CARE PLAN CHANGE PROPAGATION

• US 20100017228A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Fang, Yaqiong (Jade), Ryan, John C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

In a medical health care network (10) for providing individualized health care programming to many patients, a method and apparatus for updating the programming is described. When a patient is new to the system, a health care professional takes a generic care plan template (26) and fills it in with the patient'"'"'s specific health information. A care plan scheduler (36), using a completed template (26), assigns content for the patient to experience. When new content becomes available, the health care professional notes it on the template (26). The scheduler (36) then looks for all instances of the old content and replaces it with the new content in the most seamless way possible. A content replacement database (40) interprets old data in light of the new content so that the old data does not become misleading or obsolete.

Claims

1. A medical health care network (10) comprising:

at least one server (22) connectable to a communications network (20);

at least one user interface device (12) that communicates periodically with the server (22) over the communications network (20);

a care plan design template (26) into which content is encoded, the template (26) being able to indicate whether content is a replacement or supplement for other content.

2. The medical health care network as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a care plan scheduler (36) that distributes replacement content to the at least one user interface device (12).

3. The medical health care network as set forth in claim 2, wherein the care plan scheduler (36) is located in the at least one server (22).

4. The medical health care network as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a content replacement database (40) that substantially seamlessly integrates the replacement content into care plans scheduled for presentation to a patient.

5. The medical health care network as set forth in claim 4, wherein the content replacement database (40) is located in the at least one user interface device (12).

6. The medical health care network as set forth in claim 4, wherein the content replacement database (40) is located in the at least one server (22).

7. The medical health care network as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a care plan scheduler (36) that distributes replacement content to the at least one user interface device (12); and

,

a content replacement database (40) that substantially seamlessly integrates the replacement content into care plans scheduled for presentation to a patient.

8. The medical health care network as set forth in claim 1, wherein the care plan design template (26) is located in the at least one server.

9. A method of updating a health care network (10) comprising:

connecting at least one server (22) and at least one user interface device (12) over a communications network (20), the network (10) providing personal health care programming to at least one patient;

prescribing a care plan to the at least one patient and assigning content elements for presentation to the at least one patient associated with the care plan; and

,

updating programming for the at least one patient by substantially seamlessly substituting updated content elements for currently implemented content elements.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of prescribing includes programming elements of a single patient'"'"'s medical and personal histories into a care plan template (26).

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the step of prescribing further includes selecting programming based in part on subjective elements known to a health care professional familiar with the patient.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of updating programming includes identifying required content substitutions.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the step of updating programming includes removing old content from the care plan.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the step of updating programming includes adding new content into the care plan.

15. The method as set forth in claim 9, further including:

interpreting the updated programming and presenting the at least one patient results from various versions of content elements by meaningfully integrating old data into new frames of reference of the updated content elements.

16. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of implementing updated programming includes replacing an entire care plan with a new care plan.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, further including:

applying an association algorithm between the new and the old care plans when an entire care plan is replaced by a new care plan.

18. A medical healthcare network (10) comprising:

at least one server (22) connectable to a communications network (20);

at least one user interface device (12) that communicates periodically with the server (22) over the communications network (20); and

,

a care plan scheduler (36) that distributes replacement content to the at least one user interface (12) device by identifying appropriate content substitutions, removing old content, and adding new content without disrupting an existing care plan experience of a patient or population of patients.

19. A medical healthcare network comprising:

at least one server (22) connectable to a communications network (20);

at least one user interface device (12) that communicates periodically with the server (22) over the communications network (20); and

,

at least one database (40) that interprets patient results collected in response to prescribed content and patient results from various older content versions to determine a value of the prescribed content relative to the older content versions.

20. A video content element for addition to patient care plans to update, supplement, or replace one or more prior content elements, comprising:

a series of video clips to be presented periodically to a patient;

a computer readable coding which maps the video clips to video clips of the one or more prior content elements.