SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RESPONDING TO HEALTHCARE INQUIRIES

• US 20190311814A1
• Filed: 02/04/2019
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Curai, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Curai, Inc.
• Inventors: KANNAN, Anitha, RAVURI, Murali, RODRIGUES, Vitor, VENKATARAMAN, Vignesh, TSO, Geoffrey, KHOSLA, Neal, HUNT, Neil, AMATRIAIN, Xavier, CHABLANI, Manish, SONTAG, David, UDAY, Viraj
• Granted Patent: US 10,847,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• 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 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for responding to a healthcare inquiry from a user are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for responding to a healthcare inquiry from a user, according to a set of instructions stored on a memory of a computing device and executed by a processor of the computing device, the method comprising the steps of: classifying an intent of the user based on the healthcare inquiry; identifying the intent as a need to obtain a dermatological diagnosis or treatment; soliciting, from the user and via the computing device, an image of the user'"'"'s skin area to be diagnosed or treated; instantiating an image classification system to identify a dermatological disease from the image; and presenting one or more medical recommendations to the user based on the identified dermatological disease.

Claims

1. A method for responding to a healthcare inquiry from a user, according to a set of instructions stored on a memory of a computing device and executed by a processor of the computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the computing device, the healthcare inquiry from the user;

determining and classifying, by the computing device, an intent of the user based on the healthcare inquiry;

identifying, by the computing device, the intent as a need to obtain a dermatological diagnosis or treatment;

soliciting, from the user and by the computing device, an image of the user'"'"'s skin area to be diagnosed or treated;

receiving the image from the user and by the computing device;

identifying, by the computing device, a dermatological disease from the received image by instantiating an image classification system;

determining, by the computing device, one or more medical recommendations based on the identified dermatological disease;

obtaining, by the computing device, a medical expert'"'"'s approval of the one or more medical recommendations; and

presenting, by the computing device, the approved one or more medical recommendations to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image classification system uses a Deep Learning technique to identify the dermatological disease.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image classification system uses prototypical clustering networks to identify the dermatological disease.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the presenting step, determining, by the computing device, a confidence level of each of the approved one or more medical recommendations.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, when the confidence level is below a predetermined threshold, eliciting, by a conversational engine, information from the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the eliciting step includes invoking a natural language understanding engine.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the information is in the form of at least one of text, speech, imagery, sound, and medical test results.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the information includes at least one of user'"'"'s medical history and the user'"'"'s symptoms.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the conversational engine is one of a diagnosis conversational engine, an information conversational engine, a referral conversational engine, and a treatment conversational engine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting step comprises invoking at least one of a diagnosis engine and a knowledge base.

11. (canceled)

12. An article of manufacture for responding to a healthcare inquiry from a user, the article of manufacture comprising at least one processor readable storage medium storing a computer program of instructions configured to be readable by at least one processor for instructing the at least one processor to operate so as to:

receive the healthcare inquiry from the user;

determine and classify an intent of the user based on the healthcare inquiry;

identify the intent as a need to obtain a dermatological diagnosis or treatment;

solicit, from the user, an image of the user'"'"'s skin area to be diagnosed or treated;

receive the image from the user;

identify a dermatological disease from the received image by instantiating an image classification system;

determine one or more medical recommendations based on the identified dermatological disease;

obtain a medical expert'"'"'s approval of the one or more medical recommendations; and

present the approved one or more medical recommendations to the user.

13. A system for responding to a healthcare inquiry from a user, the system comprising:

memory for storing instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to;

receive the healthcare inquiry from the user;

determine and classify an intent of the user based on the healthcare inquiry;

identify the intent as a need to obtain a dermatological diagnosis or treatment;

solicit, from the user and via the computing device, an image of the user'"'"'s skin area to be diagnosed or treated;

receive the image from the user;

identify a dermatological disease from the received image by instantiating an image classification system;

determine one or more medical recommendations based on the identified dermatological disease;

obtain a medical expert'"'"'s approval of the one or more medical recommendations; and

present the approved one or more medical recommendations to the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the image classification system uses a Deep Learning technique to identify the dermatological disease.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the image classification system uses prototypical clustering networks to identify the dermatological disease.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to, prior to presenting the approved one or more medical recommendations, determining a confidence level of each of the approved one or more medical recommendations.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to, when the confidence level is below a predetermined threshold, elicit, by a conversational engine, information from the user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to invoke a natural language understanding engine to elicit the information from the user.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the information is in the form of at least one of text, speech, imagery, sound, and medical test results.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the information includes at least one of user'"'"'s medical history and the user'"'"'s symptoms.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the conversational engine is one of a diagnosis conversational engine, an information conversational engine, a referral conversational engine, and a treatment conversational engine.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to invoke at least one of a diagnosis engine and a knowledge base prior to presenting the one or more medical recommendations to the user.

23. (canceled)