the physician practice management application.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the rule-based application dataserver comprises an application server having at least one of an access agent, a security agent, a messaging/communications agent, a transactional agent, a troubleshooting agent, and an application agent.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

managing the rule-based application dataserver associated with the central office of the telecommunications network to control access among the physician office legacy system and the communications devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of categorizing the electronic healthcare communication further comprises the steps of:

accessing at least one rule-based application dataserver associated with a server of a data network, the rule-based application dataserver providing a rule-based engine to interpret the electronic healthcare communication; and

using the rule-based application dataserver to categorize the electronic healthcare communication.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

using the data associated with the access agent to verify the electronic healthcare communication meets authenticity requirements of the physician office legacy system; and

using the data associated with the security agent to verify the electronic healthcare communication meets security requirements of the physician office legacy system.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

converting the electronic healthcare communication from a first data format to a second data format associated with the physician office legacy system; and

converting the electronic healthcare communication from the second data format to the first data format.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first data format is at least one of a printed text format, a voice data format, a video data format, a dual tone multi-frequency data format, and a digital data format.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second data format is at least one of a printed text format, a voice data format, a video data format, a dual tone multi-frequency data format, and a digital data format.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital data format is ASCII.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising at least one of (i) communicating the second data format to a storage device associated with the telecommunications service provider, (ii) archiving the second data format, (iii) encrypting the second data format, (iv) copying the second data format, and (v) associating the second data format with related data in the receiver legacy system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of communicating the second data format to a communications device, the communications device comprising at least one of the following:

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a cellular phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of communicating the first data format to the physician office legacy system, the physician office legacy system comprising at least one of the following:

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a cellular phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone,

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of communicating the second data format comprises communicating the second data format via at least one of the following:

an analog line;

a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL);

an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line;

an ATM Sonet;

a SmartRing service line;

a Frame Relay service line; and

a local loop of a telecommunications network.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of communicating the second data format comprises communicating the second data format via means for optically transmitting data.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of communicating the second data format comprises communicating the second data format via wireless transmission.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of accessing and using the physician practice management application to process the electronic healthcare communication comprises accessing and using the physician management application for managing at least one of the following:

(i) a calendar and schedule, (ii) patient information, (iii) charges and fees, (iv) receipts, (v) laboratory testing, (vi) prescriptions, (vii) reports, (viii) office facilities and maintenance, (ix) compliance and inspections, (x) patient triage and medical protocols, (xi) on-call services, (xii) insurance appeals, (xiii) patient billing, and (xiv) back-up storage settings.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of categorizing the electronic healthcare communication comprises accessing a dataserver associated with a telecommunications facility, the telecommunications facility comprising at least one of telephone switching and routing equipment, mobile telephone switching and routing equipment, intelligent edge devices, an application server, and an integrated delivery system.

21. A method, comprising the steps of:

establishing a first data connection between a communications device of a physician office legacy system and a network-based communications system;

receiving an electronic healthcare communication from the communications device over the first data connection;

accessing a physician practice management application running on a server of the network-based communications system;

using the physician practice management application to manage the electronic healthcare communication according to at least one of the following;

(i) a calendar and schedule, (ii) patient information, (iii) charges and fees, (iv) receipts, (v) laboratory testing, (vi) prescriptions, (vii) reports, (viii) office facilities and maintenance, (ix) compliance and inspections, (x) patient triage and medical protocols, (xi) on-call services, (xii) insurance billing and appeals, (xiii) patient billing, and (xiv) back-up storage settings;

establishing a second data connection between the network-based communications system and a second legacy system, the second data connection using a rule-based application dataserver to control access to and from the second legacy system, the rule-based application dataserver comprising rules for categorizing the electronic healthcare communication according to at least one of the following;

(1) data associated with an access agent, (2) data associated with a security agent, (3) data associated a messaging agent, (4) data associated with a transactional agent, (5) data associated with a troubleshooting agent, and (6) data associated with an application agent; and

communicating the electronic healthcare communication via the first data connection and the second data connection,

wherein the network-based communications system enables an exchange of at least one of the electronic healthcare communication between one or more networks of communications devices associated with at least one telecommunications service provider.

22. A method, comprising the steps of:

establishing a first data connection between a communications device of a physician office legacy system and a network-based communications system;

receiving an electronic healthcare communication from the communications device over the first data connection;

accessing a physician practice management application running on a server of the network-based communications system;

using the physician practice management application to manage the electronic healthcare communication according to at least one of the following;

(i) a calendar and schedule, (ii) patient information, (iii) charges and fees, (iv) receipts, (v) laboratory testing, (vi) prescriptions, (vii) reports, (viii) office facilities and maintenance, (ix) compliance and inspections, (x) patient triage and medical protocols, (xi) on-call services, (xii) insurance billing and appeals, (xiii) patient billing, and (xiv) back-up storage settings;

establishing a second data connection between the network-based communications system and a non-affiliated communications device, the second data connection using a rule-based application dataserver to control access to and from the second legacy system, the rule-based application dataserver comprising rules for categorizing the electronic healthcare communication according to at least one of the following;

(1) data associated with an access agent, (2) data associated with a security agent, (3) data associated a messaging agent, (4) data associated with a transactional agent, (5) data associated with a troubleshooting agent, and (6) data associated with an application agent; and

communicating the electronic healthcare data via the first data connection and the second data connection,

wherein the network-based communications system enables an exchange of at least one of the electronic healthcare communication between one or more networks of communications devices associated with at least one telecommunications service provider.

23. A system, comprising:

a network of legacy systems, each legacy system comprising software, hardware, and networks, each legacy system further comprising a plurality of interconnected communications devices serviced by a telecommunications service provider;

a physician practice management application for managing electronic healthcare communications associated with at least one of (i) a calendar and schedule, (ii) patient information, (iii) charges and fees, (iv) receipts, (v) laboratory testing, (vi) prescriptions, (vii) reports, (viii) office facilities and maintenance, (ix) compliance and inspections, (x) patient triage and medical protocols, (xi) on-call services, (xii) insurance billing and appeals, (xiii) patient billing, and (xiv) back-up storage settings; and

a rule-based application dataserver for managing the exchange of electronic healthcare communication with the at least one legacy system, the rule-based application dataserver provided by the telecommunications service provider.