Methods, systems, devices and computer program products for transmitting medical information from mobile personal medical devices

• US 8,742,921 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reeves, Jonathan, Cartwright, Karl, Craine, Ari, Tischer, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SIGMUND N
• Application Number:
  US12/962,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340/573.1, 340/539.12, 600/325, 600/300, 607/60, 705/3
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method of transferring medical information can include transmitting medical information from a mobile personal medical device responsive to determining that a remote system is authorized to receive the medical information. Related Systems, devices, and computer program products are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

measuring, by a mobile personal medical device comprising a processor, medical information, the medical information comprising a parameter associated with a body;

determining, by the mobile personal medical device, a first condition for which the parameter exceeds a threshold by a first predetermined amount for more than a first predetermined time;

determining, by the mobile personal medical device, a second condition for which the parameter exceeds the threshold by a second predetermined amount less than the first predetermined amount, for a second predetermined time more than the first predetermined time;

in response to the determining of the first condition;

raising a privacy threshold level from a default privacy threshold level by a first amount sufficient to allow for transmission of a first portion of the medical information having a first privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level;

transmitting the first portion of the medical information from the mobile personal medical device to a remote system; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the first portion of the medical information;

in response to the determining of the second condition;

raising the privacy threshold level from the default privacy threshold level by a second amount sufficient to allow for transmission of a second portion of the medical information having a second privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level, but insufficient to allow for transmission of the first portion of the medical information;

transmitting the second portion of the medical information from the mobile personal medical device; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the second portion of the medical information.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the measurement of the parameter associated with the body from the mobile personal medical device to a mobile electronic device that is outside the body for storage therein.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the mobile electronic device comprises a recognized emergency medical device, the method further comprising:

transmitting the measurement of the parameter associated with the body from the mobile personal medical device to the recognized emergency medical device responsive to determining, by the device, that an emergency medical provider is authorized to use the recognized emergency medical device.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting, by the device, the measurement of the parameter associated with the body from the recognized emergency medical device to a persistent long-term storage device.

5. A method according to claim 1,

wherein authorization for the remote system to receive the medical information is provided responsive to receiving a request, at the mobile personal medical device, to transmit the medical information, and

wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the medical information if the request comprises an emergency medical provider authentication code.

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

storing the emergency medical provider authentication code associated with the request in the mobile personal medical device.

7. A method according to claim 1,

wherein authorization for the remote system to receive the medical information is provided responsive to establishing a privacy agreement between the mobile personal medical device and the remote system.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein establishing a privacy agreement between the mobile personal medical device and the remote system comprises receiving an indication of a patient authorization at the remote system, the method further comprising:

generating a key configured to protect the medical information from unauthorized access; and

transmitting the key to the mobile personal medical device.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the remote system comprises a general purpose computer system configured to one of transmit the medical information to the mobile personal medical device during a patient visit, receive the medical information from the mobile personal medical device during the patient visit, or a combination thereof.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

uploading medical information from the mobile personal medical device to the general purpose computer system to provide uploaded medical information;

updating existing medical information stored on the general purpose computer system with the uploaded medical information to provide updated medical information on the general purpose computer system;

downloading medical information to the mobile personal medical device from the general purpose computer system comprising a new risk factor, a new measured parameter threshold, new emergency threshold, new personal syndromes, new local syndromes, and/or new global syndromes, new physician accreditation information; and

transmitting the updated medical information to a persistent long-term storage device.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the uploaded medical information comprises medical information associated with former treating physicians, syndromes detected by the mobile personal medical device since a previous upload, measured parameters collected since the previous upload, and/or medical information associated with field events since the previous upload.

12. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a syndrome based upon the measuring of the medical information comprising the parameter;

transmitting the syndrome from the mobile personal medical device; and

transmitting selected information from the mobile personal medical device to be associated with the syndrome based on a stored syndrome, in the mobile personal medical device, that matches a profile, wherein the selected information is selected from one of parameters of the body stored by the mobile personal medical device, information from the profile, or a combination thereof.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the medical information further comprises a privacy code indicating a level of privacy for the medical information, the method further comprising:

refraining from transmitting medical information having a privacy code that exceeds a privacy threshold responsive to determining that the syndrome indicates no emergency;

increasing the privacy threshold responsive to determining that the syndrome indicates an emergency;

transmitting medical information for which associated privacy codes are less than the privacy threshold; and

reducing the privacy threshold responsive to determining that the syndrome indicates the emergency has terminated.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile personal medical device is configured for chronic in vivo implantation in the body for at least 6 months.

