Modalities for brokered engagements

• US 9,678,636 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Well Corporation (Amwell Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Well Corporation (Amwell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schoenberg, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Paulson, Sheetal R
• Application Number:
  US13/792,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• 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 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• 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: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Described are techniques for providing broker services to consumers with service providers according to a user selected modality type including an anonymous user modality type.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically establishing online communication sessions in accordance with logic and rules data specifying types of communication sessions for a plurality of modality types, comprising:

receiving, by an online system, from a consumer that desires to consult with a service provider, information specifying a modality type of the consumer for an online consultation via the online system, with the modality type specifying whether the consumer is an anonymous user of the online system or an enrolled user of the online system, with the modality type determining a type of graphical user interface to send to the consumer, with the online system being a networked system connected to the Internet for electronically matching consumers and providers of services in a networked environment;

obtaining logic and rules data that define;

one or more first levels of service that are authorized for a first modality type of the plurality;

one or more first types of communication sessions that are authorized for the first modality type;

a first type of graphical user interface for the first modality type;

one or more second levels of service that are authorized for a second modality type of the plurality;

one or more second types of communication sessions that are authorized for the second modality type; and

a second type of graphical user interface for the second modality type;

determining, based on the specified modality type, one or more online services for which the consumer is eligible to receive through the online system and a type of communication session that is in accordance with the specified modality type, with the types of services being offered through the online system varying based on modality type, with one or more types of services offered for the anonymous user modality type differing from one or more types of services offered for the enrolled user modality type by evaluating the received information specifying the modality type against the logic and rules data obtained;

preparing, by the online system, an online communication session for the specified modality type, with the online communication session being a first type of online communication session when the consumer is an anonymous user and with the online communication session being a second, different type of online communication session when the consumer is an enrolled user, and with the online communication session being based on the types of services for which the consumer is eligible;

based on the evaluating the received information specifying the modality type against the logic and rules data obtained,

selecting, by the online system from among a plurality of different interfaces for different modality types, a graphical user interface for the modality type of the consumer, with a graphical user interface for the anonymous user modality type differing from a graphical user interface for the enrolled user modality type;

transmitting, to a client device of the consumer, the selected graphical user interface for the modality type of the consumer for rendering on a display of the client device;

receiving from the consumer, based on the transmitted user interface, a request to consult with a service provider, the request including medical information for use during a consultation and with the request based on the modality type selected by the consumer;

detecting one or more network connections to the online system through one or more terminal devices of one or more service providers;

automatically tracking online, real-time, current availability for medical service providers, with the tracking being by a tracking module of the online system based on the one or more detected network connections between the online system and the one or more terminal devices, real-time, current availability for medical service providers, with the current availability specifying whether a service provider is online and otherwise not engaged in a consultation;

based on the tracking, generating contact data for a suitable service provider that is currently available to engage in a real-time online consultation with the consumer; and

applying the contact data for the suitable service provider to communication session data representing the type of communication session determined from logic and rules data to establish a real-time communication channel with a device used by the consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modality types further comprise a guest user modality type.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

establishing an account for the user, with the account based on the modality type selected.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein an anonymous user account type is set up by the system and that contains no personal identifying information for the anonymous user.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a guest user type account and an enrolled user type account have personally identifying information of the guest user and enrolled user.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein a graphical user interface for a guest user modality type comprises:

a section that allows a user to type into the graphical interface answers to questions pertaining to their medical status; and

a section for the guest user to supply payment information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface for the anonymous user type includes a section that allows a user to type into the graphical interface answers to questions pertaining to their medical status.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the questions in graphical user interface for the anonymous user type include a question on a topic that the user wants to discuss, a question on medications that the user is taking and a question on further services that the user needs.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface for the anonymous user type specifically excludes payment information.

10. A computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable storage device for automatically establishing online communication sessions in accordance with logic and rules data specifying types of communication sessions for a plurality of modality types, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer of an online system to:

receive, by the online system, from a consumer that desires to consult with a service provider, information specifying a modality type of the consumer for an online consultation via the online system, with the modality type specifying whether the consumer is an anonymous user of the online system or an enrolled user of the online system, with the modality type determining a type of graphical user interface to send to the consumer, with the online system being a networked system connected to the Internet for electronically matching consumers and providers of services in a networked environment;

obtain logic and rules data that define;

one or more first levels of service that are authorized for a first modality type of the plurality;

one or more first types of communication sessions that are authorized for the first modality type;

a first type of graphical user interface for the first modality type;

one or more second levels of service that are authorized for a second modality type of the plurality;

one or more second types of communication sessions that are authorized for the second modality type; and

a second type of graphical user interface for the second modality type;

determine, based on the specified modality type, one or more online services for which the consumer is eligible to receive through the online system and a type of communication session that is in accordance with the specified modality type, with the types of services being offered through the online system varying based on modality type, with one or more types of services offered for the anonymous user modality type differing from one or more types of services offered for the enrolled user modality type by evaluating the received information specifying the modality type against the logic and rules data obtained;

