Clinical data file

• US 20090037222A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kuo, Eric E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for a patient data file menu and methods for creating the same. One embodiment includes a number of patient medical information items including a data type label and a position in a data file menu, a sequence of one or more tabs, where each tab represents a stage in a procedure, and where the patient medical information items are associated with the tab corresponding to the stage in the procedure to which the patient medical information item corresponds, treatment professional information in a treatment professional profile section of the file, and patient personal information in a patient profile section of the file.

Claims

1. A data file format for medical information, comprising:

a number of patient medical information items including a data type label and a position in a data file menu,

a sequence of one or more tabs, where each tab represents a stage in a procedure, and where the patient medical information items are associated with the tab corresponding to the stage in the procedure to which each of the patient medical information item corresponds;

treatment professional information in a treatment professional profile section of the file; and

patient personal information in a patient profile section of the file.

2. The data file of claim 1, where the data file is modifiable to include an additional tab in the sequence of one or more tabs corresponding to an additional stage in the procedure and additional patient medical information items associated with the additional tab.

3. The data file of claim 2, where the data file is unmodifiable except for the addition of the additional tab corresponding to the additional stage in the procedure and the additional patient medical information items.

4. The data file of claim 1, where the patient medical information items are associated with the tab corresponding to the stage in the procedure to which the patient medical information items correspond by a user.

5. The data file of claim 1, where the patient medical information items are associated with the tab corresponding to the stage in the procedure to which the patient medical information items correspond automatically based on the stage in the procedure in which the images were created.

6. The data file of claim 1, where the patient medical information items are associated with the tab according to the stage in the procedure to which the patient medical information items correspond automatically based on the stage in the procedure in which the information items were saved.

7. The data file of claim 1, where each stage in the procedure is a time period.

8. The data file of claim 1, further including text information, where the text information is at least one of free text in a free text section of the patient file and a text image associated with the tab corresponding to the stage in the procedure to which the text image corresponds.

9. The data file of claim 1, where the patient medical information items include notations on the patient medical information items.

10. The data file of claim 1, where at least one patient medical information item is a three-dimensional representation of a dental patient'"'"'s mouth.

11. The data file of claim 1, where the data file menu includes a thumbnail of at least one of the patient medical information items.

12. A computing device readable medium having executable instructions which can be executed by a processor to cause a computing device to perform a method, comprising:

converting clinical data to a single format;

creating a patient data file including the clinical data in the single format, where creating the patient data file includes;

importing patient images into the patient data file;

associating the patient images with a tab in a sequence of one or more tabs, where each tab represents a stage in a procedure, and where the patient images are associated with the tab corresponding to the stage in the procedure to which the patient image corresponds;

entering treatment professional information into a treatment professional profile section;

entering patient personal information into a patient profile section; and

saving the patient data file.

13. The medium of claim 12, where the method includes labeling the patient images according to data type.

14. The medium of claim 12, where the method includes positioning at least one patient image in a data file menu.

15. The medium of claim 12, where the method includes:

adding additional patient images; and

associating the additional patient images with an additional tab in the sequence of one or more tabs.

16. The medium of claim 12, where the method includes embedding a pass code in the patient data file.

17. The medium of claim 16, where the method includes modifying the patient data file after entering the pass code into the computing device.

18. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a memory connected to the processor; and

executable instructions storable in the memory and executable by the processor to;

import patient images into a patient data file;

associate the patient images with a tab in a sequence of one or more tabs, where each tab represents a stage in a procedure, and where the patient images are associated with the tab corresponding to the stage in the procedure to which the patient image corresponds;

enter treatment professional information into a treatment professional profile section of the patient data file;

enter patient personal information into a patient profile section of the patient data file;

save the patient data file; and

view the patient data file on a display.

19. The computing device of claim 18, where the executable instructions include instructions to send the patient file to a second computing device.

20. The computing device of claim 18, where the executable instructions include instructions to position the patient images in a data file menu, where the data file menu includes a thumbnail of at least one of the patient images.

21. The computing device of claim 20, where the executable instructions include instructions to select the thumbnail of the patient images to access an enlarged patient image.

22. The computing device of claim 18, where the executable instructions include instructions to:

label the patient images according to data type; and

view the patient images in the sequence of one or more tabs according to data type on the display.

23. A computing device readable medium having executable instructions which can be executed by a processor to cause a first computing device to perform a method, comprising:

receiving a patient data file from a second computing device;

viewing the patient data file menu on a display, where the patient data file menu includes at least one of a thumbnail of a patient image, one or more tabs in a sequence of tabs, a comment section, and patient personal information, and treating professional information;

selecting the thumbnail to enlarge the patient image;

entering comments into the comment section;

modifying the enlarged patient image; and

associating at least one comment with the modified enlarged patient image.

24. The medium of claim 23, where the method includes hiding the patient personal information and treating professional information, where the patient personal information and treating professional information are viewable after entering a pass code into the computing device.

25. The medium of claim 23, where the patient data file includes a number of patient images associated with the tabs in the sequence of tabs, and where the patient images include a data type label and a position on the patient data file menu.

26. The medium of claim 25, where the method includes:

specifying a patient image first data type; and

viewing a sequence of patient images associated with the tabs in the sequence of tabs with the first data type label.

27. The medium of claim 25, where the method includes viewing the number of patient images according to each patient image position on the patient data file menu.

28. The medium of claim 23, where associating at least one comment with the modified enlarged patient image includes inserting a tag with the at least one comment in the comment section.

29. The medium of claim 28, where selecting the tag causes executable instructions to select the modified enlarged patient image.

30. The medium of claim 23, where modifying the enlarged patient image includes saving the modifications to the enlarged patient image separate from the enlarged patient image.

31. The medium of claim 30, where the method includes sending the modifications to the enlarged patient image and the comments in the comment section to at least one of third computing device and the first computing device.

32. The medium of claim 31, where the method includes receiving the modifications to the enlarged patient image and the comments in the comment section at the computing device and merging the modifications and comments with the patient data file.

33. The medium of claim 23, where the method includes protecting the comments in the comment section with a pass code.