Prescription-controlled data collection system and method

• US 6,311,163 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arlington Instrument Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Arlington Instrument Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Fitzgerald, Patrick J., Nitzberg, Mark J., Sheehan, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARBOWSKI, LEIGH M
• Application Number:
  US09/426,118
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/2, 705/3, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A prescription-controlled diagnostic data collection system for collecting, storing and receiving medical diagnostic data. A remote medical diagnostic device is configured to collect and transmit diagnostic data. A health service provider prepares a prescription that authorizes the remote diagnostic device to collect and/or transmit diagnostic data. The prescription includes an identifier unique to the device. A central server receives and stores the prescription from the prescribing party and stores status and data information associated with the prescription. A base unit transfer data and authorization information between the remote medical diagnostic device and the server. The remote diagnostic device is operable by a patient independently of the server and the health care provider to collect the diagnostic data, and is operable to transmit the diagnostic data to the server when appropriate authorizations have been received by the base unit from the server.

Claims

1. A system for data collection comprising:

a data collection device for collecting and/or transmitting data

a prescribing terminal at a remote location to be used by a prescribing party to prepare a prescription, wherein the prescription authorizes the data collection device to collect and/or transmit data; and

a server that receives and stores the prescription from the prescribing terminal via a communications medium,

wherein the data collection device is operable by a collecting party independently of the server and prescribing party to collect data, and is operable to transmit the data to the server when appropriate authorizations have been received from the server.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prescribing party is a doctor or health service provider having access to the server, and wherein the data comprises the results of a diagnostic procedure.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications medium is selected from a group comprising:

a wired network, a wireless RF network, a fiber optic network, a public telephone network and the Internet.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prescription further comprises a device identifier unique to the data collection device.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the server further comprises a unique prescription identifier for each prescription received from the prescribing party.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the prescription further comprises at least one authorization selected from a group comprising:

a device use authorization authorizing the data collection device to gather data; and

a data transfer authorization authorizing the device to transfer collected data to the server.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the prescription further comprises at least one element selected from a group comprising:

the name of the prescribing party;

the name of the collecting party associated with the prescription;

the incident or condition prompting the prescription;

the date the prescription was given; and

the expiration date of the prescription.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server further comprises status information and data information associated with the prescription.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the status information comprises informnation on whether the data collection device has been activated and/or whether the data collection device has transferred data to the server, and wherein the data information comprises the data gathered by the data collection device and transferred to the server.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data collection device is a medical diagnostic device.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the medical diagnostic device is selected from a group comprising:

an otoscope;

a rhinoscope;

a laryngoscope;

an opthalmoscope;

a dermatology camera;

a heart monitor;

a blood pressure monitor;

an oxygen saturation monitor; and

an audio monitor.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising a base unit that transfers data and authorization information between the data collection device and the server.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the base unit comprises:

a first communication port for communicating with the data collection device;

a second communication port for communicating with the server;

a memory for storing data collected by the data collection device and prescription and authorization information provided by the server;

user input and output interfaces; and

a processor for directing the overall operation of the base unit.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first and second communication ports are implemented in a modem.

15. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the base unit and data collection device communicate using aprotocol selected from a group comprising:

an RS232 protocol;

a Universal Serial Bus protocol; and

an infrared protocol.

16. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the base unit and data collection device communicate over a short range data communications medium selected from a group comprising:

a direct cable connection;

contact connectors;

an infrared wireless connection; and

an RF wireless connection.

17. A prescription-controlled diagnostic data collection system comprising:

a remote medical diagnostic device for collecting and/or transmitting diagnostic data;

a prescribing terminal at a remote location to be used by a prescribing party to prepare a prescription, wherein the prescription authorizes the remote diagnostic device to collect and/or transmit diagnostic data and wherein the prescription comprises an identifier unique to the device;

a server that receives and stores the prescription from the prescribing party via a communications medium, and wherein the server further comprises status and data information associated with the prescription; and

a base unit that transfers data and authorization information between the remote medical diagnostic device and the server,

wherein the remote medical diagnostic device is operable by a patient independently of the server and the prescribing party to collect the diagnostic data, and is operable to transmit the diagnostic data to the server when appropriate authorizations have been received by the base unit from the server.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the communications medium is the Internet and the server is a web server.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the medical diagnostic device is a digital otoscope that communicates with the base unit via contact connectors.

20. A method for collecting, storing and receiving data in a distributed manner comprising the following steps:

(a) communicating an operation authorization for a remote data collection device from a remotely located prescribing party to a server;

(b) providing the remote data collection device to a collecting party;

(c) communicating a device identifier from the remote data collection device to the server;

(d) determining whether the remote data collection device identified by the device identifier has been authorized for operation by the prescribing party;

(e) if the remote data collection device is authorized for operation, allowing independent operation of the remote data collection device by the collecting party to collect data, and if the remote data collection device has not been authorized for operation, disallowing operation of the remote data collection device;

(f) communicating the collected data from the remote data collection device to the server; and

(g) on request of the prescribing party, communicating the collected data from the server to the prescribing party.

21. A method for remotely collecting and transmitting diagnostic data comprising the following steps:

(a) communicating a registration of a diagnostic device from a prescribing party to a server;

(b) communicating a prescription from the prescribing party to the server by remote authorization;

(c) providing the diagnostic device to a collecting party;

(d) communicating a device identifier from the collecting party to the server;

(e) determining whether the diagnostic device has been registered with the server by comparing the registration and the device identifier;

(f) if the diagnostic device has been registered, communicating the prescription from the server to the diagnostic device to allow operation of the diagnostic device, and if the diagnostic device has not been registered, disallowing operation of the diagnostic device;

(g) collecting and storing diagnostic data with the diagnostic device independently of the server and the prescribing party;

(h) determining from the prescription whether the diagnostic device is authorized to transmit data to the server;

(i) if the diagnostic device is authorized to transmit data, transmitting the collected data from the diagnostic device to the server, and if the diagnostic device is not authorized to transmit data, preventing the transmission of collected data from the diagnostic device to the server; and

(j) on request of the prescribing party, communicating the collected data from the server to the prescribing party.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein in steps (a) and (b), the doctor communicates the registration and prescription to the server by a communication means selected from a group comprising:

filling out a web form on the Internet;

calling a telephone service and pressing the appropriate touch-tone buttons; and

calling or visiting personnel with access to the server.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein step (b) further comprises providing at least one type of data selected from a group comprising:

the name of the prescribing party;

the name of the collecting party associated with the prescription;

the incident or condition prompting the prescription;

the date the prescription was given; and

the expiration date of the prescription.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the expiration date of the prescription is provided by the prescribing party to the server, and comprising an additional step following step (f) of determining whether the expiration date has passed, operation of the device not being allowed if the expiration date has passed.

25. A method as claimed in claim 21, and comprising an additional step wherein the server assigns a unique prescription ID number to the prescription.