SECURE IDENTIFICATION OF DEPENDANTS
First Claim
1. A method for correlating dependent patients with a personal identifier of a guardian in a health care system for checking into an appointment or accessing health care records, the method comprising the following steps:
- obtaining a readable personal identifier from a guardian of a dependent patient;
registering the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in a healthcare database;
prompting a user to present the readable personal identifier to a reader at a health care facility; and
wherein the readable personal identifier identifies the dependent patient and provides access for the guardian to process health care services for the dependent patient.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a method for identifying patients using common forms of identification, and specifically readable personal identifiers such as credit cards, and for identifying dependents through a guardian'"'"'s personal identification. The guardian registers the account with a health care database, and associates the dependent patients with the account. Thereafter, the guardian can process healthcare services for the guardian by providing a readable identifier identifying the account. As a result, the guardian can register the dependent patient for an appointment through a kiosk or other publicly accessible terminal, and can also access scheduling or other services.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method for correlating dependent patients with a personal identifier of a guardian in a health care system for checking into an appointment or accessing health care records, the method comprising the following steps:
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obtaining a readable personal identifier from a guardian of a dependent patient; registering the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in a healthcare database; prompting a user to present the readable personal identifier to a reader at a health care facility; and wherein the readable personal identifier identifies the dependent patient and provides access for the guardian to process health care services for the dependent patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A data access system for use in a health care facility, the data access system comprising:
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a health care computer network; a health care database including a patient database, and a data structure associating a readable personal identifier of a guardian with at least one dependent patient; and a reader device connected to the computer network for reading the readable personal identifier when presented, wherein the computer network is programmed to correlate the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in the database and to provide the guardian access to at least a portion of the health care database to process health care services for the patient. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for associating dependent patients with a first and a second accountholder of a single account, the method comprising the following steps:
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prompting the first accountholder to register account data in a healthcare database, the account data including at least one of an account number and an identifier of the first accountholder; prompting the second accountholder to register account data in the healthcare database, the account data including at least one of the account number and an identifier of the second accountholder; and associating a dependent of the first accountholder in a database with the account number and the identifier of the first accountholder; and associating a dependent of the second accountholder in a database with the with the account number and the identifier of the second accountholder, wherein when the first accountholder uses the account as identification, the first accountholder is provided access to process health care services for the dependent of the first accountholder and when the second accountholder uses the account as identification, the second accountholder is provided access to process health care services for the dependent of the second accountholder. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of identifying a user associated with a health care database at a computerized entry point, the method comprising the following steps:
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(a) prompting the user to input at least one of the following types of identification data at the computerized entry point; (i) at least a portion of the user'"'"'s first name, (ii) at least a portion of the user'"'"'s last name, (iii) at least a portion of the series of digits in an identification number, (iv) at least a portion of a birth date; (b) accessing the health care database to identify a target subset of users including, the target subset including at least one user that correlates to the input data; (c) evaluating data correlating to the types of identification data associated with the target subset of users in the healthcare database to determine at least one of the types of identification data that is most likely to reduce the target subset to a single user and prompting the user to input the determined type of identification; (d) repeating step (a) to acquire another of the types of identification data, step (b) accessing the database, and step (c) until a single user is identified in the database; and (d) allowing the single user to process health care services when the single user is identified. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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Specification