Method and system for generating an echocardiogram report

• US 20060247545A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Martin, Edward
• Original Assignee: St. Martin, Edward
• Inventors: St. Martin, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,822,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof

Abstract

An echocardiogram report generation method and system are disclosed for creating a complete medical report describing an echocardiogram without dictation, transcription or typing. The report is tailored to describe an individual patient and generated in complete grammatically complex sentences in response to the user'"'"'s input with a text report that is complete and understandable for a primary care physician. The method and system provides the user the parallel options of an anatomical structure approach and a disease-specific approach in order to amplify the description of the echocardiogram in specific areas and give a more meaningful report. The echo report generated by the method and system creates a table of measurements and calculations in compact form, omitting any data fields not used. The method and system guides the user through the various areas of the heart which merit comment on the report and provides clear color coded segments of the heart muscle and provides several heart segment classifications so that the user can use his favored classification scheme. Diagnostic possibilities are provided for inclusion in the report conclusions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of generating a medical report from an echocardiogram, comprising the steps of:

creating at least one database comprising echocardiogram measurements for at least one patient;

providing a user with a prompting graphical user interface to log in and gain access to said database and the echocardiogram measurements for a patient;

providing the user with a start-up graphical user interface for display of echocardiogram measurements for the patient, said start-up graphical user interface having a plurality of tabbed anatomical-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to specific anatomical parts of a human heart for entry of a diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of said anatomical parts of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

providing the user with a plurality of disease-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to disease states of the human heart accessible from the anatomical-based graphical user interfaces to assist the user in the entry of a diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of the specific anatomical parts of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

generating complete grammatically correct sentences in response to the entry of diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of the specific anatomical parts of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

generating complete grammatically correct sentences in response to the entry of diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of the disease states of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

providing the user with a graphical user interface to create a medical report in complete grammatically correct sentences based on the entry of diagnoses by the user;

generating a medical report in complete grammatically correct sentences based on the entry of diagnoses by the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tabbed anatomical-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to specific anatomical parts of a human heart further comprises at least one graphical user interface illustrating a diagram of wall segments of the human heart.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of tabbed anatomical-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to specific anatomical parts of a human heart comprises a graphical user interface for the aortic valve, a graphical user interface for the left ventricle and left atrium, a graphical user interface for the right ventricle and right atrium, a graphical user interface for the mitral valve, a graphical user interface for the tricuspid valve, the pulmonic valve and the inferior vena cava, a graphical user interface for the pericardium, a graphical user interface for the aorta, thrombus and foreign bodies, a graphical user interface for vegetations, a graphical user interface for atrial septal defect, patent foramen ovale and ventricular septal defect, a graphical user interface for M-mode and Doppler left ventricular signs;

a graphical user interface for abnormal septal motion, a graphical user interface for prosthetic valves, and a graphical user interface for segmental wall motion.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of disease-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to disease states of the human heart comprises a graphical user interface for cardiac source of emboli, a graphical user interface for diastolic analysis, a graphical user interface for myxoma, a graphical user interface for restrictive cardiomyopathy, a graphical user interface for aortic dissection, a graphical user interface for infective endocarditis, a graphical user interface for dilated cardiomyopthy, a graphical user interface for hypertropic cardiomyopathy, and a graphical user interface for myocardial infarction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 further comprising providing the user with a graphical user interface for comparison of prior echocardiogram measurements of a patient with current echocardiogram measurements for that patient.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 further comprising providing the user with a graphical user interface providing a reference list of Medicare approved indications for echocardiograms and respective ICD-9 codes.

7. A computer-readable storage medium for use with a graphics display device bearing program code for instructing a computer to perform a method of generating a medical report from an echocardiogram for a patient, said method comprising;

creating at least one database comprising echocardiogram measurements for at least one patient;

providing a user with a prompting graphical user interface to log in and gain access to said database and the echocardiogram measurements for a patient;

providing the user with a start-up graphical user interface for display of echocardiogram measurements for the patient, said start-up graphical user interface having a plurality of tabbed anatomical-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to specific anatomical parts of a human heart for entry of a diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of said anatomical parts of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

providing the user with a plurality of disease-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to disease states of the human heart accessible from the anatomical-based graphical user interfaces to assist the user in the entry of a diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of the specific anatomical parts of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

generating complete grammatically correct sentences in response to the entry of diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of the specific anatomical parts of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

generating complete grammatically correct sentences in response to the entry of diagnosis by the user pertaining to any of the disease states of the human heart based upon the echocardiogram measurements for the patient available in said data base;

providing the user with a graphical user interface to create a medical report in complete grammatically correct sentences based on the entry of diagnoses by the user;

generating a medical report in complete grammatically correct sentences based on the entry of diagnoses by the user.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the provided plurality of tabbed anatomical-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to specific anatomical parts of a human heart further comprises at least one graphical user interface illustrating a diagram of wall segments of the human heart.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the provided plurality of tabbed anatomical-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to specific anatomical parts of a human heart comprises a graphical user interface for the aortic valve, a graphical user interface for the left ventricle and left atrium, a graphical user interface for the right ventricle and right atrium, a graphical user interface for the mitral valve, a graphical user interface for the tricuspid valve, the pulmonic valve and the inferior vena cava, a graphical user interface for the pericardium, a graphical user interface for the aorta, thrombus and foreign bodies, a graphical user interface for vegetations, a graphical user interface for atrial septal defect, patent foramen ovale and ventricular septal defect, a graphical user interface for M-mode and Doppler left ventricular signs;

a graphical user interface for abnormal septal motion, a graphical user interface for prosthetic valves, and a graphical user interface for segmental wall motion.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the provided plurality of disease-based graphical user interfaces pertaining to disease states of the human heart comprises a graphical user interface for cardiac source of emboli, a graphical user interface for diastolic analysis, a graphical user interface for myxoma, a graphical user interface for restrictive cardiomyopathy, a graphical user interface for aortic dissection, a graphical user interface for infective endocarditis, a graphical user interface for dilated cardiomyopthy, a graphical user interface for hypertropic cardiomyopathy, and a graphical user interface for myocardial infarction.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the instructed method further comprises providing the user with a graphical user interface for comparison of prior echocardiogram measurements of a patient with current echocardiogram measurements for that patient.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the instructed method further comprises providing the user with a graphical user interface providing a reference list of Medicare approved indications for echocardiograms and respective ICD-9 codes.