METHOD FOR CLINICIAN HOUSE CALLS UTILIZING PORTABLE COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT

• US 20120215443A1
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gresham Bayne
• Original Assignee: Cary Gresham Bayne
• Inventors: Bayne, Cary Gresham
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/491
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

Mobile clinicians conduct in-home patient visits utilizing on-site diagnostic and treatment equipment, where service is enhanced by the use of portable computing and communications equipment. A mobile care entity provides mobile clinicians, preprogrammed portable computers. Each portable computer updates patient data in the local storage utilizing a wireless communications device to download updates from a central storage facility. The entity selects a mobile clinician and dispatches him/her to the patient'"'"'s premises. The clinician visits the patient'"'"'s premises accompanied by an assortment of electronic diagnostic and treatment devices The mobile clinician utilizes various diagnostic devices to prepare machine-readable reports of related aspects of the patient'"'"'s condition. The clinician directs the portable computer to perform follow-up tasks including: (1) electronically collecting the prepared reports and graphically presenting them in human-readable form, (2) storing a machine-readable medical record, and (3) utilizing the wireless device to transmit the reports and records.

Claims

1. A method of providing medical treatment by clinicians, comprising operations of:

a mobile care entity providing a network of predesignated mobile clinicians;

the mobile care entity providing the clinicians with use of preprogrammed portable computers, each portable computer coupled to a wireless communications interface and including local storage of patient medical records;

determining a current location of the clinicians using GPS self-locating devices located with each of the clinicians;

receiving at the mobile care entity the current locations of the clinicians using the GPS devices;

in response to the mobile care entity receiving a request for medical services from a patient at the patient'"'"'s premises, and selecting one of the clinicians in view of the requested medical services and the current locations of the clinicians, the mobile care entity sending a notification signal to the selected clinician using a wireless medical care provider electronic paging device for dispatching the selected clinician to the patient'"'"'s premises; and

the mobile care entity sending the requesting patient'"'"'s medical record to the selected clinician'"'"'s portable computer,

whereby the requesting patient can more promptly and efficiently receive attention.

2. The method of claim 1, further including generating directions to the patient by utilizing the present position and the patient location information.

3. The method of claim 1, further including receiving a dispatch notice for the requesting patient at the selected clinician'"'"'s portable computer in response to the request for medical care at the patient'"'"'s premises.

4. The method of claim 1, further including prior to arrival of the appropriate clinician at the requesting patient'"'"'s premises, wirelessly downloading to the selected clinician'"'"'s portable computer from a remote central storage facility the requesting patient'"'"'s medical record to enable the selected clinician to provide attention to the requesting patient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications interface includes a mobile digital telephone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications interface comprising a radio frequency transceiver.