HEALTH PRESENCE LOCAL MANAGEMENT INTERFACE

• US 20110161475A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yang, Shawn Hsiao-Ping, Hemmady, Srikant G., Raghavendran, Vijayakumar
• Granted Patent: US 8,468,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring a first current status of a communication link coupling a first health-presence unit at a first physical location to a second health-presence unit at a second physical location remote from the first physical location for a remote health-service session. The remote health-service session includes a health-service provider at the second physical location providing a health service to a patient at the first physical location. The method includes monitoring a second current status of the health device of the first health-presence unit and communicating data indicating the first current status and the second current status to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider to facilitate assessment by the health-service provider of a usefulness of the health device to the health-service provider during the health-service session in light of the first or second current status.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

monitor a first current status of a communication link coupling a first health-presence unit at a first physical location to a second health-presence unit at a second physical location remote from the first physical location for a remote health-service session, the remote health-service session comprising a health-service provider at the second physical location providing a health service to a patient at the first physical location, the first current status relating to a current capability of the communication link to communicate commands or data between the first and second health-presence units to support reliable use by the health-service provider of a health device of the first health-presence unit on the patient during the health-service session;

monitor a second current status of the health device of the first health-presence unit, the second current status relating to a current capability of the health device to be reliably used by the health-service provider on the patient during the health-service session;

communicate data indicating the first current status and the second current status to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider to facilitate assessment by the health-service provider of a usefulness of the health device to the health-service provider during the health-service session in light of the first or second current status.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the media resides at an integrated-services router of the first health-presence unit.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the media collectively resides at an integrated-services router and a medical-device aggregator of the first health-presence unit.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein:

the health device communicates data using a first communication protocol; and

the software is further operable when executed to;

convert data communicated from the health device from the first communication protocol to a second communication protocol; and

communicate to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider data from the health device using the second communication protocol.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

detect coupling of a new health device to the first health-presence unit;

validate the new health device for use with the first health-presence unit based on a set of predetermined criteria;

determine one or more attributes of the new health device;

communicate to a management unit data concerning the attributes of the new health device;

receive from the management unit data for configuration of the new health device for use with the first health-presence unit; and

configure the new health device using the data for configuration of the new health device.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the communication link coupling the first and second health-presence units to each other is a peer-to-peer link.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

obtain from a session manager a network address of the second health-presence unit; and

establish the communication link coupling the first and second health-presence units to each other using the network address of the second health-presence unit.

8. A method comprising:

monitoring, by one or more computer systems, a first current status of a communication link coupling a first health-presence unit at a first physical location to a second health-presence unit at a second physical location remote from the first physical location for a remote health-service session, the remote health-service session comprising a health-service provider at the second physical location providing a health service to a patient at the first physical location, the first current status relating to a current capability of the communication link to communicate commands or data between the first and second health-presence units to support reliable use by the health-service provider of a health device of the first health-presence unit on the patient during the health-service session;

monitoring, by the one or more computer systems, a second current status of the health device of the first health-presence unit, the second current status relating to a current capability of the health device to be reliably used by the health-service provider on the patient during the health-service session;

communicating, by the one or more computer systems, data indicating the first current status and the second current status to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider to facilitate assessment by the health-service provider of a usefulness of the health device to the health-service provider during the health-service session in light of the first or second current status.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more computer systems reside at an integrated-services router of the first health-presence unit.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more computer systems collectively resides at an integrated-services router and a medical-device aggregator of the first health-presence unit.

11. The method of claim 8,

wherein:

the health device communicates data using a first communication protocol; and

further comprising;

converting data communicated from the health device from the first communication protocol to a second communication protocol; and

communicating to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider data from the health device using the second communication protocol.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting coupling of a new health device to the first health-presence unit;

validating the new health device for use with the first health-presence unit based on a set of predetermined criteria;

determining one or more attributes of the new health device;

communicating to a management unit data concerning the attributes of the new health device;

receiving from the management unit data for configuration of the new health device for use with the first health-presence unit; and

configuring the new health device using the data for configuration of the new health device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication link coupling the first and second health-presence units to each other is a peer-to-peer link.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining from a session manager a network address of the second health-presence unit; and

establishing the communication link coupling the first and second health-presence units to each other using the network address of the second health-presence unit.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface;

a memory comprising instructions executable by one or more processors; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory and operable to execute the instructions, the one or more processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

monitor a first current status of a communication link coupling a first health-presence unit at a first physical location to a second health-presence unit at a second physical location remote from the first physical location for a remote health-service session, the remote health-service session comprising a health-service provider at the second physical location providing a health service to a patient at the first physical location, the first current status relating to a current capability of the communication link to communicate commands or data between the first and second health-presence units to support reliable use by the health-service provider of a health device of the first health-presence unit on the patient during the health-service session;

monitor a second current status of the health device of the first health-presence unit, the second current status relating to a current capability of the health device to be reliably used by the health-service provider on the patient during the health-service session;

communicate data indicating the first current status and the second current status to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider to facilitate assessment by the health-service provider of a usefulness of the health device to the health-service provider during the health-service session in light of the first or second current status.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions resides at an integrated-services router of the first health-presence unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions collectively resides at an integrated-services router and a medical-device aggregator of the first health-presence unit.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the health device communicates data using a first communication protocol; and

the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to;

convert data communicated from the health device from the first communication protocol to a second communication protocol; and

communicate to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider data from the health device using the second communication protocol.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

detect coupling of a new health device to the first health-presence unit;

validate the new health device for use with the first health-presence unit based on a set of predetermined criteria;

determine one or more attributes of the new health device;

communicate to a management unit data concerning the attributes of the new health device;

receive from the management unit data for configuration of the new health device for use with the first health-presence unit; and

configure the new health device using the data for configuration of the new health device.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication link coupling the first and second health-presence units to each other is a peer-to-peer link.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

obtain from a session manager a network address of the second health-presence unit; and

establish the communication link coupling the first and second health-presence units to each other using the network address of the second health-presence unit.

22. A system comprising:

a first health-presence unit at a first physical location, the first health-presence unit comprising;

a first communication interface;

a first memory comprising first instructions executable by one or more first processors; and

one or more first processors coupled to the first memory and operable to execute the first instructions, the one or more first processors being operable when executing the first instructions to;

monitor a first current status of a communication link coupling a first health-presence unit at a first physical location to a second health-presence unit at a second physical location remote from the first physical location for a remote health-service session, the remote health-service session comprising a health-service provider at the second physical location providing a health service to a patient at the first physical location, the first current status relating to a current capability of the communication link to communicate commands or data between the first and second health-presence units to support reliable use by the health-service provider of a health device of the first health-presence unit on the patient during the health-service session;

monitor a second current status of the health device of the first health-presence unit, the second current status relating to a current capability of the health device to be reliably used by the health-service provider on the patient during the health-service session;

communicate data indicating the first current status and the second current status to the second health-presence unit for presentation to the health-service provider to facilitate assessment by the health-service provider of a usefulness of the health device to the health-service provider during the health-service session in light of the first or second current status; and

the second health-presence unit at the second physical location, the second health-presence unit comprising;

a second communication interface;

a second memory comprising second instructions executable by one or more second processors; and

one or more second processors coupled to the second memory and operable to execute the second instructions, the one or more second processors being operable when executing the second instructions to;

receive the data indicating the first current status and the second current status from the first health-presence unit; and

display or cause to be displayed to the health-service provider the data indicating the first current status and the second current status to facilitate assessment by the health-service provider of a usefulness of the health device to the health-service provider during the health-service session in light of the first or second current status.