Virtual Clinic For Medical Practice

• US 20080275311A1
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mohamed Haq
• Original Assignee: Mohamed Haq
• Inventors: Haq, Mohamed
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A method is provided for a virtual clinic to establish communications between a user (e.g., a patient) and a specialist (e.g., a physician) in order to facilitate a diagnosis. In various embodiments, a user provides a request for the specialist to a virtual clinic. The request may be a request for medical services identifying medical needs. The user may then receive specialist information from the virtual clinic. The virtual clinic may establish real-time communication between the user and a specialist. The user may receive instructions from the specialist via the virtual clinic to perform a test. The user may then report a test result from the test to the specialist via the virtual clinic. The virtual clinic may receive and store a diagnosis from the specialist.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for a specialist at a virtual clinic;

providing specialist information to a user from the virtual clinic;

establishing real-time communication between the user and the specialist via the virtual clinic;

providing user information to the specialist via the virtual clinic;

providing instructions from the specialist to the user via the virtual clinic to perform a test;

providing a test result to the specialist via the virtual clinic; and

receiving and storing a diagnosis from the specialist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specialist is a physician and the user is a patient.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the user information and determining the specialist based on the user information and the specialist information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing locations of a plurality of diagnostic centers, storing a list of diagnostic testing equipment present at each different diagnostic center, generating a list of diagnostic centers from the plurality of diagnostic centers based at least in part on proximity to the user, and providing the list of diagnostic centers to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the list of diagnostic centers are also based at least in part on the request for the specialist.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a real-time communication between the specialist and a consultant via the virtual clinic during the real-time communication between the user and the specialist.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the consultant does not have access to an identity of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a real-time communication between the specialist and a supervisor via the virtual clinic during the real-time communication between the user and the specialist.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the communication between the user and the specialist and enabling access to the stored communication to a third-party.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing access to the real-time communication between the user and the specialist to a third-party.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the third-party is a trainee.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the third-party is a peer to the specialist.

13. A system comprising:

a specialist device for use by a specialist and configured to receive user information from a virtual clinic, provide instructions to a user via the virtual clinic to perform a test, receive a test result from the virtual clinic, and provide a diagnosis of the user via the virtual clinic;

a user device for use by the user and configured to provide a request for the specialist to the virtual clinic and provide the test result to the virtual clinic; and

a virtual clinic device configured to provide specialist information to the user device and establish real-time communication between the specialist device and the user device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the specialist is a physician and the user is a patient.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual clinic device is further configured to receive the user information from the user device, to determine the specialist based on the user information and the specialist information, and to provide at least some specialist information to the user device based on the determination.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual device is further configured to store locations of a plurality of diagnostic centers, to store a list of diagnostic testing equipment present at each different diagnostic center, to generate a list of diagnostic centers from the plurality of diagnostic centers based at least in part on proximity to the user, and to provide the list of diagnostic centers to the user device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the list of diagnostic centers is generated based at least in part on the request for the specialist.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual clinic device is further configured to establish a real-time communication between the specialist and a consultant via the virtual clinic during the real-time communication between the user and the specialist.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the virtual device is further configured to protect the anonymity of the user from the consultant.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual clinic device is further configured to establish a real-time communication between the specialist and a supervisor via the virtual clinic during the real-time communication between the user and the specialist.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual clinic device is further configured to store the communication between the user and the specialist and enable access to the stored communication to a third-party.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual clinic device is further configured to provide access to the real-time communication between the user and the specialist to a third-party.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the third-party is a trainee.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the third-party is a peer.

25. A method comprising:

providing a request for the specialist from a diagnostic center to a virtual clinic;

establish real-time communication between an administrator at the diagnostic center and a specialist via the virtual clinic;

receiving instructions to perform a test with diagnostic test equipment operatively coupled with the diagnostic center, the instructions received from the specialist; and

provide a test result from the diagnostic test equipment to the specialist via the virtual clinic.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the diagnostic center is portable.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the diagnostic center is remotely located from the user'"'"'s home and remotely located from a dedicated treatment facility.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the administrator is not medically trained.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the user is an owner of a car, the specialist is a car mechanic, and the test is performed on the user'"'"'s car.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the user is an owner of an animal, the specialist is a veterinarian, and the test is performed on the user'"'"'s animal.

31. A diagnostic center comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate with a remote virtual clinic;

a communication interface configured to establish real-time communication between an administrator at the diagnostic center and a specialist via the virtual clinic; and

diagnostic testing equipment configured perform a test and provide a test result to a specialist over the virtual clinic.

32. The diagnostic center of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic center is portable.

33. The diagnostic center of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic center is remotely located from the user'"'"'s home and remotely located from a dedicated treatment facility.

34. The diagnostic center of claim 31, wherein the administrator is not medically trained.

35. The diagnostic center of claim 31, wherein the user is an owner of a car, the specialist is a car mechanic, and the test is performed on the user'"'"'s car.

36. The diagnostic center of claim 31, wherein the user is an owner of an animal, the specialist is a veterinarian, and the test is performed on the user'"'"'s animal.