Method and apparatus for case building and presentation of healthcare procedures

• US 7,756,727 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2000
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carestream Dental Technology Topco Limited
• Original Assignee: CareStream Health Incorporated
• Inventors: Frizzell, Jon David, Greenspan, Larry A., Howard, Brian, Mallot, Steven Michael, Reed, Deborah Louise
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor; Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PORTER, RACHEL L
• Application Number:
  US09/722,962
• Time in Patent Office: 3,515 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A presentation detailing a recommended course of treatment to a patient, frequently referred to as a case, is constructed with a single action. The presentation describes recommended healthcare procedures for a given patient using information specific to that patient'"'"'s healthcare record. The presentation is constructed by assembling information on the recommended healthcare procedures and all necessary clinical and financial information for the patient stored in a healthcare management desktop application into a template having a format accepted by any standard presentation software program. Finally, using the presentation software program, the recommended course of treatment is presented to the patient. In addition, the presentation software program includes tools to permit customization and storage of each constructed presentation.

Claims

1. A method for generating and tracking presentations for a dental patient describing a recommended course of dental treatment comprising of at least one dental procedure, the method comprising the steps of:

providing and starting a presentation tool in a computer having a display;

providing at least one master template configured for display as a dental presentation on said computer display;

wherein said master template;

(a) includes general information to be shown in every presentation;

(b) designates a common theme or look for the presentation;

(c) presents common information in a consistent manner on every presentation;

(d) controls the order of the information in the presentation; and

(e) reduces the possibility of errors in the information presentation;

loading the dental presentation master template into the presentation tool;

providing the dental presentation master template with at least one specific dental procedure indicator for use as a point of incorporation for specific dental information on the recommended course of treatment;

inserting in each template at least one general information indicator for use as a point of incorporation for general information on the dental patient;

incorporating specific dental information about the specific dental procedure from the recommended course of treatment for the dental patient into the template, wherein incorporating specific dental information comprises the steps of

i. scanning the template for a marker, wherein the marker identifies dental information specific to the dental patient and the marker identifies an insertion point in the template;

ii. retrieving dental information specific to the dental patient identified by the marker from the dental desktop application;

iii. inserting the retrieved dental information specific to the dental patient into the template a the insertion point identified by the marker; and

iv. repeating the steps of scanning, retrieving and inserting for each marker in the template;

incorporating the general information on the dental patient into at least one template;

generating a dental presentation using at least one template with the incorporated specific dental information and the general information on the dental patient with one step, wherein the dental presentation is generated utilizing the computer;

storing the dental presentation in a dental desktop application on the computer;

presenting the dental presentation to the dental patient without presenting a graphic simulation of the treatment of the patient; and

updating records of the individual in the dental desktop application to correspond to the indicated at least one dental procedure accepted by the individual in the presentation tool.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of initiating with a single action the steps of selecting a template, incorporating specific dental information on the recommended course of treatment on dental procedures and general information on the dental patient, and storing the presentation in a single action.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of editing the dental presentation to add additional dental procedures.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

adding a plug-in tool bar to be used with the templates, wherein the plug-in tool bar enables information to be exchanged between the dental desktop application and the dental presentation; and

editing the dental presentation with the plug-in tool bar.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of editing the dental presentation comprises at least one of the steps of:

adding other information to the dental presentation;

removing information from the dental presentation; and

changing information in the dental presentation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating a list of recommended dental procedures for the dental patient, wherein the recommended dental procedures are previously entered into the dental desktop application as being recommended for the dental patient; and

selecting at least one recommended dental procedure from the list of recommended dental procedures for inclusion in the recommended course of treatment.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of using the dental desktop application to select automatically all recommended dental procedures in the list of recommended dental procedures for inclusion in the recommended course of treatment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of editing the list of recommended dental procedures to include the dental procedure for the dental patient.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of forming the template includes automatically selecting the template by the dental desktop application.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of incorporating the dental procedure into the template includes for each dental procedure, the steps of:

retrieving a procedure information file for the dental procedure, wherein the procedure information file includes a plurality of details related to the dental procedure including a member of the group comprising;

test data, time for the procedure, medications for the procedure, post procedure follow up and combinations thereof; and

inserting the procedure information file into the dental template.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of editing the procedure information file prior to inserting the procedure information file into the dental template.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the dental presentation in the dental desktop application includes the step of integrating the dental presentation into dental desktop application records for the dental patient.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

indicating at least one dental procedure of the recommended course of treatment was accepted by the dental patient; and

updating records of the dental desktop application records for the dental patient to correspond to the indicated accepted dental procedure.

