System and method for in-patient telephony

• US 8,237,551 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sweeney, Jeffrey Michael, Robinson, Michael Clayton, Rooks, Kelsyn Donel Seven Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/112,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20090273455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 34028602-28607, 340/539.12, 340/572.1, 379/90.01, 379/126, 379/91.01, 379/93.12, 379/100.04, 379/106.02, 379/114.28, 705/2, 455/404.2, 455/406
• US Class Current: 340/286.07
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered

Abstract

A system and method for tracking patients to enable communications. A presence of a patient is detected in a room. Communications intended for the patient are associated with the room. The communications are routed to the patient in the room.

Claims

1. A method for tracking patients to enable communications, the method comprising:

automatically detecting a location of an identifier associated with a patient from a plurality of locations as the patient is moved throughout a facility without interaction from the patient for communications management;

storing information about the location of the patient in a database, wherein storing includes updating a profile of the patient to designate the room as a current location of the patient for managing communications intended for the patient;

automatically associating communications intended for the patient with the location from the plurality of locations;

automatically routing the communications to a telecommunications device located in the location in response to detecting the location of the identifier associated with the patient, the routing being performed by one or more server; and

recording expenses associated with the communications, telecommunications services, and media services initiated from the location or received at the location in the database for billing an account of the patient.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the telecommunications device includes one or more of a computing device and a communications device, wherein the profile is associated with two or more communications identifiers selected from the group including a phone number, an email address, a website, and a username, and wherein the location is a room linked with the one or more telecommunications devices.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting further comprises:

scanning the identifier associated with the patient, wherein the identifier is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag assigned to the patient.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the RFID tag is a medical bracelet.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

associating environmental conditions and medical information of the patient with the room.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

configuring the room to meet the environmental conditions in response to detecting the identifier of the patient in the room.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

configuring one or more displays in the room to display the medical information.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the environmental conditions include any of lighting, temperature, configuration of a bed, programmable settings of the device, and entertainment options.

9. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

automatically displaying the medical information in response to detecting authorized personnel in the room.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the displaying is performed in response to detecting an identifier associated with the authorized personnel.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

rerouting the communications to a new location, reconfiguring environmental conditions at the new location, and displaying medical information associated with the patient to authorized personnel at the new location in response to detecting the identifier associated with the patient at the new location.

12. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

billing the patient in an invoice for the telecommunications services and media services initiated from the one or more telecommunications devices including one or more media devices.

13. A server for routing communications to a patient in a medical facility, the server comprising:

a communications interface configured to associate a room and one or more communications devices of the room with the patient in response to a remote device automatically detecting the presence of the patient in the room from an RFID tag for associating communications intended for the patient with the room and for automatically managing communications as the patient is moved throughout the medical facility;

routing logic configured to automatically route incoming communications to the one or more communications devices in the room in response to detecting the RFID tag associated with the patient, wherein outgoing communications are linked with a profile of the patient; and

a billing database configured to store information about the location of the patient, wherein storing includes updating the profile of the patient to designate the room as a current location of the patient, charge an account of the patient for communications, telecommunications services, and media services initiated from the room or received at the room through the one or more communications devices.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the profile further includes environmental conditions and medical information associated with the patient, and wherein the room is configured to meet the environmental conditions and display the medical information to authorized personnel in response to detecting the presence of the patient and the authorized personnel in the room.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the presence of the patient is determined by detecting the RFID tag embedded in a medical bracelet, wherein the remote device is an RFID tag reader located at an entrance to the room.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the remote device is an RFID tag reader integrated with a voice over Internet Protocol (VoiP) phone in the room.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the incoming communications received by the patient are displayed to the one or more communications devices including a television and wherein the profile and the account are linked.

19. The server according to claim 16, wherein the set of instructions is further configured to store environmental conditions associated with the patient and charge communications expenses to the profile including an account associated with the patient, and wherein the room is configured to meet the environmental conditions in response to detecting the identifier in the room.

20. The server according to claim 16, wherein the identifier is scanned by any of a RFID tag reader, and a bar code reader, and wherein patient information is displayed to one or more communications devices in the location in response to detecting the patient and authorized personnel.

18. A server configured to route communications to a patient comprising:

a processor for executing a set of instructions; and

a memory for storing the set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions are configured to;

automatically detect a location of an identifier associated with the patient from a plurality of locations as the patient is moved throughout a facility without interaction from the patient for communications management;

store information about the location of the patient in a database, wherein storing includes updating a profile of the patient to designate the room as a current location of the patient for managing communications intended for the patient;

automatically associate communications intended for the patient with the location from the plurality of locations;

automatically route the communications to a telecommunications device located in the location in response to detecting the location of the identifier associated with the patient, the routing being performed by one or more server; and

record expenses associated with the communications, telecommunications services, and media services initiated from the location or received at the location in the database for billing an account of the patient.