Direct physician delivery of patient care over a network

• US 8,423,387 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Muhammad Mirza
• Original Assignee: Muhammad Mirza
• Inventors: Mirza, Muhammad
• Primary Examiner(s): PAULS, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US13/476,504
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 707/104.1, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system and method of providing delivery of medical care through instant patient access to a physician via an application (app) on a smartphone connecting over a network. A patient signs into the system through a smartphone app and selects a category for an emerging medical issue and further submits a detailed description of the presenting issue. A physician instantly receives a notice through the app on a physician smartphone that the patient is waiting a consultation. The physician opens the app, reviews the category and the detailed description and calls the patient directly through the app for a consultation. After the consultation is complete, the physician submits clinical advice through the app, the app electronically mailing the patient with the advice in writing. The physician also submits a prescription to a pharmacy, makes a referral, bills an insurance provider and accepts payment through the app.

Claims

1. A method of delivering medical care, the method comprising:

maintaining, in a computer system, patient profiles associated with patients and physician profiles associated with physicians, each of the patient profiles including medical history, voice communication information and text communication information, each of the physician profiles including payee information;

receiving, from a first personal mobile computing device, medical symptoms and payer information associated with one of the patient profiles, the system storing the symptoms in the history of the one of the patient profiles, the first device operated by one of the patients, the first device running a software application in a patient mode, the patient mode having a symptom graphical user interface element operative to receive input for the symptoms, the patient mode having a payer graphical user interface element operative to receive input for the payer information;

causing the symptoms to be displayed on a second personal mobile computing device, the second device displaying a text field associated with one of the physician profiles, the system authorizing the physician associated with the one of the physician profiles to view the history of the one of the patient profiles, the second device operated by one of the physicians, the second device running the software application in a physician mode operative to display the symptoms and the text field;

causing a voice datalink to be established, from the second device via the physician mode, according to the voice information of the one of the patient profiles in order to provide oral consultation regarding the symptoms, the physician mode operative to display a voice datalink graphical user interface element configured to initiate the voice datalink in response to physician activation; and

causing a clinical advice, as entered into the text field via the physician mode, to be sent according to the text communication information of the one of the patient profiles, the system storing the advice in the history of the one of the patient profiles, the advice memorializing the consultation, the system billing according to the payer information and the payee information of the one of the physicians, the physician mode operative to display a text field graphical user interface element configured to initiate sending contents of the text field in response to physician activation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing a patient waiting list associated with the one of the physician profiles to be displayed on the second device, the list listing indicia associated with the one of the patient profiles and another of the patient profiles, the system updating the list;

receiving acknowledgement of activation of one of the indicia corresponding to the one of the patient profiles and performing the causing the symptoms to be displayed on the second device; and

causing an appointment to visit a physician associated with the one of the physician profiles to be scheduled on the second device,

wherein the symptoms including at least one of a symptom detailed description and a symptom image.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving physician credentials for the one of the physician profiles;

verifying the credentials; and

causing prescription data to be sent from the second device to a third party provider, the prescription data relating to treatment of the symptoms, the system storing the prescription data in the history of the one of the patient profiles,

wherein the voice datalink is at least one of a phone call, a voice chat and a video teleconference.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

causing a medical diagnostic test order for a patient associated with the one of the patient profiles to be placed on the second device;

receiving a result of the test, the system storing the result in the history of the one of the patient profiles,

wherein the text communication information allowing at least one of printing out and mailing the advice, emailing the advice and texting the advice, the voices datalink between the second device and the first device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

authorizing the physician associated with another physician profile to view the history of the one of the patient profiles, the physician profiles including the another physician profile,

wherein the patient profiles including medical insurance information, the payer information functioning as co-payment according to the insurance information of the one of the patient profiles.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

causing a referral to be sent to a specialist physician profile associated with a specialist physician, the physician profiles including the specialist physician profile, the system authorizing the physician associated with the specialist physician profile to view the history of the one of the patient profiles, the system storing the referral in the history of the one of the patient profiles,

wherein the symptoms including at least one of a medical category related to the symptoms and a common symptom associated with the category.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving data indicating a geographic location of the first device;

causing a map to be displayed on the first device, the map showing which of the physicians are near the location, the physician profiles including physician pictures and recommendations as recommended via some of the patient profiles,

selecting the one of the physicians as a default physician;

wherein the system causing the history of the one of the patients to be displayed on the second device in chronological order.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

authorizing the physician associated with the one of the physician profiles to view the history of other patient profiles associated with other patients biologically related to the patient,

wherein the physician profiles including physician specialties.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

removing the another of the patient profiles from the list in response to a removal action on the second device;

causing a stage indicator to be displayed on at least one of the first device and the second device, the indicator visually indicating a stage in the delivery of medical care,

wherein the patient profiles including graphical representations of at least portion of the histories.

