Emergency facility video-conferencing system
DCFirst Claim
1. A business method for delivery of medical services utilizing a system including a plurality of satellite medical care facilities, at least one physician disposed at a central medical video-conferencing station, and a first patient and a first medical care giver disposed in a first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) establishing a video-conferencing communications system among said central medical video-conferencing station and said plurality of satellite medical care facilities;
(b) selecting said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to actively receive video and audio communication from said physician;
(c) controlling a video-conferencing system of said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to control a video image received at said central medical video-conferencing station from said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities;
(d) diagnosing a medical condition of said first patient at said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities by said physician from said central medical video-conferencing station;
(e) providing instructions via said video-conferencing system to said first medical caregiver by said physician to treat said first patient at said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities;
(f) selecting a second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to actively receive video and audio communication from said physician;
(g) displaying an image of a second patient disposed at said second of said plurality of satellite emergency medical care facilities at said central medical video-conferencing station;
(h) controlling a video-conferencing system of said second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to control said image received at said central medical video-conferencing station from said second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities;
(i) diagnosing a medical condition of said second patient by said physician from said central medical videoconferencing video-conferencing station; and
(j) providing instructions via said video-conferencing system to a second medical caregiver disposed at said second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities by said physician to treat said second patient generally contemporaneously with said steps of diagnosing said medical condition of said first patient and providing instructions to said first medical caregiver.
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Abstract
A medical video-teleconferencing and treatment system, having a central video-conferencing station and one or more remote video-conferencing stations and a communications link establishing video-conferencing communication therebetween. A central video monitor and audio system is located at the central video-conferencing station, and a controller unit is coupled with the communications link. The remote video-conferencing stations each have a mobile emergency center cart including a remote video monitor and audio system and a video-conferencing camera controlled by the controller unit via the communications link and capable of responding to control signals of the controller unit for panning and zoom movement of said video-conferencing camera by a medical practitioner located at the central video-conferencing station. The arrangement enables the medical practitioner to observe and to diagnose the condition of the patient and direct the medical personnel of the selected video-conferencing station to provide treatment of the patient.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A business method for delivery of medical services utilizing a system including a plurality of satellite medical care facilities, at least one physician disposed at a central medical video-conferencing station, and a first patient and a first medical care giver disposed in a first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) establishing a video-conferencing communications system among said central medical video-conferencing station and said plurality of satellite medical care facilities; (b) selecting said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to actively receive video and audio communication from said physician; (c) controlling a video-conferencing system of said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to control a video image received at said central medical video-conferencing station from said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities; (d) diagnosing a medical condition of said first patient at said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities by said physician from said central medical video-conferencing station; (e) providing instructions via said video-conferencing system to said first medical caregiver by said physician to treat said first patient at said first of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities; (f) selecting a second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to actively receive video and audio communication from said physician; (g) displaying an image of a second patient disposed at said second of said plurality of satellite emergency medical care facilities at said central medical video-conferencing station; (h) controlling a video-conferencing system of said second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities to control said image received at said central medical video-conferencing station from said second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities; (i) diagnosing a medical condition of said second patient by said physician from said central medical videoconferencing video-conferencing station; and (j) providing instructions via said video-conferencing system to a second medical caregiver disposed at said second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities by said physician to treat said second patient generally contemporaneously with said steps of diagnosing said medical condition of said first patient and providing instructions to said first medical caregiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A business method for delivery of emergency medical services utilizing a system including first and second emergency care facilities, an emergency room physician disposed at an emergency medical video-conferencing station, a first patient and a first skilled medical caregiver disposed at said first emergency care facility, and a second patient and a second skilled medical caregiver disposed at said second emergency care facility, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) establishing a first video-conferencing communication link between said emergency medical video-conferencing station and said first emergency care facility; (b) establishing a second video-conferencing communication link between said emergency medical video-conferencing station and said second emergency care facility; (c) displaying an image of said first patient on a first monitor disposed in said emergency medical video-conferencing station via said first video-conferencing communication link; (d) viewing said image of said first patient by said emergency room physician; (e) controlling a video-camera disposed in said first emergency care facility from said emergency medical video-conferencing station to control said image of said first patient; (f) aiding a treatment of a medical condition of said first patient at said first emergency care facility by said emergency room physician from said emergency medical video-conferencing station; (g) displaying an image of said second patient at said emergency video-conferencing station via said second video-conferencing communication link; (h) controlling a video-camera disposed in said second emergency care facility from said emergency medical videoconferencing station to control said image of said second patient; and (i) aiding a treatment of a medical condition of said second patient at said second emergency care facility from said emergency medical video-conferencing station contemporaneously with said step of aiding the treatment of said first patient. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for delivering medical evaluation services comprising:
