METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND MANAGING PATIENT CARE

• US 20110040572A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Zin Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Z-Tech Incorporated
• Inventors: Bartholomew, John R., Gornik, Heather, Chmiel, Alan, Schaffer, Jonathan, Grodsinsky, Carlos
• Granted Patent: US 10,779,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies

Abstract

A patient management system includes a patient unit that obtains results data from a patient device and provides for two-way communication between the patient unit and a remote database. The patient unit can communicate with the remote database to obtain encounter instruction data for a given encounter as well as to send response data for the given encounter. A back office system can also access the database to retrieve the patient data for one or more patient users. The back office system can further add or modify encounter instruction data for use during a next encounter at the patient unit. The back office system can also set a dosage for the patient that can be stored in the remote database and retrieved by the patient unit as part of the given encounter. The back office system may also employ a rules engine that can be programmed according to an established protocol and can automatically generate encounter instructions and dosage information for one or more patient.

Claims

1. A patient monitoring system comprising:

a patient unit comprising;

a device interface configured to provide for data communication with a measurement device, the patient unit being programmed to selectively retrieve results data indicative of at least one patient condition from the measurement device;

a communication module configured to provide two-way communication via a network with a remote database, the communication module being configured to retrieve encounter instruction data for the patient unit from the remote database for a given patient encounter that includes at least one set of predetermined queries, the communication module also being configured to send response data to the remote database for the given patient encounter, the response data comprising at least one of stored user responses and the results data;

a user interface programmed to present at least one of the predetermined queries to a user and to receive user responses to the each of the predetermined queries for the given patient encounter, the user responses for each of the predetermined queries being stored in memory of the patient unit as the response data for the given encounter; and

a back office system programmed to access the remote database and to retrieve the response data from the remote database for at least one patient unit, the back office system further being programmed to at least one of add or modify the encounter instruction data that is stored in the remote database for a next patient encounter at the patient unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one patient condition comprises an indication of blood coagulation for the patient.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient unit further comprises controls for selectively enabling the measurement device to operate according to a predefined sequence step of the given patient encounter based on the encounter instruction data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient unit further comprises controls for selectively enabling the measurement device to operate after at least a predetermined portion of a patient encounter has been completed.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the patient unit further comprises controls configured to instruct the measurement device to at least one of control delivery of a therapy or dosage to the patient according to a predefined sequence step of the given patient encounter based on the encounter instruction data defined for a given patient protocol.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one patient condition is analyzed to ascertain compliance with a therapy or dosage for the given patient.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one patient condition is analyzed by at least one of the patient unit and the back office system to ascertain the compliance.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one patient condition comprises an information about an orthopedic condition for the patient.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient unit is programmed to store the response data separately from the results data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient unit is programmed to employ the communication module to retrieve updated instruction data from the remote database in response the user initiating a new encounter.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the patient unit comprises an encounter schedule that indicates when the given encounter is scheduled to begin, the encounter schedule being stored in the memory of the patient unit in response to schedule data retrieved from the remote database as part of a preceding encounter that was substantially completed prior to the given encounter.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient unit comprises a test subroutine for controlling acquisition of the results data from the measurement device, the patient unit calling the test subroutine in response to executing a predefined sequence step the given encounter.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the given encounter comprises a sequence of predefined steps according to an established protocol, at least a substantial portion of the sequence of predefined steps requesting a confirmation response to be entered into the patient unit via the user interface, wherein the response data for the given encounter further comprises an indication of the confirmation response to indicate the user'"'"'s compliance or non-compliance with the established protocol.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the sequence of predefined steps comprises an update dosage sequence step, the patient unit retrieving an updated dosage for the given encounter from the remote database during execution of the update dosage sequence step, the update dosage sequence step employing instructions requesting that the user enter a dosage confirmation response at the patient unit to indicate that the user has received the updated dosage for a next treatment interval.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient unit further comprising an alarm function that generates an alert in response to an off-nominal condition or non-compliance being detected in at least one of the response data and the results data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the patient unit is programmed to generate a real time alert that is provided to a predefined recipient in response to detecting the off-nominal condition.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient unit is configured as server in the network.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the back office system comprises a rules engine that includes predetermined rules programmed according to a protocol, the back office system employing the rules to generate the encounter instruction data that is retrieved by the back office system during the given encounter.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the predetermined rules are programmable via the back office system on a patient-by-patient basis to provide individualized care for at least two different patients.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the rules engine is programmed to automatically generate at least one of a dosage schedule and the encounter instruction data.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the back office system comprises a dosage function that is programmed to determine a suggested dosage schedule in response to at least one of encounter response data and results data from the patient unit for at least the given encounter.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the back office system comprises a caregiver user interface that is programmed to at least one of accept and modify the suggested dosage schedule based on a user input and generate corresponding dosage data that is stored in the remote database for retrieval by the patient unit as part of the given encounter.

23. A method for remote patient management, comprising:

initiating a given encounter at a patient unit in response to a user input provided at the patient unit;

opening a two-way wireless communication channel between the patient unit and a remote database, such that the patient unit retrieves encounter instruction data for the given encounter, the encounter instruction data defining a sequence of steps to be executed at the patient unit for the given encounter;

executing each of the sequence of steps at the patient unit, at least some of the sequence of steps requesting responses from the user to confirm compliance with the respective step and at least one of the sequence of steps corresponding to test subroutine;

executing the test subroutine at the patient unit to receive results data indicative of a patient condition;

sending response data for the given encounter from the patient unit to the remote database via a communication channel; and

generating encounter instruction data for a next patient encounter at the patient unit based on the response data stored in the remote database for the given encounter, the encounter instruction data being stored in the remote database for retrieval by the patient unit for a next encounter.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving the results data at the patient unit via at least one of a communication link between the patient unit and a separate patient measurement device that is configured to measure the patient condition.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving the results data at the patient unit via a user input entered into to the patient unit via a user interface of the patient unit.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the sequence of steps of the given encounter further comprises an update dosage sequence step, the method further comprising:

retrieving an updated dosage from the remote database and storing the updated dosage in memory of the patient unit during execution of the update dosage sequence step of the given encounter; and

requesting that a user enter a confirmation response at the patient unit to indicate that the user has received the updated dosage for a next treatment interval.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein in response to evaluating at least one of the response data and results data for the given encounter at a back office system, the method further to determine a suggested dosage schedule for the patient.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing a caregiver user interface that is programmed to at least one of accept and modify the suggested dosage schedule based on a user input from a caregiver;

and

storing corresponding dosage data in the remote database; and

retrieving the dosage data from the remote database by the patient unit as part of the given encounter.