10. A system of delivering medical care, the system comprising:

a computer system storing patient profiles corresponding to patients and physician profiles corresponding to physicians, each of the patient profiles including medical history, voice communication information and text communication information, each of the physician profiles including payee information;

a first personal mobile computing device running a first instance of a software application having a patient mode and a physician mode, the patient mode initiated via a patient login corresponding to one of the patient profiles of one of the patients, the physician mode initiated via a physician login corresponding to one of the physician profiles of one of the physicians, the first instance running in the patient mode, the first instance sending medical symptoms and payer information to the computer system, the computer system storing the symptoms in the history of the one of the patient profiles, the patient mode having a symptom graphical user interface element operative to receive input for the symptoms, the patient mode having a payer graphical user interface element operative to receive input for the payer information;

a second personal mobile computing device running a second instance of the application in the physician mode, the second instance displaying the symptoms and a text field, the computer system authorizing the physician associate with the one of the physician profiles to view the history of the one of the patient profiles, the second instance establishing a voice datalink according to the voice information of the one of the patient profiles in order to provide oral consultation regarding the symptoms, the second instance sending a clinical advice, as input into the text field, according to the text communication information of the one of the patient profiles, the advice memorializing the consultation, the computer system storing the advice in the history of the one of the patient profiles, the computer system billing according to the payer information and the payee information of the one of the physicians, the physician mode operative to display a voice datalink graphical user interface element configured to initiate the voice datalink in response to physician activation, the physician mode operative to display a text field graphical user interface element configured to initiate sending contents of the text field in response to physician activation.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second instance displaying a patient waiting list associated with the one of the physician profiles, the list listing indicia corresponding to the one of the patient profiles and another of the patient profiles, the computer system updating the list, the computer system receiving acknowledgement of activation of one of the indicia corresponding to the one of the patient profiles and, in response, the second instance displaying the symptoms, the second instance scheduling an appointment to visit a physician associated with the one of the physician profiles, the symptoms including at least one of a symptom detailed description and a symptom image.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second instance sending prescription data to a third party provider, the prescription data relating to treatment of the symptoms, the computer system storing the prescription data in the history of the one of the patient profiles, the voice datalink is at least one of a phone call, a voice chat and a video teleconference.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second instance placing a medical diagnostic test order for a patient associated with the one of the patient profiles, the computer system receiving a result of the test and storing the result in the history of the one of the patient profiles, the text communication information allowing for at least one of printing out and mailing the advice, emailing the advice and texting the advice, the voice datalink between the second device and the first device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer system authorizing the physician associated with another physician profile to view the history of the one of the patient profiles, the physician profiles including the another physician profile, each of the patient profiles including medical insurance information, the payer information functioning as co-payment according to the insurance information of the one of the patient profiles.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second instance sending a referral to a specialist physician profile associated with a specialist physician, the physician profiles including the specialist physician profile, the computer system authorizing the physician associated with the specialist physician profile to view the history of the one of the patient profiles, the computer system storing the referral in the history of the one of the patient profiles, the symptoms including at least one of a medical category related to the symptoms and a common symptom associated with the category.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer system receiving data indicating a geographic location of the first device, the first instance displaying a map showing which of the physicians are near the location, the physician profiles including physician pictures and recommendations as recommended via some of the patient profiles, the first instance selecting the one of the physicians as a default physician, the computer system causing the history of the one of the patients to be displayed via the second instance in chronological order.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer system authorizing the physician associated with for the one of the physician profiles to view the history of other patient profiles associated with other patients biologically related to the patient, the physician profiles including physician specialties.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first instance and the second instance displaying a stage indicator visually indicating a stage in the delivery of medical care, the patient profiles including graphical representations of at least portion of the histories.

19. A method of delivering medical care, the method comprising:

inputting a medical symptom and payer information associated with a patient profile into a patient mode of a software application running on a first personal mobile computing device, the patient profile including medical history, voice communication information and text communication information, the first device operated by a patient associated with the patient profile, the patient mode having a symptom graphical user interface element operative to receive input for the symptoms, the patient mode having a payer graphical user interface element operative to receive input for the payer information;

sending the symptoms and the payer information to a computer system for storing the symptoms in the history and the payee information in the patient profile;

retrieving, via a second personal mobile computing device, the symptom from the system and displaying the symptom and a text field in a physician mode of the software application running on the second device, the text field associated with a physician profile storing payee information, the second device operated by a physician associated with the physician profile;

authorizing, via the system, the physician associated with the physician profile to view the history;

establishing a voice datalink, from the second device, according to the voice information in order to provide oral consultation regarding the symptoms, the physician mode displaying a voice datalink graphical user interface element operative to initiate the voice datalink in response to physician activation;

sending a clinical advice, as entered into the text field, according to the text communication information, the advice memorializing the consultation, the physician mode displaying a text field graphical user interface element operative to initiate sending contents of the text field in response to physician activation;

storing, via the system, the advice in the history; and

billing, via the system, according to the payer information and the payee information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying a patient waiting list of the physician profile on the second device, the list listing indicia associated with the patient profile and another patient profile;

in response to activating one of the indicia corresponding to the patient profile, displaying the symptom on the second device;

scheduling, via the second device, an appointment to visit a physician associated with the physician profile;

sending prescription data from the second device to a third party provider, the prescription data relating to treatment of the symptoms, the system storing the prescription data in the history;

placing, via the second device, a medical diagnostic test order for the patient profile;

authorizing, via the system, the physician associated with another physician profile to view the history, the patient profile including medical insurance information, the payer information functioning as co-payment according to the insurance information of the one of the patient profiles; and

displaying, on at least one of the first device and the second device, a stage indicator visually indicating a stage in the delivery of medical care.