System And Method For Patient Identification In A Remote Monitoring System

• US 20120185268A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Wiesner, Joel D., Gaines, Robert B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,903,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/243 using M+N parallel active paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A patient monitoring system for remote monitoring of medical devices. The system includes a medical device, a patient identification device and a wireless relay module. The relay module receives patient identification information from the patient identification device and medical device identification from the medical device via a wireless relay network, and transmits this information to the remote monitoring device via an internet-accessible wireless communications network. The remote monitoring device returns an acknowledgement status to the relay module, which the relay module transmits to the medical device. Upon receipt of an acknowledgment status indicating that the patient'"'"'s use of the medical device is authorized, the medical device transmits medical device data to the relay module via the wireless relay network, and the relay module relays the medical device data to the remote monitoring device via the internet-accessible wireless communications network.

Claims

19. The process of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

storing one or more of the patient identification information and the medical device identification information by the wireless relay module.

20. The process of claim 19, wherein the wireless relay module transmits the patient identification information and the medical device identification information together in a single information block.

21. The process of claim 18, further comprising the step of transmitting one or more of the patient identification information or the medical device identification information via the internet-accessible wireless communications network from the wireless relay module to the remote monitoring device.

22. The process of claim 21, wherein the wireless relay module transmits the patient identification information or medical device identification information to at least one other wireless relay module and the at least one other wireless relay module forwards the identification information via the internet-accessible wireless communications network to the remote monitoring device.

26. The process of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting a prompt for the medical device identification information by the wireless relay module to the medical device; and

transmitting a prompt for the patient identification information by the wireless relay module to one on the medical device or to a patient identification device.

27. The process of claim 26, wherein the patient identification information and the medical device identification information is transmitted by the wireless relay module in a single information block.

28. The process of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

receiving the medical device identification information from the medical device at the wireless relay module,

wherein the step of transmitting the prompt for the patient identification information by the wireless relay module occurs after the step of receiving the medical device information by the wireless relay module.

29. The process of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

receiving the patient identification information from the medical device or the patient identification device by the wireless relay module,

wherein the step of transmitting the medical device identification information and the patient identification information by the wireless relay device module occurs after the steps of receiving the medical device identification information and receiving the patient identification information by the wireless relay module.

30. The process of claim 29, wherein the step of transmitting the medical device identification information and the patient identification information by the wireless relay module is performed after performing the additional step of:

determining that the value of an indicator of an elapsed time at the wireless relay module between the steps of transmitting the prompt for the patient identification and receiving the patient identification information is within a predetermined time-out period.

31. A patient monitoring system configured for providing communications between medical devices used by patients and a remote monitoring device via an internet-accessible wireless communications network, said system comprising:

a medical device to be used by a patient;

a patient identification device capable of receiving an input indicative of patient identification information of the patient and of transmitting the patient identification information; and

at least one relay module comprising;

a first receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data over a wireless relay network;

a second receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data over the internet-accessible wireless communications network

a first transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting the received data to a wireless relay module over the wireless relay network;

a second transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting the received data over an internet-accessible wireless communications network to the remote monitoring device; and

a controller coupled to the first and second transmitters, wherein;

one or more of the patient identification device and the medical device are capable of transmitting patient identification data and medical device identification data to the at least one relay module over the wireless relay network,

said controller of said at least one relay module is configured to select one of said first transmitter or said second transmitter for transmitting the identification information to the remote monitoring device,

said at least one relay module being further configured to receive an acknowledgement status transmitted by the remote monitoring device at one of said first and second receivers, and to transmit the acknowledgement status by said first transmitter to the medical device over the wireless relay network, and

the medical device being further configured to receive the acknowledgement status and transmit medical device data corresponding to an output of at least one sensor of the medical device to the at least one relay module via the wireless relay network when the received acknowledgement status represents a particular status.

1. A process for providing communications between a medical device to be used by a patient and a remote monitoring device via an internet-accessible wireless communications network, said process comprising the steps of:

obtaining identification information identifying the patient;

obtaining identification information identifying the medical device

transmitting each of the patient identification information and the medical device identification information to the remote monitoring device via the internet-accessible wireless communications network;

receiving an acknowledgement status from the remote monitoring device via the internet-accessible wireless communications network; and

transmitting data corresponding to an output of at least one sensor of the medical device for said patient by the medical device via the internet-accessible wireless communications network when the received acknowledgement status represents a particular status.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said particular status represents an authorization of use of the medical device by the patient based upon a pre-authorization record for the patient.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of encrypting the patient identification information prior to transmitting the patient identification information to the remote monitoring device.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of encrypting the medical device identification information prior to transmitting the medical device information to the remote monitoring device.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting the patient identification information to the remote monitoring device comprises the steps of:

receiving the patient identification information at the medical device; and

transmitting the patient identification information from the medical device via the internet-accessible wireless communications network to the remote monitoring device.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the medical device performs said step of transmitting the medical device identification information to the remote monitoring device.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein the patient identification information and the medical device identification information are transmitted by the medical device to the remote monitoring device in a single information block.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the patient identification information comprises reading the patient identification information by a patient identification information reader.

9. The process of claim 8, further comprising the step of coupling the patient identification information reader to the medical device.

