Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching

• US 9,892,435 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Firminger, Shawn P., Garms, Jason, Hyde, Roderick A., Jung, Edward K. Y., Karkanias, Chris Demetrios, Leuthardt, Eric C., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Tegreene, Clarence T., Tolle, Kristin M., Wood, Jr., Lowell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Joseph D
• Application Number:
  US12/660,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,916 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 607 45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/00 ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/00 ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
• 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 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods are described relating to accepting an indication of at least one attribute of an individual; accepting sensor data about the individual; presenting a set of health care options at least partially based on the accepting sensor data about the individual; and providing a matching system for procurement of at least one selected health service option.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device;

circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia, malnutrition, or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual;

circuitry configured for accepting at least some image data related to the at least one individual from the at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device;

circuitry configured for obtaining, by the mobile computing device, at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least some image data related to the at least one individual; and

circuitry configured for determining, by the mobile computing device, at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system for procurement of at least one selected health care option.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one physical attribute of at least one individual.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one physical symptom of at least one individual.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one mental attribute of at least one individual.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one mental symptom of at least one individual.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one mental impairment of at least one individual.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one mental diagnosis of at least one individual.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of at least one past mental therapy of at least one individual.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least some image data related to the at least one individual from the at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least some brain sensor data related to the at least one individual from the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least some image data related to the at least one individual from the at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one brain activity surrogate marker related to the at least one individual from the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 12, wherein circuitry configured for accepting at least one brain activity surrogate marker related to the at least one individual from the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device comprises:

circuitry configured for accepting at least one indication of one or more of iris dilation, iris constriction, gaze tracking, skin response, or voice response as the at least one brain activity surrogate marker related to the at least one individual from the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia, malnutrition, or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating the at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least some sensor data of at least one particular type capable of being used to confirm at least one particular diagnosis in accordance with the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia, malnutrition, or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one camera of the mobile computing device to obtain one or more images.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one user preference associated with the at least one individual.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one user preference associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on one or more of at least one location preference or at least one time frame preference associated with the at least one individual.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one user preference associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one health care provider compatible with at least one payment capacity associated with one or more of the at least one individual or at least one user.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 18, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one health care provider compatible with at least one payment capacity associated with one or more of the at least one individual or at least one user comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one health care provider accepting at least one of Medicare, Medicaid, uninsured patients, workers'"'"' compensation, or supplemental health insurance.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one user preference associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on at least one health care provider sharing one or more of at least one common gender, at least one common religion, at least one common race, or at least one common sexual orientation associated with one or more of the at least one individual or at least one user.

21. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more of at least one surgery, at least one prescription drug therapy, at least one over-the-counter drug therapy, at least one chemotherapy, at least one radiation treatment, at least one ultrasound treatment, at least one laser treatment, at least one minimally invasive procedure, at least one antibody therapy, at least one cryotherapy, at least one hormonal therapy, or at least one gene therapy.

22. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more of at least one treatment by at least one medical doctor, at least one treatment by at least one naturopathic doctor, at least one treatment by at least one acupuncturist, at least one treatment by at least one herbalist, at least one self-treatment, at least one course of no action for at least one period of time, or at least one course of taking no action until at least one specified indicator crosses at least one threshold.

23. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on one or more of at least one standard of care, at least one expert opinion, at least one insurance company evaluation, or at least some research data.

24. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options including one or more of at least one list of diagnosticians, at least one list of clinicians, at least one list of therapists, at least one list of dentists, at least one list of optometrists, at least one list of pharmacists, at least one list of nurses, at least one list of chiropractors, or at least one list of alternative medicine practitioners.

25. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options at least partially based on the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options including at least one list of treatment centers.

26. The mobile computing device of claim 25, wherein circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options including at least one list of treatment centers comprises:

circuitry configured for presenting one or more health care options including one or more of at least one list of clinics, at least one list of hospitals, at least one list of medical offices, or at least one list of alternative medicine practice offices.

27. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system for procurement of at least one selected health care option comprises:

circuitry configured for providing an auction system for procurement of the at least one selected health care option.

28. The mobile computing device of claim 27, wherein circuitry configured for providing an auction system for procurement of the at least one selected health care option comprises:

circuitry configured for providing a reverse auction system for procurement of the at least one selected health care option.

29. The mobile computing device of claim 27, wherein circuitry configured for providing an auction system for procurement of the at least one selected health care option comprises:

circuitry configured for providing one or more of a no-bid auction system, an English auction system, a proxy bidding system, a Dutch auction system, a buyout auction, or a sealed first-price auction.

30. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system for procurement of at least one selected health care option comprises:

circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system weighted toward rapid procurement of the at least one selected health care option.

31. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system for procurement of at least one selected health care option comprises:

circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system weighted toward procurement of one or more low-cost health care options in accordance with the at least one selected health care option.

32. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system for procurement of at least one selected health care option comprises:

circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system weighted toward procurement of one or more high-quality health care options in accordance with the at least one selected health care option.

33. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system for procurement of at least one selected health care option comprises:

circuitry configured for providing at least one matching system weighted toward procurement of one or more locally-available health care options in accordance with the at least one selected health care option.

36. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia, malnutrition, or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating the at least one image sensor and activating at least one microphone of the mobile computing device to obtain at least some audio data.

37. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia malnutrition or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one sensor of the mobile computing device at a certain time of day at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one attribute of at least one individual.

38. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia malnutrition or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on a physiological condition indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual.

39. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia malnutrition or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one sensor of the mobile computing device at one or more of at least one specified time or at least one specified time interval at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one attribute of at least one individual.

40. The mobile computing device of claim 39, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one sensor of the mobile computing device at one or more of at least one specified time or at least one specified time interval at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one attribute of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one sensor of the mobile computing device after a specified interval of time following an individual indicating a specified painful sensation.

41. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for determining, by the mobile computing device, at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for determining, by the mobile computing device, at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on at least one query with respect to the at least some image data related to the at least one individual, the at least some image data being at least one of organized, keyed to, or accessible using one or more reference health-related status indicators, to obtain at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual.

42. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for determining, by the mobile computing device, at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for using at least one third party reference accessible via at least one communications network to determine, at least partially via at least one query transmitted via at least one network interface of the mobile computing device, the at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual received at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual.

43. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia malnutrition or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one hematologic indication associated with the at least one individual.

44. The mobile computing device of claim 43, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one hematologic indication associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one estimate of at least one level of hemoglobin associated with the at least one individual.

45. The mobile computing device of claim 43, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one hematologic indication associated with the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one inference of at least one level of hemoglobin associated with the at least one individual.

46. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia malnutrition or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one audio sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one recording associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on at least one indication of respiratory disorder of the at least one individual as the at least one hematologic complaint.

47. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia malnutrition or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one audio sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one recording associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on at least one indication of abnormal respiration of the at least one individual as the at least one hematologic complaint.

48. The mobile computing device of claim 47, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one audio sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one recording associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on at least one indication of abnormal respiration of the at least one individual as the at least one hematologic complaint comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one audio sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one recording associated with monitoring of breathing of the at least one individual at least partially based on at least one indication of abnormal respiration of the at least one individual as the at least one hematologic complaint.

49. The mobile computing device of claim 48, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one audio sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one recording associated with monitoring of breathing of the at least one individual at least partially based on at least one indication of abnormal respiration of the at least one individual as the at least one hematologic complaint comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one microphone of the mobile computing device to obtain at least one recording associated with the at least one individual blowing into the at least one microphone of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one indication of abnormal respiration of the at least one individual as the at least one hematologic complaint.

50. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia, malnutrition, or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one non-collumnated light source to provide illumination of at least a portion of the at least one individual; and

circuitry configured for activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device to obtain one or more images of the at least a portion of the at least one individual.

51. The mobile computing device of claim 50, wherein circuitry configured for activating at least one non-collumnated light source to provide illumination of at least a portion of the at least one individual comprises:

circuitry configured for activating at least one non-collumnated light source of the mobile computing device to provide illumination of at least a portion of the at least one individual.

34. A mobile computing device, comprising:

at least one processing device; and

one or more instructions which, when executed on the at least one processing device, configure the at least one processing device to perform one or more operations including at least;

accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device;

activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia malnutrition or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual;

accepting at least some image data related to the at least one individual from the at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device;

obtaining, by the mobile computing device, at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least some image data related to the at least one individual; and

determining, by the mobile computing device, at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual.

35. A method for a mobile device, comprising:

accepting at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual via at least one user interface of the mobile computing device;

activating at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device at least partially based on at least one of anemia, malnutrition, or pulmonary illness being indicated by the at least one indication of at least one hematologic complaint of at least one individual;

accepting at least some image data related to the at least one individual from the at least one image sensor of the mobile computing device;

obtaining, by the mobile computing device, at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least some image data related to the at least one individual; and

determining, by the mobile computing device, at least one hematologic diagnosis associated with the at least one individual at least partially based on the at least one indication of at least one level of hemoglobin of the at least one individual,

wherein at least one of the accepting, activating, obtaining, or determining is at least partially implemented using at least one processing device.