15. A method according to claim 1, embodied in a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first condition relates to an emergency medical condition, and wherein the second condition relates to a non-emergency medical condition.

17. A mobile personal medical device comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor responsive to executing the instructions performs operations comprising;

measuring a medical parameter, resulting in a measured parameter;

determining medical information responsive to the measured parameter indicative of a first condition exceeding a first predetermined amount threshold for more than a first predetermined time;

determining alternate medical information from the mobile personal medical device, responsive to the measured parameter indicative of a second condition, despite not exceeding the first predetermined amount threshold for more than the first predetermined time;

in response to determining medical information indicative of the first condition;

raising a privacy threshold level from a default privacy threshold level by a first amount sufficient to allow for transmission of the medical information having a first privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level;

transmitting the medical information from the mobile personal medical device to a remote system; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the medical information;

in response to determining alternate medical information indicative of the second condition;

raising the privacy threshold level from the default privacy threshold level by a second amount sufficient to allow for transmission of the alternate medical information having a second privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level, but insufficient to allow for transmission of the medical information;

transmitting the alternate medical information from the mobile personal medical device; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the alternate medical information.

18. A system comprising:

a remote device comprising a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory to store executable instructions that cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving medical information from a mobile personal medical device chronically implanted within a body, responsive to a measured parameter indicative of a first condition, exceeding a first predetermined amount threshold for more than a first predetermined time;

receiving alternate medical information from the mobile personal medical device, responsive to the measured parameter indicative of a second condition, despite not exceeding the first predetermined amount threshold for more than the first predetermined time;

in response to receiving medical information indicative of the first condition;

raising a privacy threshold level from a default privacy threshold level by a first amount sufficient to allow for transmission of the medical information having a first privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level;

transmitting the medical information from the mobile personal medical device to a remote system; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the medical information;

in response to receiving alternate medical information indicative of the second condition;

raising the privacy threshold level from the default privacy threshold level by a second amount sufficient to allow for transmission of the alternate medical information having a second privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level, but insufficient to allow for transmission of the medical information;

transmitting the alternate medical information from the mobile personal medical device; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the alternate medical information; and

updating existing medical information stored on the memory with one of the medical information or the alternate medical information to provide updated medical information on the system,

wherein the medical information comprises a parameter associated with the body and measured by the mobile personal medical device.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising establishing a privacy agreement between the mobile personal medical device and the system using a key generation circuit configured to protect the medical information from unauthorized access to provide a generated key, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the generated key to the mobile personal medical device.

20. A device comprising:

a processor, and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing logic that is executed by the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving medical information from a mobile personal medical device, the medical information resulting from a parameter measured by the mobile personal medical device indicative of a first condition, in which the parameter exceeds a threshold by a first predetermined amount for a first time period greater than a first predetermined period;

receiving, from the mobile personal medical device, alternative medical information, the alternative medical information resulting from the parameter measured by the mobile personal medical device indicative of a second condition, despite the parameter not exceeding the threshold by the first predetermined amount for a second time period greater than the first predetermined period;

in response to receiving medical information indicative of the first condition;

raising a privacy threshold level from a default privacy threshold level by a first amount sufficient to allow for transmission of the medical information having a first privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level;

transmitting the medical information from the mobile personal medical device to a remote system; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the medical information;

in response to receiving alternate medical information indicative of the second condition;

raising the privacy threshold level from the default privacy threshold level by a second amount sufficient to allow for transmission of the alternate medical information having a second privacy code that exceeds the default privacy threshold level, but insufficient to allow for transmission of the medical information;

transmitting the alternate medical information from the mobile personal medical device; and

returning the privacy threshold level to the default privacy threshold level, responsive to the transmitting of the alternate medical information; and

generating an alert.