Healthcare management systems and associated methods

• US 20070167688A1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ross, S., Zirkel, Steve
• Application Number:
  US11/593,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20070167688A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

The present invention relates to healthcare management systems and associated methods, including healthcare management methods in computing environments that provide prescription fulfillment management, care support services, patient opinion information, healthcare treatment adherence, and the ability to interface a healthcare management system with other systems. Certain aspects are directed toward a method for providing care support services related to one or more healthcare issues that includes collecting patient data, contacting at least one of the patients, and providing a care support service to the patient. Other aspects are directed toward a method for managing information regarding adherence to a treatment regimen that includes collecting patent data for each one of multiple patients, receiving an indication regarding at least one of the patient'"'"'s adherence to a healthcare treatment regimen, and providing information regarding the indication to (a) the at least one patient, (b) a third party, or (c) both (a) and (b).

Claims

1. A method for providing care support services related to one or more healthcare issues, comprising:

collecting patient data for each one of multiple patients, the patient data including at least one of a patient identification and information regarding one or more healthcare issues;

contacting at least one of the patients;

providing one or more response options regarding the at least one patient'"'"'s one or more healthcare issues;

receiving an input indicating a selection of at least one of the one or more response options; and

providing information regarding the selection of at least one of the one or more response options to (a) the at least one patient, (b) a third party, or (c) both (a) and (b).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

collecting patient data includes collecting medication related data for each one of multiple patients, each patient being associated with one or more medications, the medication related data including at least one of a patient identification and one or more drug names associated with the one or more medications;

providing one or more response options includes providing one or more response options to the at least one of the patient regarding medication regimen adherence; and

providing information regarding the selection of at least one of the one or more response options includes providing information regarding (a) medication regimen adherence, (b) the likelihood that the at least one patient will adhere to the medication regimen, or (c) both (a) and (b).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a method for providing care support services related to one or more healthcare issues includes a method in a computing environment.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a method for providing care support services related to one or more healthcare issues includes a method in a computing environment, and wherein:

contacting at least one of the patients includes contacting at least one of the patients via phone;

providing one or more response options includes providing one or more response options via phone; and

receiving an input includes receiving an input via phone.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one patient'"'"'s one or more healthcare issue includes at least one of a patient'"'"'s mood, a presence or non-presence of one or more selected side effects, an indication of the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of the medication, information regarding adherence to a treatment regimen, and a level of control of a chronic condition.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein information regarding adherence to a treatment regimen includes information regarding adherence to a medication adherence regimen.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving opinion information related to the information regarding the selection of at least one of the one or more response options; and

performing an action based on the opinion information.

8. A method for providing care support services related to one or more healthcare issues, comprising:

collecting patient data for each one of multiple patients, the patient data including at least one of a patient identification and information regarding one or more healthcare issues;

contacting at least one of the patients; and

providing a care support service to the at least one of the patients related to the at least one of the patient'"'"'s one or more healthcare issues.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a method for providing care support services related to one or more healthcare issues includes a method in a computing environment.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein a method for providing care support services related to one or more healthcare issues includes a method in a computing environment, and wherein:

contacting at least one of the patients includes contacting at least one of the patient via phone; and

providing care support service to the at least one of the patients includes providing care support service to the at least one of the patients via phone.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein providing the care support service includes providing at least one of new medication counseling, a medical follow up reminder, a reminder to take a prescription, a tip for remembering to take a prescription, health education, testimonial information about a personal experience, information related to dosage adherence monitoring, information regarding adhering to a healthcare treatment regimen, information related to drug side effects, and information related to patient monitoring.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing one or more response options related to the care support service; and

receiving an input indicating a selection of at least one of the one or more response options.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving opinion information related to the care support service; and

performing an action based on the opinion information.

14. A method for managing information regarding adherence to a treatment regimen, comprising:

collecting patent data for each one of multiple patients, the patient data including at least one of a patient identification and information regarding one or more healthcare issues;

receiving an indication regarding at least one of the patient'"'"'s adherence to a non-medication treatment regimen; and

providing information regarding the indication to (a) the at least one patient, (b) a third party, or (c) both (a) and (b).

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the method of collecting information regarding adherence to a treatment regimen includes a method in a computing environment.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising monitoring a device associated with at least one of the patients for the indication.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein providing information regarding the indication includes providing information regarding a level of adherence to at least a portion of the treatment regimen.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving opinion information related to the information regarding the indication; and

performing an action based on the opinion information.

19. A method in a computing environment for managing information regarding adherence to a treatment regimen, comprising:

collecting patient data for each one of multiple patients, the patient data including at least one of a patient identification and information regarding one or more healthcare issues;

receiving an indication regarding at least one of the patient'"'"'s adherence to a medication treatment regimen; and

providing information regarding the indication to (a) the at least one patient, (b) a third party, or (c) both (a) and (b).

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising monitoring a device associated with at least one of the patients for the indication.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein providing information includes providing an automated voice message, an automated text message, or both.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein providing information regarding the indication includes providing information regarding a level of adherence to at least a portion of the treatment regimen.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving a selected input includes receiving a selected input from a smart pill box associated with a patient and providing information regarding the indication includes providing information regarding a level of adherence to at least a portion of a medication treatment regimen.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving opinion information related to the information regarding the indication; and

performing an action based on the opinion information.