Health management system for group interactions between patients and healthcare practitioners

• US 8,554,195 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bindu Rama Rao
• Original Assignee: Bindu Rama Rao
• Inventors: Rao, Bindu Rama
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sarwar, Babar
• Application Number:
  US13/281,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455418-419, 455/412.1, 455/413.3, 455/466, 455/420, 455/422.1, 455/552.1, 455/456.1, 455/412.2, 705 2- 3, 709/224, 709/203, 709/217
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/559 Sorting systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A health management system for managing the healthcare data of patients, managing interactions with patients, doctors and insurance companies, and managing group messaging and data access from mobile phones of patients and doctors. The health management system facilitates interaction with a plurality of patients. It comprises a patient group management server that is communicatively coupled to a plurality of mobile devices of patients. The patient group management server in turn comprises a message interaction module, a questionnaire distribution and feedback collection module, a remote patient premises data collection module, a coaching distribution module and a content distribution service module. The patient group management server enables communication to each other of an inquiry, a response message, a coaching and guided activity, a questionnaire and relevant reference content by members of the patient group.

Claims

1. A health management system that facilitates interaction with a plurality of patients, the health management system comprising:

a patient group management server that is communicatively coupled to a plurality of mobile devices of patients, the patient group management server comprising;

a message interaction module configured to manage message based interactions between patients and other members within each of a plurality of patient groups;

a questionnaire distribution and feedback collection module configured to distribute questionnaires and collect data and feedback;

a remote patient premises data collection module configured to collect data from medical devices employed at a remote patient premises;

a coaching distribution module configured to distribute guided activities regarding proper habits, diet, medications, patient care, information a patient is interested in, and activities that a doctor or medical practitioner has created; and

a content distribution service module configured to distribute technical papers, recipes, relevant reference content, advisory information, reports and results of tests to the patients;

the patient group management server configured to receive an inquiry from one of the plurality of patients via a corresponding one of the plurality of mobile devices and share it with at least another member of a patient group among the plurality of the patient groups in which the one of the plurality of patients is a member;

the patient group management server configured to receive and share a response message, a coaching and guided activity, a questionnaire and a relevant reference content communicated by the at least another member of the patient group in response to the inquiry; and

the patient group management server configured to share a followup response from the one of the plurality of patients with an external insurance company server, as required.

2. The health management system of claim 1 wherein the inquiry is one of a query message in audio-assisted form, a questionnaire, feedback, a remote patient data and an interest indicator survey input.

3. The health management system of claim 2 further comprising:

the patient group management server configured to selectively communicate an inquiry from one of the plurality of patients to an external server communicatively coupled to the patient group management server, based at least on one of a patient profile, an inquiry type associated with the inquiry, and a patient group information;

the patient group management server configured to receive a response to the inquiry from the external server and to forward the response to the inquiry to at least one of the plurality of mobile devices;

the patient group management server configured to receive followup responses from the at least one of the plurality of mobile devices and to forward at least a portion of each of the followup responses to the external server; and

the patient group management server configured to selectively forward a billing transaction to the external server for processing.

4. The health management system of claim 2 further comprising:

the patient group management server configured to selectively communicate an inquiry to an external server communicatively coupled to the patient group management server, based at least on one of a patient profile, an inquiry type associated with the inquiry, and a patient group information; and

the patient group management server configured to receive a response to the inquiry from the external server and forwards the response to at least one of the plurality of mobile devices associated with the patients in an associated patient group targeted by the external server for the response to the inquiry.

5. The health management system of claim 2 further comprising:

the patient group management server configured to receive a new message addressed to recipients in one of the plurality of patient groups from an external server, wherein the recipients are;

a specific patient in a specific patient group among the plurality of patient groups,

one or more patients from the specific patient group or the entire membership of the specific patient group, or

a set comprising one or more patient groups of the plurality of patient groups,

wherein the new message comprises at least one of text, audio, digital image and video components; and

the patient group management server forwards the new message to the recipients specified.

6. The health management system of claim 2 further comprising:

a website associated with the patient group management server configured to facilitate creation of the inquiry by one of the plurality of patients employing a browser in a laptop, tablet or mobile device communicatively coupled to the patient group management server; and

the website configured to communicate the response to inquiry to the browser wherein the website provides the content and the ability to simultaneously display a response message, a coaching and guided activity, a questionnaire, a relevant reference content and a data collection screen on the browser for perusal and access by the one of the plurality of patients.

7. The health management system of claim 1 further comprising:

the one of the plurality of mobile devices of patients being communicatively coupled to the patient group management server and originating the inquiry that is shared by the patient group management server with one of a plurality of patient groups; and

the patient group management server configured to receives responses to the inquiry from one or more members of the one of a plurality of patient groups and to communicate the responses to the one of the plurality of mobile devices for review by the associated one of the plurality of patients.

8. The health management system of claim 1 wherein the one of the plurality of mobile devices comprises a mobile client configured to interacts with the patient group management server and display the response message, the coaching and guided activity, the questionnaire and the relevant reference content;

the mobile client also configured to integrates messaging with voice and digital photo, display of forms and questionnaires, presenting patient care coaching and other guided activities, and data collection from patient premises medical devices; and

the mobile client configured to validates user login locally in the one of the plurality of mobile devices first, before initiating a remote login with the patient group management server.

