METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRACKING AND MONITORING PATIENT COMPLIANCE WITH MEDICAL DEVICE USAGE PRESCRIPTION

• US 20110112857A1
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips RS North America LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: RIC INVESTMENTS LLC (Respironics Incorporated)
• Inventors: YURKO, GREGORY, D'ANGELO, MARK, EISERT, ROCHELLE, KISSEL, MICHAEL H., BOWEN, KEVIN
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0066 Blowers or centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0069 the speed thereof being controlled by respiratory parameters, e.g. by inhalation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/101 using an oxygen concentrator
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0039 in the inspiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/50 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• 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 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a medical device usage prescription for a medical device is disclosed. This method and system includes the steps of: (a) providing a minimum medical device usage compliance value for the medical device for a predetermined compliance period; (b) providing the quantity of compliance periods in a measurement cycle; and (c) determining a compliance period value as the number of compliance periods in the measurement cycle in which an actual medical device usage value is at least equal to the minimum medical device usage compliance value. In another embodiment, the method also includes: providing a weighting factor, and applying the weighting factor to at least one actual medical device session usage value.

Claims

1. A method for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription for a medical device during a compliance period comprising:

(a) providing a minimum medical device usage short session value;

(b) determining an actual medical device usage value for at least one discrete medical device usage session;

(c) comparing the actual medical device usage value for each medical device usage session with the minimum medical device usage short session value;

(d) determining an actual medical device usage value for the compliance period by summing the actual medical device usage value for each medical device usage session that is greater than or equal to the minimum medical device usage short session value and subtracting each actual medical device usage value that is less than the minimum medical device usage short session value during the compliance period.

2. A method for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription for a medical device during a compliance period comprising:

(a) determining an actual medical device usage value for each discrete medical device usage session;

(b) applying a weighting factor to each actual medical device session usage value to produce a weighted actual medical device session usage value for each medical device usage session; and

(c) determining an actual medical device usage value for the compliance period by summing the weighted actual medical device usage values for the medical device usage sessions during the compliance period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the weighting factor is variable dependent upon the actual medical device session usage value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the weighting factor is in a range from 0 to 1.

5. A method for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription for a medical device during a compliance period comprising:

(a) providing a minimum medical device usage short session value;

(b) determining an actual medical device usage value for at least one discrete medical device usage session;

(c) comparing the actual medical device usage value for a discrete usage session with the minimum medical device usage short session value; and

(d) determining a short session count value based upon the number of usage sessions wherein the actual medical device usage value for the respective usage session is less than the minimum medical device usage short session value.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

(e) providing a short session warning value to the computing device;

(f) comparing, in the computing device, the short session count value with the short session warning value; and

(g) presenting a warning signal responsive to the short session count value being equal to the short session warning value.

7. A system for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription for a medical device, comprising:

(a) a medical device adapted to provide a treatment to a patient;

(b) means for monitoring an actual medical device usage; and

(c) processing means for determining a compliance period value as a number of compliance periods in a measurement cycle in which the actual medical device usage value is at least equal to a minimum medical device usage compliance value.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing means compares the compliance period value with a medical device usage prescription value.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing means determines the compliance period value as a percentage of compliance periods in the measurement cycle in which the actual medical device usage value is at least equal to the minimum medical device usage compliance value.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing means compares the compliance period value with a measurement cycle compliance value, and further comprising means for outputting a compliance indicator based upon results of the comparison.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the compliance indicator indicates (1) a compliance signal responsive to the compliance period value being at least equal to the measurement cycle compliance value, and (2) a non-compliance signal responsive to the compliance period value being less than the measurement cycle compliance value.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the compliance indicator indicates a compliance signal, a non-compliance signal, a marginal compliance signal, a warning signal, a trend signal, a compliance value signal, or any combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the outputting means creates a report based upon the compliance indicator and indicative of at least one patient'"'"'s compliance with at least one of a medical device usage prescription value, a minimum medical device usage value and a measurement cycle compliance value.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing means compares the compliance period value with a compliance warning value, and further comprising outputting means for presenting a warning signal responsive to the compliance period value being equal to the compliance warning value.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the medical device is a ventilator, a pressure support system, an oximeter, a ventilatory support system, an oxygen concentrator, a nebulizer, a humidifier, a phototherapy device, an immersion therapy device, or a physical therapy device.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the means for monitoring usage and the processing means are resident in the medical device.

17. The system of claim 7, further comprising a communication device associated with the medical device, and wherein the means for monitoring usage is resident in the medical device and the processing means is resident in the communication device.

18. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

(e) a communication device associated with the medical device; and

(f) a central database remote from the medical device and in communication therewith via the communication device.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing means determines the actual medical device usage value for the compliance period based upon an actual medical device session usage value determined for each of a plurality of discrete usage sessions.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processing means determines the actual medical device usage value for the compliance period as a sum of the actual medical device session usage values accruing during the compliance period.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processing means applies a weighting factor to at least one actual medical device session usage value.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the weighting factor is variable dependent upon the actual medical device session usage value.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the weighting factor is in a range from 0 to 1.

24. The system of claim 7, wherein the input means is used to provide a minimum medical device usage short session value to the processing means, wherein the processing means (1) compares the actual medical device usage value for a discrete usage session with the minimum medical device usage short session value;

and (2) determines a short session count value based upon the number of usage sessions wherein the actual medical device usage value for the respective usage session is less than the minimum medical device usage short session value.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the processing means compares the short session count value with a short session warning value, and further comprising an outputting means for presenting a warning signal responsive to the short session count value being equal to the short session warning value.

26. A system for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription for a medical device during a compliance period comprising:

(a) a medical device adapted to provide a treatment to a patient;

(b) means for monitoring an actual medical device usage for at least one discrete medical device usage session; and

(c) processing means for (1) comparing the actual medical device usage value for each medical device usage session with the minimum medical device usage short session value and (2) determining an actual medical device usage value for the compliance period by summing the actual medical device usage value for each medical device usage session that is greater than or equal to the minimum medical device usage short session value and subtracting each actual medical device usage value that is less than the minimum medical device usage short session value during the compliance period.

27. A system for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription for a medical device during a compliance period comprising:

(a) a medical device adapted to provide a treatment to a patient;

(b) means for monitoring usage an actual medical device usage for at least one discrete medical device usage session; and

(c) processing means for (1) applying a weighting factor to each actual medical device session usage value to produce a weighted actual medical device session usage value for each medical device usage session, and (2) determining an actual medical device usage value for the compliance period by summing the weighted actual medical device usage values for the medical device usage sessions during the compliance period.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the weighting factor is variable dependent upon the actual medical device session usage value.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the weighting factor is in a range from 0 to 1.

30. A system for tracking and monitoring a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription for a medical device during a compliance period comprising:

(a) a medical device adapted to provide a treatment to a patient;

(b) means for monitoring an actual medical device usage for at least one discrete medical device usage session; and

(c) processing means for (1) comparing the actual medical device usage value for a discrete usage session with a minimum medical device usage short session value, and (2) determining a short session count value based upon the number of usage sessions where the actual medical device usage value for the respective usage session is less than the minimum medical device usage short session value.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the processing means also compares the short session count value with a short session warning value, and further comprising and outputting means for presenting a warning signal responsive to the short session count value being equal to the short session warning value.