METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INDIRECT MEDICAL CONSULTATION

• US 20090125326A1
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Street Ventures LLC (ProClip USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Red Street Ventures LLC (ProClip USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: WASSON, David S., Guillory, Paul A., Dolak, John A., Goldman, Matthew A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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 and apparatus is provided comprising a technology engine designed to facilitate indirect medical consultation with health care providers and create a medical record of this indirect consultation event. In one embodiment is provided a method and apparatus for capturing electronically one or more of the following: (a) patient complaints; (b) health care provider'"'"'s impression/review; (c) health care provider/patient discussion of complaint symptoms following which a treatment plan is formulated regarding health care strategy; (d) any prescription issued by the health care provider; and/or (e) a set of follow-up visits by the patient.

Claims

1. A method of providing indirect medical consultation comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a telephone call from a person seeking indirect medical consultation;

(b) recording a set of information from the person, the set of information including a telephone number, a name of a patient, a description of the problems with the patient, and a selected pharmacy;

(c) transmitting this information to a health care provider who reviews the information;

(d) recording a prescription from the health care provider;

(e) transmitting the prescription to the pharmacy in step “

b”

;

(f) compiling a medical record with the information of steps “

b” and

“

d” and

transmitting the compiled medical record to the health care provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an option is provided for one or more oral portions of the compiled medical record to be transcribed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in step “

d”

health care provider is prompted to select a prescription from a database of prescription drugs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in step “

b”

the pharmacy is selected after being prompted to select a pharmacy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the person seeking indirect medical consultation is prompted to select a pharmacy from a database of pharmacies.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the database of selected pharmacies are chosen from pharmacies located within a predefined geographical distance from the location of the telephone call from the person seeking indirect medical consultation.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein voice recognition technology is used to select the pharmacy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein after step “

c”

, the health care provider is electronically prompted to prepare a diagnosis.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the diagnosis by the health care provider is electronically recorded.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein after step “

c”

, the health care provider is electronically prompted to prepare a treatment plan.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the treatment plan by the health care provider is electronically recorded.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein after step “

c” and

before step “

d”

, the health care provider is electronically prompted to issue a prescription.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the prescription by the health care provider is electronically recorded.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the prescription is selected by the health care provider from a database of possible prescriptions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the prescription is selected by NDC number.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein an insurance billing record is at least partially automatically prepared outside of the health care provider.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the health care provider being prompted to directly contact the person in step “

b.”

18. The method of claim 1, wherein in step “

d”

a telephone is used to record the prescription.

19. A method of providing indirect medical consultation comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request for an indirect medical consultation from a person seeking indirect medical consultation;

(b) recording a set of information from the person, the set of information including a telephone number, a name of a patient, a description of the problems with the patient, and a preferred pharmacy;

(c) transmitting this information to a health care provider who reviews the information;

(d) recording a prescription from the health care provider;

(e) transmitting the prescription to the pharmacy in step “

b”

;

(f) compiling a medical record with the information of steps “

b” and

“

d”

to the health care provider; and

(g) providing access to the compiled medical record to the health care provider.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein in step “

f”

, the health care provider is provided the option of downloading the compiled medical record.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein in step “

f”

, the compiled medical record is sent to the health care provider through electronic mail.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the compiled medical record is an attachment to the email.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein an option is provided for one or more oral portions of the compiled medical record to be transcribed.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein in step “

d”

health care provider is prompted to select a prescription from a database of prescription drugs.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein in step “

b”

the pharmacy is selected after being prompted to select a pharmacy.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the person seeking indirect medical consultation is prompted to select a pharmacy from a database of pharmacies.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the database of selected pharmacies are chosen from pharmacies located within a predefined geographical distance from the location of the telephone call from the person seeking indirect medical consultation.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein voice recognition technology is used to select the pharmacy.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein after step “

c”

, the health care provider is electronically prompted to prepare a diagnosis.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the diagnosis by the health care provider is electronically recorded.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein after step “

c”

, the health care provider is electronically prompted to prepare a treatment plan.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the treatment plan by the health care provider is electronically recorded.

33. The method of claim 19, wherein after step “

c” and

before step “

d”

, the health care provider is electronically prompted to issue a prescription.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the prescription by the health care provider is electronically recorded.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the prescription is selected by the health care provider from a database of possible prescriptions.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the prescription is selected by NDC number.

37. The method of claim 19, wherein an insurance billing record is at least partially automatically prepared outside of the health care provider.

38. The method of claim 19, wherein the health care provider is provided with the option of soliciting additional information from the person seeking indirect medical consultation.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein if the option of soliciting additional information is selected, then the health care provider is provided with the option of recording a request for additional information.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the recorded request of additional information is transmitted to the person seeking indirect medical consultation.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the person seeking indirect medical consultation is provided with the option of recording a response to the request for additional information.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the request for additional information and the response are compiled into the compiled medical record of step “

f.”

43. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of the health care provider being prompted to directly contact the person in step “

b.”

44. A method of providing indirect medical consultation comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a telephone call from a person seeking indirect medical consultation;

(b) creating an encounter by recording a set of information for the person, the set of information including a return telephone number, a name of a patient, and a description of the complaint;

(c) notifying a health care provider the an encounter has been received;

(d) in response to being contacted by the health care provider transmitting the information of step “

b”

to the health care provider who reviews the information;

(e) based on a command from the health care provider telephoning the person seeking indirect medical consultation and placing the health care provider in contact with the person;

(f) recording the contact between the health care provider and the person seeking indirect medical consultation in step “

e”

; and

(g) compiling a medical record with the information of steps “

b” and

“

e” and

transmitting the compiled medical record to the health care provider.