Systems and methods for providing and maintaining electronic medical records

• US 8,352,289 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DHI Computing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DHI Computing Incorporated
• Inventors: Sandberg, Dale E., Crandall, Kyle B.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Neha
• Application Number:
  US12/853,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 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: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

A customizable and dynamic electronic patient form and information system is provided having features whereby a healthcare provider may select and record various values corresponding to patient categories, the values being recorded as discrete data points at locations on a display that are reliable and predictive, and that are simultaneously displayed as selections on the patient form and as entries on a data logger or patient summary sheet. Further changes or modifications to the value are recorded as discrete data points and simultaneously displayed on the patient form and in the patient summary sheet. The patient form further includes features to permit a user to modify the form as desired to suit the needs of the patient and/or the healthcare provider'"'"'s field of practice.

Claims

1. In a computer processing system that is configured to be associated with healthcare services, a method for generating, displaying and recording healthcare service information, the method comprising:

rendering a user interface that includes a patient form and a data logger on an output device of the computer processing system, wherein the patient form includes a plurality of selectable user interface elements, each selectable user interface element representing a patient healthcare parameter, and wherein the data logger comprises an electronically generated note that displays summary details regarding changes made to the patient form;

receiving user input to the patient form that selects a first of the plurality of selectable user interface elements;

receiving user input to a second of the plurality of selectable user interface elements that provides a value for the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element;

automatically creating a first and a second entry in the data logger, the first entry identifying the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element, the second entry identifying the value provided for the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element;

linking the first entry in the data logger with the first user interface element and the second entry in the data logger with the second user interface element;

receiving user input that selects the second entry in the data logger;

in response to the user input that selects the second entry in the data logger, displaying the second user interface element in the patient form of the user interface and moving focus of the user interface to the second user interface element to enable the user to directly modify the second user interface element without requiring navigation to the second user interface element;

receiving input that modifies the value in the second user interface element; and

in response to receiving input that modifies the value in the second user interface element, automatically updating the second entry in accordance with the modification to the value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient healthcare parameter is selected from at least one of a physical, a mental, a psychological, an emotional, a mechanical, a structural, a pharmaceutical, a chemical and a medical characteristic of a patient.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the value comprises a number selected from a scale.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the value comprises at least one of an indication, a condition, a size, a quantity, a color, a temperature, a shape, an observation, a sound, a photograph, a scan, a radiograph image, a chart, a graph, a texture, a scent, a viscosity, a consistency, a time, a length, a reference indicator, a gender, a sexual orientation, an age, an allergy, a reaction, a number, and a letter.

5. A medical information system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing computer executable instructions which when executed perform a method for facilitating the input of patient information to a user interface, the method comprising;

rendering a user interface that includes a patient form and a data logger on an output device of the computer processing system, wherein the patient form includes a plurality of selectable user interface elements, each selectable user interface element representing a patient healthcare parameter, and wherein the data logger comprises an electronically generated note that displays summary details regarding changes made to the patient form;

receiving user input to the patient form that selects a first of the plurality of selectable user interface elements;

receiving user input to a second of the plurality of selectable user interface elements that provides a value for the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element;

automatically creating a first and a second entry in the data logger, the first entry identifying the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element, the second entry identifying the value provided for the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element;

linking the first entry in the data logger with the first user interface element and the second entry in the data logger with the second user interface element;

receiving user input that selects the second entry in the data logger;

in response to the user input that selects the second entry in the data logger, displaying the second user interface element in the patient form of the user interface and moving focus of the user interface to the second user interface element to enable the user to directly modify the second user interface element without requiring navigation to the second user interface element;

receiving input that modifies the value in the second user interface element; and

in response to receiving input that modifies the value in the second user interface element, automatically updating the second entry in accordance with the modification to the value.

6. The medical information system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of selectable user interface elements that are displayed in the patient form is customizable by adding or removing user interface elements.

7. The medical information system of claim 5, wherein the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element comprises a parameter of a patient'"'"'s chief complaint.

8. A computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer readable media having storing thereon computer executable instructions which when executed perform a method for generating, displaying and recording healthcare service information, the method comprising:

rendering a user interface that includes a patient form and a data logger on an output device of the computer processing system, wherein the patient form includes a plurality of selectable user interface elements, each selectable user interface element representing a patient healthcare parameter, and wherein the data logger comprises an electronically generated note that displays summary details regarding changes made to the patient form;

receiving user input to the patient form that selects a first of the plurality of selectable user interface elements;

receiving user input to a second of the plurality of selectable user interface elements that provides a value for the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element;

automatically creating a first and a second entry in the data logger, the first entry identifying the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element, the second entry identifying the value provided for the patient healthcare parameter associated with the first user interface element;

linking the first entry in the data logger with the first user interface element and the second entry in the data logger with the second user interface element;

receiving user input that selects the second entry in the data logger;

in response to the user input that selects the second entry in the data logger, displaying the second user interface element in the patient form of the user interface and moving focus of the user interface to the second user interface element to enable the user to directly modify the second user interface element without requiring navigation to the second user interface element;

receiving input that modifies the value in the second user interface element; and

in response to receiving input that modifies the value in the second user interface element, automatically updating the second entry in accordance with the modification to the value.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the data logger comprises an electronic patient summary sheet.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the value comprises a number selected from a scale.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the scale corresponds to a diagnostic range for the patient healthcare parameter.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the value comprises at least one of an indication, a condition, a size, a quantity, a color, a temperature, a shape, an observation, a sound, a photograph, a scan, a radiograph image, a chart, a graph, a texture, a scent, a viscosity, a consistency, a time, a length, a reference indicator, a gender, a sexual orientation, an age, an allergy, a reaction, a number, and a letter.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the patient healthcare parameter is selected from at least one of a physical, a mental, a psychological, an emotional, a mechanical, a structural, a pharmaceutical, a chemical and a medical characteristic of a patient.