System and method for providing a synergistic alert condition processing in an automated patient management system

• US 7,884,709 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2010
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Fenske, Matthew, Foster, Dale E., Cohen, Mark L., Somberg, Benjamin L., Stahmann, Jeffrey E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/651,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20100102950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.12, 340/506, 340/500, 340/573.1, 705 1- 3, 600/300, 600/301
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

A system and method for providing synergistic alert condition processing in an automated patient management system is presented. An alert condition is classified along a continuum that includes adverse outcome potential versus medical intervention impact potential. The alert condition is managed by assigning a disposition based on relative placement of the alert condition along the continuum. An alert notification is communicated over a selectable mode of communications and is conditioned upon the assigned disposition being actionable.

Claims

1. A system for alert condition management in an automated patient management system, comprising:

a server retrieving patient data from an origination source and evaluating the patient data for occurrence of an alert condition;

a classifier classifying the alert condition based on the origination source and assigning the alert condition along a continuum comprising adverse outcome potential versus medical intervention impact potential;

a manager managing the alert condition by assigning a disposition based on relative placement of the alert condition along the continuum, severity of the alert condition, and a condition management state selected from the group consisting of whether the alert condition is pre-existing but has not been addressed, prioritization of the alert condition from among a plurality of alert conditions, and combinations thereof, wherein the alert condition of a pre-existing alert condition is escalated if the alert condition has not been addressed; and

a communicator determining whether the assigned disposition is actionable and, when actionable, communicating an alert notification over a selectable mode of communication.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager applies one or more thresholds to the alert condition to determine severity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein patient data is selected from the group consisting of device parameters, sensor readings, and health conditions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein patient data is retrieved from a device selected from the group consisting of:

implantable medical devices, external medical devices, implantable sensors, external sensors, patient management devices, personal computers, telephones, facsimile machines, and combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising the server retrieving patient data from patient history data or a source other than an alert condition source.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a combined alert condition is identified by evaluating a confluence of non-actionable alert conditions.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitor to monitor new alert conditions based on a scheduled polling frequency.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic medical records database to store the alert condition prior to communicating the alert notification.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the disposition is selected from the group consisting of recording the alert condition, sending an informational message, sending a recommendation, sending an obligatory instruction, and taking active medical interventive measures.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert notification is selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, telephone message, facsimile, email, and voicemail.

11. A method for alert condition management in an automated patient management system, comprising:

evaluating patient data from an origination source for occurrence of an alert condition;

classifying the alert condition based on the origination source and assigning the alert condition along a continuum comprising adverse outcome potential versus medical intervention impact potential;

managing the alert condition by assigning a disposition based on relative placement of the alert condition along the continuum, severity of the alert condition and a condition management state selected from the group consisting of whether the alert condition is pre-existing but has not been addressed, prioritization of the alert condition from among a plurality of alert conditions, and combinations thereof, wherein the alert condition of a pre-existing alert condition is escalated if the alert condition has not been addressed; and

communicating an alert notification over a selectable mode of communications and conditioned upon the assigned disposition being actionable.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising applying one or more thresholds to the alert condition to determine severity.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein patient data is selected from the group consisting of device parameters, sensor readings, and health conditions.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising retrieving patient data from a device selected from the group consisting of:

implantable medical devices, external medical devices, implantable sensors, external sensors, patient management devices, personal computers, telephones or facsimile machines.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising retrieving patient data from patient history data or a source other than an alert condition source.

16. An apparatus for providing alert condition management in an automated patient management system, comprising:

a server evaluating patient data from an origination source for occurrence of an alert condition;

a classifier classifying the alert condition based on the origination source and assigning the alert condition along a continuum comprising adverse outcome potential versus medical intervention impact potential;

a manager managing the alert condition by assigning a disposition based on relative placement of the alert condition along the continuum, severity of the alert condition and a condition management state selected from the group consisting of whether the alert condition is pre-existing but has not been addressed, prioritization of the alert condition from among a plurality of alert conditions, and combinations thereof, wherein the alert condition of a pre-existing alert condition is escalated if the alert condition has not been addressed; and

a communicator communicating an alert notification over a selectable mode of communications and conditioned upon the assigned disposition being actionable.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the manager applies one or more thresholds to the alert condition to determine severity.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein patient data is selected from the group consisting of device parameters, sensor readings, and health conditions.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein patient data is retrieved from a device selected from the group consisting of:

implantable medical devices, external medical devices, implantable sensors, external sensors, patient management devices, personal computers, telephones or facsimile machines.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein patient data is retrieved from patient history data or a source other than an alert condition source.