METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTHENTICATING AND MONITORING HOME HEALTH INTERACTIONS

• US 20130332197A1
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jennifer M. Hinkel
• Original Assignee: Jennifer M. Hinkel
• Inventors: Hinkel, Jennifer M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,703,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system uses a multi-pass authentication method to authenticate the presence of a health care provider co-located with an assigned patient at a specific time and in a specific place that includes a data reader and transmitter with particular capabilities held by the health care provider, a token held by the patient, and a back-end database and internet-based interface. The system includes an object that includes a wirelessly detectable patient identification (ID) and an electronic device. The electronic device includes a provider ID and is configured to receive the patient ID from the object, retrieve, from a database, healthcare intervention data. The electronic device selectively locks and unlocks access to clinical data recording functions of the electronic device based on the healthcare intervention data.

Claims

1. A method performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a provider electronic device having an associated provider identification (ID), a patient ID from a wireless identification enabled object;

retrieving, from a database, healthcare intervention data that includes an expected patient ID and an expected provider ID for a scheduled healthcare intervention to be performed on a patient associated;

determining whether the received patient ID matches the expected patient ID and whether the device'"'"'s associated provider ID matches the expected provider ID;

if either the received patient ID does not match the expected patient ID or the device'"'"'s associated provider ID does not match the expected provider ID;

engaging a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generating an exception report; and

generating a message that informs a third party of the exception report; and

only if the received patient ID matches the expected patient ID and the device'"'"'s associated provider ID d matches the expected provider ID, disengaging the lock on the electronic device to permit the recording of clinical data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the healthcare intervention data further includes a scheduled time, a scheduled duration, and a scheduled location for the scheduled healthcare intervention.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising:

determining, by the electronic device, a current time; and

if the scheduled time from the healthcare intervention data does not match the current time;

engaging a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generating an exception report; and

generating a message that informs a third party of the exception report.

4. The method according to claim 2 further comprising:

determining, by the electronic device, a current location of the electronic device; and

if the current location does not match the scheduled location from the healthcare intervention data;

engaging a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generating an exception report; and

generating a message that informs a third party of the exception report.

5. The method according to claim 2 further comprising, after disengaging the lock:

periodically determining, by the electronic device, a current duration for the scheduled healthcare intervention;

if the current duration is longer than the scheduled duration

engaging a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generating an exception report; and

generating a message that informs a third party of the exception report.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein periodically determining the current duration comprises determining an amount of time that has elapsed since the scheduled time of the scheduled healthcare intervention.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein periodically determining the current duration comprises determining an amount of time that has elapsed since the patient ID was scanned by the electronic device.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising, after disengaging the lock, recording clinical data by performing the scheduled healthcare intervention.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising transmitting one or more data messages to the database, the one or more data messages including one or more of a current time, a start time, a current location, a current duration, and the clinical data.

10. An electronic device for authenticating a scheduled healthcare intervention, the device comprising:

a processor;

a network interface;

a short-range communications component; and

a computer readable medium for storing a provider identification (ID) and program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive a patient ID from a wireless identification enabled object using the short-range communications component;

retrieve, from a database, healthcare intervention data that includes an expected patient ID and an expected provider ID for a scheduled healthcare intervention;

compare the expected patient ID with the received patient ID and the expected provider ID with the stored provider ID,

if either the expected patient ID does not match the received patient ID or the expected provider ID does not match the stored provider ID;

engage a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generate an exception report; and

generate and transmit via the network interface a message that informs a third party of the exception report; and

only if the expected patient ID matches the received patient ID and the expected provider ID matches the stored provider ID, disengage the lock on the electronic device to permit the recording of clinical data.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the healthcare intervention data further includes a scheduled time, a scheduled duration, and a scheduled location for the scheduled healthcare intervention.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the program instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine a current time; and

if the scheduled time does not match the current time;

engage a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generate an exception report; and

generate and transmit via the network interface a message that informs a third party of the exception report.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the program instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine a current location of the electronic device; and

if the current location does not match the scheduled location;

engage a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generate an exception report; and

generate and transmit via the network interface a message that informs a third party of the exception report.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein the program instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

periodically determine a current duration for the scheduled healthcare intervention;

if the current duration is longer than the scheduled duration;

engage a lock on the electronic device that prevents the recording of clinical data;

generate an exception report; and

generate and transmit via the network interface a message that informs a third party of the exception report.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the instructions to determine the current duration comprise instructions to determine an amount of time that has elapsed since the scheduled time of the scheduled healthcare intervention.

16. The device according to claim 14 wherein the instructions to determine the current duration comprise instructions to determine an amount of time that has elapsed since the patient ID was scanned by the electronic device.

17. The device according to claim 10 further comprising additional program instructions that, when executed after the lock is disengaged, cause the processor to receive and record clinical data for the scheduled healthcare intervention.

18. The device according to claim 17, further comprising additional the program instructions, when executed, cause the processor to transmit, through the network interface, one or more data messages to the database, the one or more data messages including one or more of a current time, a start time, a current location, a current duration, and the clinical data.

19. A system, comprising:

an object that includes a wirelessly detectable patient identification (ID); and

an electronic device, that includes a provider ID, configured to;

read the patient ID from the object;

retrieve, from a database, healthcare intervention data that includes an expected patient ID and an expected provider ID for a scheduled healthcare intervention;

compare the object'"'"'s patient ID to the expected patient ID and the device'"'"'s provider ID with the expected provider ID; and

unlock access to clinical data recording functions of the electronic device only if the object'"'"'s patient ID matches the expected patient ID and the device'"'"'s provider ID matches the expected provider ID, otherwise locking out access to the clinical data recording functions.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein:

the healthcare intervention data further includes a scheduled time, a scheduled duration, and a scheduled location for the scheduled healthcare intervention, and

the electronic device is further configured to;

determine a current time, a current duration, and a current location;

determine whether the current time matches the scheduled time, whether the current duration matches the scheduled duration, and whether the current location matches the scheduled duration; and

unlock access to clinical data recording functions of the electronic device only if the current time matches the scheduled time, the current duration matches the scheduled duration, and the current location matches the scheduled duration, otherwise locking out access to the clinical data recording functions and transmitting an exception report to a third party.