Apparatus and method for directing internet users to health care information

• US 6,738,754 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edifecs
• Original Assignee: Intermap Systems, Inc. (Healthline Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Norman, James G. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wassum, Luke S
• Application Number:
  US09/425,779
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-3, 707/10, 705/2-4, 600/300-301, 128/920-925, 128/897
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

A method of directing a patient to a source of health care information. The method comprises placing on a prescription sheet an address for the Internet web site, identifying an ailment of the patient and ascertaining an ICD or CPT code associated with the ailment. A key word or an ICD or CPT code associated with the ailment is placed on the prescription sheet and the sheet is given to the patient. The patient is instructed to input the key word or ICD or CPT code into a computer communicating with an Internet web site to obtain information about the ailment. The Internet web site and computer are configured in such a manner that the input of the key word or ICD or CPT code into the computer results in retrieval via the Internet web site of information about the ailment. Further navigation of the information within the database by the patient is made specific for that particular disease at that particular stage in its course through assigning a hierarchical system of priorities based upon the makeup of the ICD and or CPT codes contained within each segment of information.

Claims

1. A method of providing healthcare information to a user comprising:

storing descriptive information about a plurality of ailments in a computer database, the descriptive information comprising one or more of the following;

physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and information about potential complications, the descriptive information about each of the plurality of ailments being associated with a plurality of ICD or CPT codes;

providing a retrieval system accessible by an Internet user using the Internet, the retrieval system being adapted to receive the stored descriptive information associated with one of the ICD or CPT codes upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to said one of the ICD or CPT codes.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising prompting the Internet user to input an ICD or CPT code.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising retrieving from the computer database the descriptive information associated with one of the ICD or CPT codes upon the Internet user initiating a signal corresponding to said one of the ICD or CPT codes.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of initiating a signal corresponding to said one of the ICD or CPT codes comprises inputting th ICD or CPT codes.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4 further comprising providing the retrieved information to the Internet user via the Internet.

6. A method as set forth in claim 3 further comprising providing the retrieved information to the Internet user.

7. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the descriptive information comprises physiological aspects of the ailment.

8. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the descriptive information comprises pathological aspects of the ailment.

9. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the descriptive information comprises information as to whether the ailment is treatable.

10. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the descriptive information comprises information about expected clinical course.

11. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the descriptive information comprises information about potential complications.

12. An Internet navigational system for providing healthcare information to a user comprising:

a computer database having stored therein descriptive information about a plurality of ailments, the descriptive information comprising one or more of the following;

physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and information about potential complications, the descriptive information about each of the plurality of ailments being associated with a plurality of ICD or CPT codes; and

a retrieval system accessible by an Internet user using the Internet, the retrieval system being adapted to retrieve the stored descriptive information associated with one of the ICD or CPT codes upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to said one of ICD or CPT codes.

13. A method comprising:

providing a server, the server being adapted to retrieve descriptive information about a plurality of ailments, the descriptive information comprising on or more of the following;

physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and information about potential complications, the server further being adapted to send to a user terminal communicating with the server via the Internet the descriptive information of any one of the plurality of ailments upon receiving from the user terminal a search query concerning said any one of the plurality of ailments;

associating the descriptive information of each of the plurality of ailments with a plurality of ICD or CPT codes; and

sending the descriptive information of said any one of the plurality of ailments to the user terminal via the Internet, the sending of the descriptive information being initiated by the server receiving from the user terminal the search query.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the descriptive information comprises physiological aspects of the ailment.

15. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the descriptive information comprises pathological aspects of the ailment.

16. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the descriptive information comprises information as to whether the ailment is treatable.

17. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the descriptive information comprises information about expected clinical course.

18. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the descriptive information comprises information about potential complications.

19. A method of searching for healthcare information stored in a computer database, the healthcare information comprising a plurality of healthcare components, the healthcare components comprising a plurality of healthcare components, the healthcare components comprising one or more of the following:

physiological aspects of an ailment, pathological aspects of an ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course concerning an ailment, and information about potential complications concerning an ailment, the healthcare components being associated with a plurality of ICD or CPT codes, the method comprising;

accessing via the Internet a retrieval system, the retrieval system being adapted to retrieve the healthcare components associated with any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes upon receiving a signal, the signal corresponding to said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes;

inputting the signal in a manner such that the retrieval sysytem retrieves the healthcare components associated wit said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes.

20. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the step of inputting the signal comprises inputting said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes.

21. An Internet navigation system for providing healthcare information to a user, the Internet navigation system being adapted for use with a computer database having stored therein descriptive information about a plurality of ailments, each ailment being associated with at least one ICD or CPT code, the Internet navigational system comprising:

a retrieval system accessible by an Internet user using the Internet, the retrieval sysytem being configured and adapted to retrieve the stored descriptive information corresponding to one of the ailments upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to one of the ailments upon a user initiating a signal corresponding to the at least one ICD or CPT code associated with such ailment, the descriptive information stored in the computer database comprising one or more of the following;

physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and information about potential complications.

22. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the descriptive information comprises physiological aspects of the ailment.

23. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the descriptive information comprises pathological aspects of the ailment.

24. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the descriptive information comprises information as to whether the ailment is treatable.

25. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the descriptive information comprises information about expected clinical course.

26. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the descriptive information comprises information about potential complications.