14. A system for generating and displaying a dental presentation describing a recommended course of treatment having at least one dental procedure for a dental patient, the system comprising:

at least one computer, wherein said at least one computer comprises at least one memory device, a dental desktop application stored in said at least one memory device, a display, and a presentation tool stored in said at least one memory device;

a one step selection, merger and storage application for selecting a master template for a dental presentation, wherein said master template;

(a) includes general information to be shown in every presentation;

(b) designates a common theme or look for the presentation;

(c) presents common information in a consistent manner on every presentation;

(d) controls the order of the information in the presentation; and

(e) reduces the possibility of errors in the information presentation;

wherein the dental presentation master template is loaded into the presentation tool; and

wherein said template includes at least one slide being configured for display, wherein at least one slide comprises information on at least one dental procedure in a recommended course of treatment for a dental patient, wherein the patient specific dental information from said dental desktop application is incorporated into said plurality of slides as a dental presentation, and wherein said dental presentation is stored in said at least one memory device;

a merger application that is adapted to exchange of information between the dental desktop application and the template, wherein the merger application comprises;

i. a scanner for scanning in information; and

ii. at least one marker for identifying dental information specific to the dental patient and the marker identifying an insertion point into the dental presentation for the dental information specific to the patient; and

wherein the merger application retrieves dental information specific to the patient identified by the marker from the dental desktop application; and

the merger application inserts the retrieved dental information specific to the patient into the insertion point identified by said marker;

a presentation tool for presenting said dental presentation to said dental patient without presenting a graphic simulation of the treatment of the patient; and

a tracking tool, wherein when at least one dental procedure of said recommended course of treatment is accepted by a dental patient in the patient records in the dental desktop application correspond to the accepted dental procedure.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the selection, merger, and storage application in a single action further incorporates general patient information into the dental presentation.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the presentation tool further comprises:

a program for creating a presentation;

an editor for modifying a presentation; and

a tool for displaying the presentation.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising

a plug-in tool bar for enabling an exchange of information between the dental desktop application and the dental presentation;

and

an interface for the editor for modifying, adding, or changing information in the dental presentation using the plug-in tool bar.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said dental desktop application comprise an automatic selection system for the template.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a list generation program for generating a list of recommended dental procedures for the dental patient from a list of recommended dental procedures having entered into said dental desktop application for the dental patient; and

selection criteria for selecting certain dental procedures from the list of recommended dental procedures for inclusion in said recommended course of treatment.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the dental desktop application automatically selects all recommended dental procedures in said list of recommended dental procedures for inclusion in said recommended course of treatment.

21. The system of claim 14, further comprising an indicator configured to indicate a point of incorporation for at least one slide having specific dental information on at least one dental procedure included in a recommended course of treatment.

22. The system of claim 14, further comprising a plug-in tool bar, wherein said plug in toolbar facilitates an exchange of information between said dental desktop application and the dental templates.

23. The system of claim 14, further comprising a list of dental templates in said dental desktop application and a program for selecting the dental template from said displayed list.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the information on at least one dental procedure comprises:

instructions for obtaining a dental procedure included in said recommended course of treatment; and

a program to retrieve a procedure information file for the dental procedure, wherein the procedure information file comprises information on said dental procedure and insert the procedure information file into the dental template.

25. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

an editor for editing information on the dental procedure in said procedure information file.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the dental presentation stored in the at least one memory device comprises an integrator for integrating said dental presentation into dental desktop application records for said dental patient.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said dental presentation incorporates information from a dental database on at least one of a name and address of a dental practice, a list of services offered by said dental practice, a description of infection control procedures and general payment policies.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein:

said dental desktop application comprises a database, said database including clinical and financial information for said dental patient;

and wherein said dental presentation incorporates information from the dental desktop application into the dental presentation; and

said clinical and financial information for said patient includes at least one of a name, an address, a picture, a chart and an insurance carrier.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said dental desktop application comprises a dental practice management application.