Online health care consumer portal

• US 8,666,765 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aetna Incorporated (CVS Health Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aetna Incorporated (CVS Health Corporation)
• Inventors: Zilberman, Maxim, Kerz, Antony L., Tang, Rickey, Brey, Kari
• Primary Examiner(s): SEOH, MINNAH L
• Application Number:
  US11/967,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,255 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• 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

Abstract

An online health care consumer portal for accessing one or more health-related services by a health care consumer. The consumer portal includes an authentication module for identifying the health care consumer upon receiving an online identification token, and a database for maintaining health care information comprising a plurality of health records. The consumer portal also includes a rules engine module for applying a set of rules to the one or more health records corresponding to the consumer to determine an impairment profile of the health care consumer based on the health records corresponding to the health care consumer and an online user interface for providing access to the health-related services. The online user interface is configurable from a default configuration to a second configuration upon identification by the authentication module, the second configuration adapted to facilitate use of the online user interface according to the impairment profile.

Claims

1. An online health care consumer portal for accessing one or more health-related services by a health care consumer, the portal comprising:

an authentication module configured to identify the health care consumer upon receiving an online identification token from the health care consumer;

a database configured to maintain health care information, the database comprising a plurality of health records, one or more of the plurality of health records corresponding to the health care consumer;

a rules engine module configured to;

(a) access the one or more of the plurality of health records corresponding to the health care consumer from the database, (b) apply a set of rules to the one or more health records corresponding to the health care consumer to determine a health impairment profile of the health care consumer by determining based on the one or more of the plurality of health records that the health care consumer has a health condition that impairs the health care consumer'"'"'s use of the portal, and (c) without user intervention, modify an online user interface of the portal so as to compensate for the health condition associated with the health impairment profile ; and

the online user interface configured to provide access to the one or more health-related services, the online user interface configurable, without user intervention, from a default configuration to a second configuration upon identification by the authentication module of the consumer corresponding to the health impairment profile, the second configuration adapted to facilitate use of the online user interface by the health care consumer according to the health impairment profile.

2. The online health care consumer portal of claim 1, wherein the health impairment profile indicates one or more possible health conditions of the health care consumer, the one or more possible health conditions selected from the group consisting of a visual impairment, a motor skills impairment, a hearing impairment, and colorblindness.

3. The online health care consumer portal of claim 1, wherein the database comprises information from at least one source selected from the group consisting of an online personal health record database, an electronic medical record, a disease management call, and an integrated voice response system.

4. The online health care consumer portal of claim 1, wherein the second configuration facilitates use of the online user interface by the health care consumer by modifying at least one user interface element, the at least one user interface element selected from the group consisting of text size, radio button size, check box size, separation between navigation controls, color contrast, color scheme, font type, text content, and audio content.

5. The online health care consumer portal of claim 1, wherein the online user interface presents the health care consumer with a choice of using the default configuration or the second configuration upon determination of the health impairment profile.

6. A method of operating a health care consumer portal for providing one or more health-related services, the method comprising:

providing, via a computer server system, an online user interface for accessing the one or more health-related services over a communications network;

receiving, via the computer server system, an online identification token from a health care consumer over the communications network;

in response to receiving the online identification token;

(a) accessing one or more health records relating to the health care consumer;

(b) applying a set of rules to the one or more health records relating to the health care consumer to determine a health impairment profile of the health care consumer by determining based on the one or more health records that the health care consumer has a health condition that impairs the health care consumer'"'"'s use of the portal; and

(c) configuring, without user intervention, via the computer server system, the online user interface adapted to compensate for the health condition associated with the health impairment profile in order to facilitate use of the online user interface by the health care consumer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the health impairment profile indicates one or more possible health conditions of the health care consumer, the one or more possible health conditions selected from the group consisting of a visual impairment, a motor skills impairment, a hearing impairment, and colorblindness.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the database comprises information from at least one source selected from the group consisting of an online personal health record database, an electronic medical record, a disease management call, and an integrated voice response system.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of configuring the online interface includes one or more steps selected from the group consisting of increasing text size, increasing radio button size, increasing check box size, increasing separation between navigation controls, increasing contrast, modifying a color scheme, modifying font type, displaying subtitles associated with an audio broadcast, and providing an audio version of text.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving a choice from the health care consumer to adjust the online user interface according to the impairment profile.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein configuring the online user interface comprises sending instructions to a device of the health care consumer for connecting to the Internet, the instructions modifying behavior of the device.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for operating a health care consumer portal, the portal providing one or more health-related services, the instructions comprising:

providing an online user interface for accessing the one or more health-related services over a communications network;

receiving an online identification token from a health care consumer over the communications network;

in response to receiving the online identification token;

(a) accessing one or more health records relating to the health care consumer;

(b) applying a set of rules to the one or more health records relating to the health care consumer to determine a health impairment profile of the health care consumer by determining based on the one or more health records that the health care consumer has a health condition that impairs the health care consumer'"'"'s use of the portal; and

(c) configuring, without user intervention, the online user interface adapted to compensate for the health condition associated with the health impairment profile in order to facilitate use of the online user interface by the health care consumer.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the health impairment profile indicates one or more possible health conditions of the health care consumer, the one or more possible health conditions selected from the group consisting of a visual impairment, a motor skills impairment, a hearing impairment, and colorblindness.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the database comprises information from at least one source selected from the group consisting of an online personal health record database, an electronic medical record, a disease management call, and an integrated voice response system.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for configuring the online interface further comprise one or more instructions selected from the group consisting of increasing text size, increasing radio button size, increasing check box size, increasing separation between navigation controls, increasing contrast, modifying a color scheme, modifying font type, displaying subtitles associated with an audio broadcast, and providing an audio version of text.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further comprise receiving a choice from the health care consumer to adjust the online user interface according to the impairment profile.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for configuring the online user interface further comprise sending instructions to a device of the health care consumer for connecting to the Internet, the instructions modifying behavior of the device.