9. The health management system of claim 1 further comprising:

one of the plurality of mobile devices originating the inquiry wherein the response to the inquiry is either retrieved by or received by, and subsequently presented by, the one of the plurality of mobile devices, or by more than one of the plurality of mobile devices based on;

membership to the plurality of patient groups;

a group interaction type associated with each of the plurality of patient groups; and

an inquiry type associated with the inquiry.

10. A method of operating a health management system by a patient group management server that facilitates interaction with a plurality of patients, the method comprising:

providing, by the patient group management server, an interface that makes it possible to send same message, same instructions or coaching to the plurality of patients, wherein the same message, the same instructions or the coaching comprise information on proper habits, diet, medications and patient care;

receiving and sharing, by the patient group management server that is communicatively coupled to a plurality of mobile devices of patients, an inquiry from one of the plurality of mobile devices;

gathering by the patient group management server, a response to the inquiry created by one of the patients employing a second one of a plurality of mobile devices, the response to the inquiry selectively comprising;

a message, wherein the message is a combination of an audio component, textual component, a graphic component, a video component, a digital photo component, and a reference to patient data;

a questionnaire for feedback;

an interest inquiry form;

a patient care related coaching instruction;

a remote data collection command; and

a reference content;

sending by the patient group management server, the response to the inquiry to at least one of the plurality of mobile devices of patients;

getting, by the patient group management server, a user followup response and storing it;

sharing, by the patient group management server, the followup response from patients with an external insurance company server, as required; and

making, by the patient group management server, at least one appointment selectively based on the user followup response.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

enabling, by the patient group management server, a doctor to create a patient group among the plurality of patients;

providing, by the patient group management server an interface that makes it possible to send the same message, the same instructions or coaching to the patient group, wherein the message, instructions or coaching comprise information on proper habits, diet, medications and patient care;

verifying, by the patient group management server that the members of the patient group follow the instructions or coaching;

sending, by the patient group management server, reminders to the patient group;

collecting data from patient premises devices for the patient group, by the patient group management server, wherein the patient premises devices generate data that need to be remotely acquired and shared with doctors and labs instantaneously; and

sharing, by the patient group management server followup response from patients and data from patient premises devices with an external insurance company server as required.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

facilitating, by the patient group management server, creation of the inquiry by one of the plurality of patients employing a browser in a laptop, tablet or mobile device communicatively coupled to a website associated with, and managed by, the patient group management server; and

conveying, by the website, the response to the inquiry to the browser wherein the website provides the content and the ability to simultaneously display a response message, a coaching and guided activity, a questionnaire, a relevant reference content and a data collection screen on the browser for perusal and access by the one of the plurality of patients.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

providing, by the patient group management server, a list of messages, a list of questionnaires, a list of coaching or guided activities or a list of data collection tasks currently waiting for a user of one of the plurality of mobile devices;

accepting, by the patient group management server, a user selection made by the user from the one of the plurality of mobile devices, the user selection comprising an item listed in one of the list of messages, the list of questionnaires, the list of coaching or guided activities or the list of data collection tasks;

and

presenting, by the patient group management server, the item selected to the one of the plurality of mobile devices.

14. A method of interacting with a health management system by a mobile client in a mobile device, the method comprising:

sending an inquiry to a patient group management server that is communicatively coupled to the mobile device, wherein the inquiry has a patient provided category, type, and issue identified;

receiving, a response to the inquiry, from the patient group management server, the response to the inquiry selectively comprising;

an audio or video assisted message wherein the message is a combination of an audio component, textual component, a graphic component, a video component, a digital photo component, and a reference to patient data;

a questionnaire for feedback;

an interest inquiry form;

a patient care related coaching instruction;

a patient premises devices data collection command; and

a reference content;

displaying the response to the inquiry for review by a user;

gathering a user input from the user;

sending the user input as a user followup response,

getting at least one appointment based on the user followup response and storing it; and

sharing the followup response with an external insurance company server, as required.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

prompting the user to login, and collecting user login data, before allowing the user to send inquiries, receive new messages or participate in a patient group; and

attempting to validate the user login data locally first in the mobile device before attempting a remote login validation.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving data by the mobile client over a Bluetooth communication link in the mobile device, a WiFi communication link in the mobile device, or an USB communication link in the mobile device, wherein the Bluetooth communication link, the WiFi communication link, and the USB communication link employ a Bluetooth circuitry, a WiFi circuitry and a USB circuitry, respectively, in the mobile device;

uploading the received data to the patient group management server or to an external server; and

selectively transferring the received data to another device in proximity.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the mobile client displays all the components of each response to the inquiry simultaneously to the user.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the mobile client displays the various components of each response to the inquiry in its own tabbed screen, wherein each response to the inquiry selectively comprises the following components:

an audio or video assisted message wherein the message is a combination of an audio component, textual component, a graphic component, a video component, a digital photo component, and a reference to some patient data;

a questionnaire for feedback;

an interest inquiry form;

a patient care related coaching instruction;

a patient premises devices data collection command; and

a reference content.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

showing a list of messages, a list of questionnaires, a list of coaching or guided activities or a list of data collection tasks currently waiting for the user of the mobile device;

accepting user selection of an item listed in the list of messages, a list of questionnaires, a list of coaching or guided activities or a list of data collection tasks;

retrieving the item selected; and

presenting the item selected to the user.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein each of these lists is displayed in a separate tabbed section of a main screen.