prepare, by the online system, an online communication session for the specified modality type, with the online communication session being a first type of online communication session when the consumer is an anonymous user and with the online communication session being a second, different type of online communication session when the consumer is an enrolled user, and with the online communication session being based on the types of services for which the consumer is eligible;

based on the evaluating the received information specifying the modality type against the logic and rules data obtained,

select, by the online system from among a plurality of different interfaces for different modality types, a graphical user interface for the modality type of the consumer, with a graphical user interface for the anonymous user modality type differing from a graphical user interface for the enrolled user modality type;

transmit, to a client device of the consumer, the selected graphical user interface for the modality type of the consumer for rendering on a display of the client device;

receive from the consumer, based on the transmitted user interface, a request to consult with a service provider, the request including medical information for use during a consultation and with the request based on the modality type selected by the consumer;

detect one or more network connections to the online system through one or more terminal devices of one or more service providers;

automatically track online, real-time, current availability for medical service providers, with the tracking being by a tracking module of the online system based on the one or more detected network connections between the online system and the one or more terminal devices, real-time, current availability for medical service providers, with the current availability specifying whether a service provider is online and otherwise not engaged in a consultation;

based on tracking, generate contact data for a suitable service provider that is currently available to engage in a real-time online consultation with the consumer; and

apply the contact data for the suitable service provider to communication session data representing the type of communication session determined from logic and rules data to establish a real-time communication channel with a device used by the consumer.

11. The product of claim 10, wherein modality types further comprise a guest user modality type.

12. The product of claim 11 wherein a guest user type account and an enrolled user type account have personally identifying information of the guest user and enrolled user.

13. The product of claim 10 further comprises instructions to:

establish an account for the user, with the account based on the modality type selected.

14. The product of claim 10 further comprising instructions to set up an anonymous user account type by the processor, with the anonymous user account type containing no personal identifying information for the anonymous user.

15. The product of claim 10 with the graphical user interface for the anonymous user type specifically excluding payment information.

16. An apparatus of an online system for automatically establishing online communication sessions in accordance with logic and rules data specifying types of communication sessions for a plurality of modality types, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

memory in communication with the processor; and

a computer program product stored on a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing the processor to;

receive, by the online system, from a consumer that desires to consult with a service provider, information specifying a modality type of the consumer for an online consultation via the online system, with the modality type specifying whether the consumer is an anonymous user of the online system or an enrolled user of the online system, with the modality type determining a type of graphical user interface to send to the consumer, with the online system being a networked system connected to the Internet for electronically matching consumers and providers of services in a networked environment;

obtain logic and rules data that define;

one or more first levels of service that are authorized for a first modality type of the plurality;

one or more first types of communication sessions that are authorized for the first modality type;

a first type of graphical user interface for the first modality type;

one or more second levels of service that are authorized for a second modality type of the plurality;

one or more second types of communication sessions that are authorized for the second modality type; and

a second type of graphical user interface for the second modality type;

determine, based on the specified modality type, one or more online services for which the consumer is eligible to receive through the online system and a type of communication session that is in accordance with the specified modality type, with the types of services being offered through the online system varying based on modality type, with one or more types of services offered for the anonymous user modality type differing from one or more types of services offered for the enrolled user modality type by evaluating the received information specifying the modality type against the logic and rules data obtained;

prepare, by the online system, an online communication session for the specified modality type, with the online communication session being a first type of online communication session when the consumer is an anonymous user and with the online communication session being a second, different type of online communication session when the consumer is an enrolled user, and with the online communication session being based on the types of services for which the consumer is eligible;

based on the evaluating the received information specifying the modality type against the logic and rules data obtained,

select, by the online system from among a plurality of different interfaces for different modality types, a graphical user interface for the modality type of the consumer, with a graphical user interface for the anonymous user modality type differing from a graphical user interface for the enrolled user modality type;

transmit, to a client device of the consumer, the selected graphical user interface for the modality type of the consumer for rendering on a display of the client device;

receive from the consumer, based on the transmitted user interface, a request to consult with a service provider, the request including medical information for use during a consultation and with the request based on the modality type selected by the consumer;

detect one or more network connections to the online system through one or more terminal devices of one or more service providers;

automatically track online, real-time, current availability for medical service providers, with the tracking being by a tracking module of the online system based on the one or more detected network connections between the online system and the one or more terminal devices, real-time, current availability for medical service providers, with the current availability specifying whether a service provider is online and otherwise not engaged in a consultation;

based on tracking, generate contact data for that is currently available to engage in a real-time online consultation with the consumer; and

apply the contact data for the suitable service provider to communication session data representing the type of communication session determined from logic and rules data to establish a real-time communication channel with a device used by the consumer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

establish an account for the user, with the account based on the modality type selected.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

set up an anonymous user account type by the processor, with the anonymous user account type containing no personal identifying information for the anonymous user.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 with the graphical user interface for the anonymous user type specifically excluding payment information.