SOFTWARE SYSTEM FOR AIDING MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AND THEIR PATIENTS

• US 20100280848A1
• Filed: 06/08/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip F. Gaziano
• Original Assignee: Quality Health Ideas, LLC
• Inventors: Gaziano, Philip F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• 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 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Applicant has disclosed a software system, preferably run over the Internet on an SQL server, used to prompt care providers to check certain medical conditions based upon: a patient'"'"'s history from, e.g., prior office visits to a physician'"'"'s office; and preferably, if appropriate, the patient'"'"'s history from other sources. Using the system results in more thorough care and enhanced billing. Applicant'"'"'s software provides a digital (or printed) version of a familiar billing format—the so-called Superbill. Medical conditions of a patient are highlighted to ensure the medical service provider performs the following services during a patient visit: investigates medical conditions of the patient, as prompted by highlights in the Superbill; and exhaustively addresses all the conditions worthy of investigation based on stored patient information. Afterwards, additional data obtained from the visit are entered into the computer system for later use. Since the system is set up on a standard billing format—i.e., the Superbill, the system helps to ensure that the service provider'"'"'s bills and the paperwork submitted to insurance carriers are accurate and complete.

Claims

1. A computerized method for aiding medical service providers and their patients comprising the following steps:

a. inputting medical service provider data for a patient into a computer system;

b. inputting patient data into the computer system, wherein the patient data includes medical conditions of the patient which have been identified;

c. securely storing the patient data, on the computer system, for later manipulation and for compliance with privacy laws;

d. subsequently providing a medical service provider, during an encounter with the patient, with a digital version of a Superbill, wherein medical categories on the Superbill have been digitally highlighted to display the medical conditions of the patient which have been identified previously;

e. utilizing the highlighted medical conditions of the patient during the encounter to ensure the medical service provider;

i. investigates medical conditions of the patient, as prompted by the highlighted medical categories in the Superbill;

ii. exhaustively addresses all the medical conditions worthy of investigation based on stored patient information; and

f. inputting additional patient data, obtained during the encounter, into the computer system for use in subsequent encounters with the patient and for providing complete billing information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer system is accessed via the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a. utilizing the additional patient data to invoice a health insurance provider appropriately for all qualified conditions evaluated during the patient encounter.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a. utilizing the additional patient data to invoice a patient appropriately for all qualified conditions evaluated.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a. producing, via the computer system, reports indicating the need for referrals for certain patients, and

b. identifying, via the computer system, patients needing health care resources.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a. highlighting additional medical conditions known typically to coexist with the previously identified medical conditions, whereby the additional highlighting serves to direct the medical service provider'"'"'s attention to the additional medical conditions.