Dynamic Forms

• US 20130041677A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everhealth Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DrChrono.com Inc. (EverCommerce, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nusimow, Michael, Kivatinos, Daniel E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,573,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• 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 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and apparatus for development and use of a medical form. One example system receives a request on a first computer to create the medical form. The medical form includes user selected fields corresponding to patient information. The system further receives signals on the first computer, where the signals describe form fields for the medical form. The system communicates the medical form from the first computer to the first tablet device for display on the first tablet device. The system receives form values, wherein at least some of the form values correspond to information about an appointment. Responsive to receiving a completion signal, the system generates a clinical narrative for the appointment using the completed form values.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for development and use of a medical form, the method comprising:

receiving a request on a first computer to create the medical form, the medical form including user selected fields corresponding to patient information;

receiving a plurality of signals on the first computer, the signals describing a portion of the form fields for the medical form;

providing a portion of the medical form from the first computer to the first tablet device for display on the first tablet device;

receiving form values, wherein at least some of the form values correspond to information about an appointment; and

responsive to receiving a completion signal, generating a clinical narrative for the appointment using the completed form values.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first computer is different from the tablet computer, wherein the medical form includes a custom form for a medical practice group, and wherein the receiving a first plurality of signals on the first computer further includes receiving signals defining selected form fields corresponding to specific patient visit information for the medical practice group.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a set of billing codes is associated with at least some of the form fields, wherein a billing code corresponds to a set of activities in an appointment, and where a billing process is initiated after the clinical narrative is generated.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a sign off signal indicating that the clinical narrative for an appointment has been signed off.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the form is associated with a group of forms that define a workflow.

6. A method for managing medical records and forms, the system including a computer, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of form definition signals, wherein groups of form definition signals correspond to different medical forms for different medical practice groups, the form definition signals further defining form fields for the different medical forms;

receiving a plurality of form field values from a plurality of tablet computers, the form field values corresponding to different patient appointments in the different medical practice groups;

generating medical narratives from the form field values.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the computer provides an interactive interface to define the type and arrangement of form fields, and the look of a medical form when displayed on a tablet computer.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the form fields include form fields for text fields, number fields, blood pressure fields, and radio button fields.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the form fields include tri-state form fields that, for completion, require a selection between one of a first state, a second state, or a blank state.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein at least one set of medical forms is grouped into a workflow for a medical practice group.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein medical forms include medical forms selected and customized from other medical forms.

12. A system for managing and storing medical forms, the system comprising:

a first computer storing a medical form, the medical form including a set of fields, a description of the display of the medical form, the form being customized for a medical practice group;

a tablet computer having an application, the application for accessing and displaying the medical form, the application further for receiving form field values and for transmitting the field values to the first computer, the application restricts access to at least some of the fields.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the application supports access to multiple different accounts within a medical practice group, wherein at least some accounts have restricted access to some of the form fields.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the application supports a staff account and a doctor account and wherein the staff account does not have access to all the form fields that the doctor account can access.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising a program to accept input from a patient, wherein at a first time the program displays an image indicating that the tablet computer should be passed to a patient and at a second time, the program displays an image indicating that the tablet computer should be passed to a medical practitioner.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising a program to resolve conflicts where two values have been simultaneously edited for the same field and same appointment.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein a medical form can be associated with a set of billing codes and billing rules and where the system provides an indication when sufficient form fields have been completed to satisfy at least a billing rule.

18. A computer-implemented method for onboarding a patient using a tablet computer, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal on the tablet computer, the first signal identifying the patient on the tablet computer;

receiving a second signal indicating that input will be received from the patient;

displaying an first indication to present the tablet computer to the patient;

presenting portions of a medical form, the medical form including fields, and permitting editing in some fields and commenting on other fields;

receiving an third signal indicating the patient has completed the form;

displaying a second indication to return the tablet computer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first indication includes a graphical representation of transferring the tablet computer to a patient and the second indication includes a graphical representation of transferring the tablet computer to a medical group staff member.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the first signal corresponds to patient identifying information, the second signal corresponds to a signal to allow editing of some fields, commenting on some fields, and locking out certain fields from editing, and the third signal indicates that the patient has completed filling out some of the fields.