Method for sample processing and integrated reporting of dog health diagnosis

• US 7,552,039 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hemopet
• Original Assignee: Hemopet
• Inventors: Dodds, W. Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Brusca; John S
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHALEY, PABLO S
• Application Number:
  US10/932,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20050032034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 703/11
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 20/00 ICT specially adapted for functional genomics or proteomics, e.g. genotype-phenotype associations
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 20/20 Allele or variant detection, e.g. single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] detection
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/00 ICT programming tools or database systems specially adapted for bioinformatics
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/20 Heterogeneous data integration
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A physical blood sample of animal is sent to a satellite laboratory facility. The blood sample is pre-processed into sub-samples of the sample and the sub-samples are coded. The coded blood sub-samples are physically carried to the main laboratory for analysis. The satellite facility electronically inputs a request for a laboratory analysis by a main laboratory. The request is electronically transmitted to the main laboratory, and the main laboratory coordinates the electronically received input from the satellite facility with the physical blood sub-samples. A computer report of the analysis from the laboratory is obtained for the satellite facility. A clinical pathologist with data of physical characteristics of the animal makes a diagnosis. A menu on a computer permits the generation of a supplemental report to support the diagnosis. An integrated computer report having the laboratory analysis, supplemental report, and a pathologist-enhanced report is electronically communicated to the client.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining and electronically delivering a diagnosis of the health of a dog through a combination of computerized data and human interpretation related to the dog comprising:

obtaining data relating to the physical characteristics of the dog, the data being obtained from at least one of a physical inspection, family or breed history of the dog, and submitting the data to a clinical pathologist, the clinical pathologist associated with a satellite facility entering the data into a patient record;

securing a physical blood sample from the dog, and submitting the blood sample for laboratory analysis of the total T4, total T3, free T4, free T3, T3 autoantibody, T4 autoantibody and thyroglobulin autoantibody; and

submitting the blood sample to a satellite facility for laboratory analysis, the satellite facility being at a different location from the main laboratory;

pre-processing the blood sample into sub-samples and coding the sub-samples, the coding being in a form that is electronically readable data through scanning;

physically carrying the coded blood sub-samples to the main laboratory for analysis;

submitting electronically at the satellite facility a request for laboratory analysis to the main laboratory, coordinating at the main laboratory the electronically readable data received from the satellite facility with the physical blood sub-samples;

generating a computer report of the laboratory analysis from the main laboratory;

reporting the analysis to the satellite facility through a network to the clinical pathologist associated with the satellite facility wherein the clinical pathologist has the patient record containing the data relating to the physical characteristics and the clinical pathologist thereby makes a preliminary diagnosis of the dog'"'"'s health;

generating from a menu on a computer screen a supplemental diagnostic report based on the laboratory data and the patient data, the supplemental diagnostic report including the laboratory data to support the preliminary diagnosis wherein the laboratory analytical report is reported in a first computer program and the menu is in a second computer program;

transferring the data from the first computer program to the second computer program;

configuring the second computer program to permit supplementation of the data from the first computer program, wherein the menu includes selectable icons defining predetermined supplemental report characteristics, the characteristics of the selectable icons being such as to be representative of the textual content of the supplementary report, and different selectable icons being individually related to animal characteristics of age and animal grouping;

wherein supplementation of data comprises selection of selectable icons by the clinical pathologist, including selecting the selectable icons for animal characteristics dependant on age and on animal grouping, and selecting the selectable icons for groupings of adult, puppy-adolescent, geriatric, or large breed dog and selecting selectable icons for a disease state, being thyroid disease, the selectable icons being representative of being normal relative to thyroid disease, or abnormal relative to thyroid disease;

establishing optimal levels for thyroid disease analysis, the levels being defined by a range different from a laboratory reference range as presented in the laboratory report, and wherein the adult optimal level of free T3 (FT3) is less than 8 pg/mL and of free T4 (FT4) is less than 3 ng/dL;

assessing thyroid function as part of the preliminary analysis by comparison to the optimal levels to thereby obtain a supplemental report;

enhancing the supplemental report by a further input from the pathologist through data entry based on interpretive analysis of the patient record, laboratory analysis and animal characteristics, to obtain an enhanced diagnostic report in the computer;

obtaining an integrated computer report having the laboratory analysis, supplemental diagnostic report, and an enhanced diagnostic report; and

communicating the integrated computer report indicating thyroid function to a remotely located client, such communicating being electronic.