Remote Monitoring Systems And Methods For Medical Devices

• US 20120226771A1
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Harrington, Stacey B., Wiesner, Joel D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A remote monitoring system for monitoring a plurality of medical devices at a patient care or home care facility. The system includes a device integration server in communication with wireless relay modules for receiving data packets from the medical devices including an identifier and data for each medical device. The system also includes an outbound web server. The web server is configured to provide webpages including the data of the medical devices for display on first and second remote monitoring devices, subject to authentication of an associated data request from the monitoring device.

Claims

1. A system for enabling the remote monitoring of at least one medical device, the system comprising:

a device integrator server in communication with at least one wireless relay device, wherein said wireless relay device is configured to transmit data packets containing information provided by at least one medical device, wherein each said data packet includes identifying medical device data and at least a medical device identifier or a patient identifier;

a data manager system coupled to said device integrator server, said data manager system comprising at least a device control database, and

a web server configured for providing web pages for receiving at least the medical data and, transmitting the medical device data to a first remote monitoring device via a secure internet connection for displaying the medical device data at the first remote monitoring device; and

transmitting at least a portion of the medical device data to a second remote monitoring device for displaying the portion of the medical device data at the second remote monitoring device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is configured for verifying the patient identifier and medical device identifier before transmitting the medical device data to the first remote monitoring device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said web server is configured to transmit the portion of the medical device data to the second remote monitoring device by at least a wireless data link.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said wireless data link is over a wireless mobile data network.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second remote monitoring device is a portable communications device of least one of a mobile phone, tablet computer and portable computer.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said web server is configured to transmit to at least one of the first and the second remote monitoring devices, status information concerning a wireless relay network associated with the wireless relay device.

7. A system for enabling the remote monitoring of at least one medical device, the system comprising:

a device integrator server in communication with at least one wireless relay device, wherein said wireless relay device is configured to transmit data packets containing information provided by at least one medical device, wherein each said data packet includes data identifying medical device data and at least one of a medical device identifier and a patient identifier;

a data manager system coupled to said device integrator server, said data manager system comprising at least a device control database,

a web server configured for providing web pages for receiving at least the medical device data and, subject to verification of the patient identifier and medical device identifier, transmitting the medical device data to first and second remote monitoring devices via a secure internet connection for displaying the medical device data at the first and remote monitoring devices; and

a network status server configured for transmitting to at least one of the first or second remote monitoring devices, status information concerning a wireless relay network associated with the wireless relay device.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said network status server is located at a different geographic location than the web server.

9. A method for displaying medical device data by a medical device monitoring system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving credentials from a user of a first monitoring device and a request from said user for medical device information for a patient to be monitored;

verifying said user is authorized to receive the medical device information; and

if verification is achieved, then

(a) identifying, based on at least said credentials and said request, an address for a secure patient database having information regarding said patient;

(b) retrieving patient data and associated medical device identification data by a web server from said patient database over a secure communications link;

(c) retrieving medical device data from a device control database for at least one medical device according to said retrieved medical device identification data;

(d) transmitting said retrieved medical device data by said web server for display on said first monitoring device; and

(e) transmitting at least a portion of the medical device data to a second remote monitoring device for displaying at the second remote monitoring device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the medical device data transmitted to the second remote monitoring device includes status information concerning a wireless relay network associated with a wireless relay device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

receiving from said wireless relay module status information concerning a wireless relay network associated with the wireless relay device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the status information concerning a wireless relay network concerns at least one of signal strength, data rates, particular transmission time stamp, number of active relay modules in the wireless relay network, and a unique identifier number for a particular relay module.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of transmitting the portion of the medical device data to the second remote monitoring device comprises encrypting said portion on the portion of the medical device data.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of transmitting the retrieved medical device data for display on the first monitoring device further comprises encrypting said medical device data with a first encryption technique, and wherein said step of transmitting the portion of the medical device data to the second remote monitoring device comprises encrypting the portion of the medical device data using a second encryption technique, wherein the first encryption technique differs from the second encryption technique.