System for maintaining patient medical records for participating patients

• US RE46,866 E1
• Filed: 02/08/2018
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carmen P. Logan Jr
• Original Assignee: Carmen P. Logan Jr
• Inventors: Logan, Jr., Carmen P
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US15/891,519
• Time in Patent Office: 103 Days
• Field of Search: 7071041, 707 10, 707700
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/24 Patient record management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A portable heath care records system employs a server on which the health care records of participating patients are stored. The patients may access the system using cards or CD-ROMS that are inserted into the patient'"'"'s computer. The patients can review their own records via Internet and can edit them. The patient may also access via cell phone or handheld device. The patient record is protected by patient ID and password. Treating physicians have access to each patient'"'"'s records for review and update. A two-way firewall permits patients to review their own health records only, but permits the physician to review both the physician files and the patient files. The physician can override the firewall to send patient information from his or her record. A read-only emergency screen with medical data about the patient may be accessed for emergency use. Records of many patients and of many clinics are maintained on a common server, so that the patient record can be accessed globally.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining patient medical records for a plurality of participating patients, and in which such records are remotely accessible by participating patients and by physicians for reading and editing of the respective patient medical records, and permitting entry of patient medical information by authorized persons,

the system employing a wide area computer network that permits communication between computer devices connected to said network, with the computer devices including

at least one patient access computer device and at least one physician access computer device;

each said computer device being suitably programmed with a web browser;

and

at least one patient access card adapted to be carried by one patient of the plurality of participating patients and containing, for said patient, identification for entry into a log-in screen of said patient access computer; and

a server including

a suitably programmed computer device including means for connecting with said network,

a memory for storing said patient medical records, and

software providing data modules to each of said computer devices connected to said server over said wide area computer network, and providing to each said patient access computer device for the associated one of said participating patients a set of patient-viewable patient history screens containing a patient medical record of the associated one of said participating patients, and said server also providing to the at least one physician access computer device for each of said participating patients a set of physician-only access screens containing the physician medical record of the associated participating patient, the screens of the set of physician-only access screens being distinct from the screens of the associated set of patient-viewable screens, the physician-only access screens including medical information for said respective patient that is not provided on the patient-viewable screens, each said set being a plurality of screens, and providing a read-only emergency medical screen for the respective participating patient;

and

wherein said server also includes a two-way firewall program that allows both the associated participating patient and the physician to access the patient medical record of the associated participating patient for reading and editing, but includes a firewall feature that allows only the physician access computer device and not the associated participating patient access computer device to access the physician-only access screens of the medical record of the associated participating patient;

and

wherein said log-in screen has a log-in box where a respective participating patient can enter a password not contained on said access card to obtain access to said set of patient-viewable patient history screens associated with said patient;

wherein said log-in screen further includes an emergency access soft button, which is adapted to be clicked on without requiring entry of said patient password to access only said read-only emergency data screen that provides limited patient health information for the associated participating patient, but not access to any of said set of patient-viewable patient history screens associated with said patient, the emergency data on said emergency data screen including the patient'"'"'s blood type, prescribed medications, and contact information for said patient'"'"'s primary care physician; and

wherein at least one screen of the physician-only access screens containing the physical medical record of the associated participating patient includes at least one space for physician entry, in said space, of notes concerning symptoms, diagnosis, medical procedures performed, and/or medications prescribed for said associated participating patient by the physician.

2. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include a medications screen including each medication prescribed for that patient and a dosage amount entry for each said medication.

3. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include a visits screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon a date of a past or scheduled future visit, reason for said visit, identity of the practitioner, and a software button to permit editing of that entry.

4. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include an allergies screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon an identity of a particular allergen to which the participating patient is sensitive, a level of sensitivity of said patient to that allergen, and a software button to permit editing of that entry.

5. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include a dietary considerations screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon specific food related entry for the participating patient, and a software button to permit editing of that entry.

6. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include a family history data screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon an identity of a direct family member of the participating patient, and a software button to access a detail screen concerning the medical history of such direct family member.

7. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include a prior illnesses screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon identity of a specific illness affecting the participating patient, status of such illness, and a software button to permit editing of that entry.

8. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include an immunizations screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon identity of specific immunization and the date of that immunization for the participating patient, and a software button to permit editing of that entry.

9. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include a medical diagnosis screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon a diagnostic result of examination of the participating patient, and a software button to permit editing of that entry.

10. Medical records system according to claim 9 wherein said diagnostic result includes a medical image in digital form incorporated into the result.

11. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include an advanced directives screen having one or more entries, and listing for each entry thereon data concerning a patient health proxy.

12. Medical records system according to claim 11 wherein any entry thereon concerning an advanced order includes an area indicating the location where a written copy of said health proxy is filed.

13. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said patient-viewable screens include an advanced directive screen having one or more entries selected from the group consisting of a do not resuscitate order and an organ donation order.

14. Medical records system according to claim 1 wherein said two-way firewall program includes a feature permitting the physician to override the firewall feature and permit the participating patient for a limited time to view limited portions of the physician medical record for said participating patient.

15. Medical records system according to claim 1, wherein the physician-only access screens which include medical information for said respective patient that is not provided on the patient screens include at least one space for posting, within said space, physician entry of notes concerning symptoms, diagnosis, and medical procedures performed, which physician entry of notes do not appear on the patient-viewable screens for the associated participating patient.

16. A system for maintaining patient medical records for a plurality of participating patients, and in which such records are remotely accessible by patients and by physicians for reading and editing of the respective patient medical records of the participating patients, and permitting entry of patient medical information by authorized persons, the system employing

a wide area computer network that permits communication between computer devices connected to said network, with the computer devices including

at least one patient access computer device and at least one physician-only access computer device;

each said computer device being suitably programmed with a web browser; and

a server including

a suitably programmed computer device including means for connecting with said network,

a memory for storing said patient medical records, and

software providing data modules to each of said computer devices connected to said server over said wide area computer network, and providing to each said patient access computer device for the associated one of said participating patients a set of patient-viewable patient history screens containing a patient medical record of a respective one of said patients, and said server also providing to the at least one physician-only access computer device for each of said participating patients a set of physician-only access screens containing the physician medical record of the participating patient, the screens of the set of physician-only access screens being distinct from the screens of the associated set of patient-viewable screens, the physician-only access screens including medical information for said respective patient that is not provided on the patient-viewable screens, each said set being a plurality of screens; and

, including a read-only emergency data screen for the respective patient;

at least one patient access card adapted to be carried by the patient and containing patient identification for entry into a log-in screen of said patient access computer;

wherein said server also includes a two-way firewall program that allows both the respective patient and the physician computer device to access the patient-viewable screens of the medical record of the participating patient for reading and editing, but includes a firewall feature that allows only the physician access computer device and not the patient access computer device to access the physician-only viewable screens of the medical record of said respective participating patient;

and

wherein one screen of the set of physician-only access screens containing a physician medical record of the participating patient include at least one space for physician entry, in said space, of notes concerning symptoms, diagnosis, medical procedures performed, and medications prescribed for said participating patient by the physician;

wherein said log-in screen has a log-in box where a respective participating patient can enter a password not contained on said access card to obtain access to said set of patient-viewable patient history screens associated with said patient;

wherein said log-in screen further includes an emergency access soft button, which is adapted to be clicked on without requiring entry of said patient password to access only a read-only emergency data screen that provides limited patient health information for the associated participating patient, but not access to any of said set of patient-viewable patient history screens associated with said patient, the emergency data on said emergency data screen including the patient'"'"'s blood type, prescribed medications, and contact information for said patient'"'"'s primary care physician, and

wherein one screen of the set of physician-only access screens containing a physician medical record of the participating patient include at least one space for physician entry, in said space, of notes concerning symptoms, diagnosis, medical procedures performed, and medications prescribed for said participating patient by the physician.

17. Medical records system according to claim 16 wherein said set of physician-only access screens includes a diagnosis dialog box including look up menus for selecting a diagnosis nomenclature of the patient by key word and for selecting a diagnosis nomenclature by entry of diagnosis code.

18. Medical records system according to claim 16 wherein said set of physician-only access screens includes a diagnosis dialog box including look up menus for selecting a procedure nomenclature of the patient by key word and for selecting a procedural nomenclature by entry of procedure code.

19. Medical records system according to claim 16, wherein the notes entered by the physician in said at least one space for physician entry of notes do not appear on the patient-viewable patient history screens of said patient medical record.