10. The process of claim 8, further comprising the step of transmitting the patient identification information from the patient identification information reader to the medical device via a wireless relay network.

11. The process of claim 8, further comprising the step of transmitting the patient identification information from the patient identification information reader to a wireless relay module via a wireless relay network.

12. The process of claim 10, further comprising the step of providing wireless bandwidth priority for the patient identification information reader by the medical device.

13. The process of claim 11, further comprising the step of providing wireless bandwidth priority for the patient identification information reader by the relay module.

14. The process of claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining the patient identification information comprises reading bar-coded reader patient identification information.

15. The process of claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining the patient identification information comprises reading a radio frequency identification (RFID).

16. The process of claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining the patient identification information comprises obtaining one or more sources of identification information from the group consisting of fingerprints, retinal scans, vein-pattern scans and optical images.

17. The process of claim 8, wherein the patient identification information reader comprises a device selected from the group consisting of smartphones, tablet computers, PDA'"'"'s and PCs.18. The process of claim 1, wherein one or more of the steps of transmitting the patient identification information or transmitting the medical device identification information to the remote device comprises the step of transmitting the identification information via a wireless relay module.

23. The process of claim 1, wherein said particular status represents an authorized use of the medical device by the patient obtained in response to a confirmation query conducted by the remote monitoring device.

24. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

transmitting a confirmation query request to the remote monitoring device via the internet-accessible wireless communications network.

25. The process of claim 24, wherein the confirmation query request comprises authorization identification information.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the acknowledgment status is received in a first form at one of said first or second receivers of the at least one relay module, and is transmitted in a second form by said first transmitter of the at least one relay module to the medical device.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said controller is capable of determining a status of said internet-accessible wireless communications network and of selecting one of said first or second transmitter for transmitting said received data based on said status.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein said controller is configured to transmit said received information via the internet-accessible wireless communications network by said second transmitter if said status satisfies a particular criteria;

and is configured to transmit said received information by said first transmitter in communication with said wireless relay network if said status fails to satisfy said particular criteria.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein said at least one relay module further comprises:

a memory electrically connected to said controller, said memory capable of buffering operating instructions from said remote monitoring device at one of said first and second receivers and said controller capable of controlling at least one of the order and or the priority for transmission of said buffered operating instructions by said first transmitter to the medical device,

wherein said at least one relay module is further capable of outputting warnings or error messages concerning a current availability of one or more of the wireless relay network and the internet-accessible wireless communications network.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein said second transmitter is further capable of transmitting operating instructions to said at least one medical device.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein said wireless relay network is a ZIGBEE network.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein said internet-accessible wireless communications network is a mobile communications network.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein said mobile communications network is a CDMA or GSM-based network.

40. The system of claim 31, wherein one or more of the patient identification device and the medical device comprises:

a third transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting said medical device data over said wireless relay network.

41. The system of claim 31, wherein one or more of the patient identification device and the medical device comprises:

a third receiver capable of wirelessly receiving instructions over said wireless relay network for execution by said medical device.

42. The system of claim 31, wherein said particular status provides a real-time authorization of use of the medical device by the patient based upon a pre-authorization record for the patient.

43. The system of claim 31, wherein:

one or more of the patient identification device, the medical device or the at least one relay module is capable of encrypting the patient identification information prior to transmitting the patient identification information to the remote monitoring device.

44. The system of claim 31, wherein:

one or more of the medical device or the at least one relay module are capable of encrypting the medical device identification information prior to transmitting the medical device identification information to the remote monitoring device.

45. The system of claim 31, wherein the patient identification device is coupled to the medical device, and the medical device is capable of receiving the patient identification information from the patient identification device and transmitting the patient identification information to the at least one relay module.

46. The system of claim 31, wherein the wireless relay network is a BLUETOOTH network.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the medical device is capable of associating the patient identification information with the medical device information.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the medical device is capable of transmitting the patient identification information and the medical device identification information in a single information block.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the patient identification information reader is coupled to the medical device.

50. The system of claim 48, wherein the patient identification information reader comprises a barcode reader.

51. The system of claim 48, wherein the patient identification information reader comprises a radio frequency identification tag reader.

52. The system of claim 48, wherein the patient identification information reader comprises a device selected from the group consisting of fingerprint readers, retinal readers, vein-pattern scanners and cameras.

53. The system of claim 48, wherein the patient identification information reader comprises a device selected from the group consisting of smartphones, tablet computers, PDA'"'"'s and PCs.

54. The system of claim 35, wherein said memory of the at least one relay module is further capable of storing one or more of the received patient identification information or the received medical device identification information.

55. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one relay module is further capable of transmitting the patient identification information and the medical device identification information in a single information block.

56. The system of claim 45, wherein the medical device further comprises a memory and is capable of storing the patient identification information received from the patient identification device in the memory of the medical device.

57. The system of claim 45, wherein the patient identification device is an integral component of or fixedly attached to the medical device.

58. The process of claim 25, wherein the authorization identification information comprises authorization identification information of at least one of the patient or an authorized caregiver.

59. The process of claim 25, wherein the authorization identification information comprises a PIN code.

48-1. The system of claim 31, wherein said patient identification device further comprises a patient identification information reader for receiving the input indicative of patient identification information.