Method for clinician house calls utilizing portable computing and communications equipment

• US 8,117,046 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gresham Bayne
• Original Assignee: Cary Gresham Bayne
• Inventors: Bayne, C. Gresham
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PASS, NATALIE
• Application Number:
  US11/767,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.52, 340/286.07, 600/300, 600/317, 600/545, 705/3, 705/2
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• 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 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

Mobile clinicians conduct in-home patient visits utilizing on-site diagnostic and treatment equipment, where service is enhanced by the use of portable computing and communications equipment. Initially, a mobile care entity provides a network of predesignated mobile clinicians, each having the use of a preprogrammed portable computer. Each computer is coupled to a wireless communications device, and includes local storage of patient data. Under a predetermined schedule, each portable computer updates patient data in the local storage utilizing the wireless communications device to download updates from a central storage facility. Whenever the mobile care entity receives requests for medical service at a patient'"'"'s premises, the entity selects a mobile clinician and dispatches him/her to the patient'"'"'s premises. The clinician visits the patient'"'"'s premises accompanied by an assortment of electronic diagnostic and treatment devices, such as a pulse oximiter, x-ray machine, lab analyzer, EKG equipment, etc. To examine the patient, the doctor utilizes various diagnostic devices to prepare machine-readable reports of related aspects of the patient'"'"'s condition. The clinician directs the portable computer to perform follow-up tasks including: (1) electronically collecting the prepared reports and graphically presenting them in human-readable form, (2) storing a machine-readable medical record including details of the patient'"'"'s exam, and (3) utilizing the wireless device to transmit the reports and records to the central storage facility.

Claims

1. A method of providing medical care by clinicians at the home, excluding hospitals and ambulances, of a given patient, comprising:

providing to a plurality of mobile licensed clinicians, a plurality of portable computers each equipped with local storage, and a plurality of portable wireless on-site electronic medical care devices including analyzing and transmitting devices for analyzing patient conditions and for transmitting the condition information to a selected one of the portable computers wirelessly;

wirelessly downloading to the selected portable computer from a remote central storage facility a sufficiently complete medical record for the given patient to enable the mobile clinician to treat the given patient;

storing the downloaded medical record in the local storage in the selected portable computer;

transporting the selected portable computer storing the downloaded medical record and transporting the wireless on site medical care devices to the given patient'"'"'s home by a mobile clinician;

applying by a mobile clinician at least one of the portable wireless on-site medical care devices to the given patient in the given patient'"'"'s home;

wirelessly sending patient information from the on-site medical care devices directly to the selected portable computer at the given patient'"'"'s home;

storing the patient information in the local storage of the selected portable computer;

directly communicating wirelessly the stored patient information from the selected portable computer at the given patient'"'"'s home to at least one remote medical care device for analyzing the patient information for the given patient;

wirelessly receiving in the selected portable computer at the given patient'"'"'s home the analysis from the at least one remote medical care device;

storing the analysis received from the remote medical care device in the local storage of the selected portable computer at the patient'"'"'s home;

presenting on the selected portable computer to a mobile clinician in the given patient'"'"'s home, the patient information, and the analysis from the at least one remote medical care device; and

treating or not treating the given patient at the patient'"'"'s home by a mobile clinician in response to the information displayed on the selected portable computer.

2. The method of claim 1, the medical care devices including at least one of the following:

an x-ray machine;

a cardiac output monitoring machine;

laboratory analyzer;

a pulse oximeter.

3. The method of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

storing in the portable computer a machine-readable record including a summary of the selected clinician'"'"'s treatment of the patient.

4. The method of claim 1, further including providing wireless communications interface comprising a mobile digital telephone.

5. The method of claim 4, the wireless communications interface comprising a radio frequency transceiver.

6. The method of claim 5, the selected clinician further directing the portable computer to perform operations comprising:

directing the portable computer and wireless communications interface to transmit selected machine-readable reports and records from the local storage to a patient referral source.

7. The method of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

each portable computer tracking and recording various event times related to the patient visit, including at least one of the following;

dispatch time, travel time, patient visit time.

8. The method of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

downloading of updates of the patients medical records to the portable computer from the central storage facility via the public Internet.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of the wirelessly transmitting from the portable computer the outputs of at least one of the portable electronic medical care devices stored in the local storage directly to at least one remote medical care device comprising:

transmitting the outputs of at least one of the portable electronic medical care devices stored in the local storage to at least one remote medical care device via the public Internet.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of the selected clinician examining the patient further comprising:

the selected clinician interconnecting one or more sensors between the patient and the portable computer;

the selected clinician directing the portable computer to gather machine-readable representations of bodily conditions measured by the sensors, and transmit the representations via the wireless communications interface to a remotely located electronic medical care device; and

the portable computer communicating with the remotely located device to obtain a machine-readable output representing analysis performed by the remotely located device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the operation of obtaining, a machine-readable output representing analysis performed by the remotely located device further comprising:

the portable computer presenting the results in human-readable form to a clinician.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of the selected clinician examining the patient further comprising:

wherein the portable computer and a communications interface to cooperatively engage in machine-readable communications with a remotely located electronic medical care device to report bodily conditions of the given patient to the remotely located device and receive analysis based thereon.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the remotely located electronic medical care device including an ultrasound machine.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

wherein the portable computer and a communications interface obtains information provided by Internet web sites.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

utilizing the portable computer to place orders for medical supplies over the Internet.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

receiving patient medical information transmitted by a medical device located at the patient'"'"'s premises.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising;

sending wireless dispatch information to a clinician, including patient medical record information, current medical condition information, and patient location information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

transmitting a machine-readable notification of the request to a pre-registered party.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

transmitting a machine-readable response to the given patient including at least one of the following;

posting a message upon an Internet web site, transmitting an e-mail message.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

transmitting a machine-readable notification of at least one of the following to the patient;

geographic location of a clinician, and expected arrival time of the clinician at the patient'"'"'s home.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

responsive to completion of a clinician'"'"'s visit to the patient, conducting automatic computer-driven operations including generating and transmitting an e-mail notification to a pre-registered party.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

responsive to completion of a clinician'"'"'s visit to the patient, conducting automatic computer-driven operations including;

scheduling of a follow-up visit; and

transmitting machine-readable notification of the scheduled follow-up visit to a pre-registered party.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

generating and transmitting a request for medical services to a mobile care entity.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein follow-up operations further comprising:

preparing and making wireless transmission of one or more orders for items related to the examination for delivery to the patient.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein follow-up operations further comprising:

preparing and making wireless transmission of information to admit the patient to a hospital.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly ordering delivery of medication for the patient via the interface of the portable computer.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly ordering delivery of medical equipment for the patient via the interface of the portable computer.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical treatment information comprises a request to automatically schedule a follow-up visit for the patient.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly contacting a predetermined party as to the medical treatment information via e-mail.

30. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly transmitting admission information for admitting the patient to a hospital.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending wireless notification of a current medical care provider location.