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a video conferencing arrangement including a camera, monitor and controller located at a central medical video conferencing station; a first remotely controllable video camera located at a first satellite medical care facility, which is one of a plurality of satellite medical care facilities which are geographically remotely located from each other and from said central medical video conferencing station; a second remotely controllable video camera located at a second of said plurality of satellite medical care facilities; a first audio-video conferencing communication link established between said central medical video conferencing station and said first satellite medical care facility, said first audio-video communication link enabling a medical practitioner to confer audibly with a first patient or a first care giver at said first satellite medical care facility; a second audio-video conferencing communication link established between said central medical video conferencing station and said second satellite medical care facility, said second audio-video communication link enabling said medical practitioner to confer audibly with a second patient or a second care giver at said second satellite medical care facility; said controller enabling said medical practitioner at said central medical video conferencing station to control a first video image of said first patient from said first camera at said first satellite medical care facility and view said first video image of said first patient at said central medical video conferencing station; and said controller enabling said medical practitioner at said central medical video conferencing station to control a second video image of said second patient from said second camera at said second satellite medical care facility and view said second video image of said second patient at said central medical video conferencing station; whereby said first image of said first patient and said second image of said second patient can be viewed simultaneously by said medical practitioner at said central medical video conferencing station thereby enabling said medical practitioner to professionally evaluate conditions of said first and second patients generally contemporaneously and to confer regarding evaluations with said first and second patients or said first and second care givers at said satellite medical care facilities. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An arrangement for diagnosing emergency medical conditions of patients comprising:
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a central medical video conferencing station; first and second satellite emergency medical care facilities which are geographically remotely located from each other and from said central medical video conferencing station; a first video camera located at said first satellite emergency medical care facility; a second video camera located at said second satellite emergency medical care facility; a first video conferencing communication link established between said central medical video conferencing station and said first satellite emergency medical care facility which enables a first video image from said first video camera of a first patient at said first satellite emergency medical care facility to be displayed at said central medical video conferencing station; and a second video conferencing communication link established between said central medical video conferencing station and said second satellite emergency medical care facility which enables a second video image from said second video camera of a second patient at said second satellite emergency medical care facility to be displayed at said central medical video conferencing station simultaneously with display of said first video image at said central medical video conferencing station; whereby medical conditions of said first and second patients can be evaluated substantially simultaneously by an emergency room physician at said central medical video conferencing station. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A method for delivering medical evaluation services by a medical practitioner using a system which includes a central medical video conferencing station, a plurality of satellite medical care facilities which are geographically remotely located from each other and from said central medical video conferencing station, a first remotely controllable video camera located at a first of said satellite medical facilities, and a second remotely controllable video camera located at a second of said satellite medical care facilities, the method comprising the steps performed by or on behalf of a licensed medical practitioner of:
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using a first audio-video conferencing communication link between said central medical video conferencing station and said first satellite medical care facility to confer visually and audibly with a first patient or a first care giver at said first satellite medical care facility; using a second audio-video conferencing communication link between said central medical video conferencing station and said second satellite medical care facility to confer visually and audibly with a second patient or a second care giver at said second satellite medical care facility; controlling said first video camera from said central medical video conferencing station to produce a first video image at said central medical video conferencing station of said first patient at said first satellite medical care facility; controlling said second video camera from said central medical video conferencing station to produce a second video image at said central medical video conferencing station of said second patient at said second satellite medical care facility; and viewing said first image of said first patient and said second image of said second patient simultaneously at said central medical video conferencing station thereby enabling the medical practitioner to professionally evaluate conditions of said first and second patients generally contemporaneously and to confer regarding evaluations with at least one of the group consisting of said first patient, said second patient, said first care giver, and said second care giver. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for providing professional medical evaluation services comprising the steps of:
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establishing a central video-conferencing communications station; enabling simultaneous video-conferencing connections between said central video-conferencing station and a geographically remote first medical care facility via a first video-conferencing link and between said central video-conferencing station and a geographically remote second medical care facility via a second video-conferencing link, said first medical care facility being geographically remote from said second medical care facility; enabling simultaneous display at said central video-conferencing station of a first image of a first patient located at said first medical care facility with a first care giver and a second image of a second patient located at said second medical care facility with a second care giver; enabling contemporaneous professional medical evaluation of said first and second patients from said central video-conferencing station via said first and second video-conferencing links; enabling audio and video communication of professional medical evaluation from said central video-conferencing station to said first patient or said first medical care giver via said first video-conferencing link; and enabling audio and video communication of professional medical evaluation from said central video-conferencing station to said second patient or said second medical care giver via said second video-conferencing link. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification