Integrated electronic patient health care and billing coordination system

• US 8,615,413 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2011
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Southwest IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Southwest IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: McKee, John Henry, Yetter, Frank Leon, Malik, Naeem Ahmed, Belcher Klaus, JoAnne
• Primary Examiner(s): Cobanoglu, Dilek B
• Application Number:
  US13/150,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20120041783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/14.67, 707/10, 700/2, 700/242, 434/236, 340/572.3
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

A patient care coordination system that includes a plurality of hand-held computers in communication with a cloud computing network or a remote server that has an accessible database of all patients and the health care information of each. The cloud computing network or remote server synchronizes, in real time, patient health care information input in any one of the plurality of hand-held computers with all the others of the plurality of hand-held computers. The hand-held computers are able to download and view the patient health care information in the database in a user friendly graphic user interface equipped with a touch screen for ease of user data navigation. The cloud computing network or remote server also receives, as input, data from patient care devices that are used to monitor patient condition periodically or continuously and store these in the database for the appropriate patient. In addition, the cloud computing network or remote server transmits encrypted electronic digital patient health care information to a third party and receives acknowledgment of third party receipt of the information. The cloud computing network or remote server monitors fee-bearing information exchanged with the third party and automatically assesses a predetermined fee based on fee-bearing information exchanged and stores the billing information to the appropriate patient in the database.

Claims

1. An integrated patient care and billing coordination system, the system comprising:

a plurality of hand-held computers, the hand-held computers each having a user interface, the user interface enabling activities comprising;

facilitating access to patient health care information, inputting new patient health care information, receiving real-time information and alerts about patient health condition;

notification of timing of patient prescription medication treatment, inputting of timing of administration of patient treatment and creating an electronic record confirming the timing of the treatment administered; and

a computer in wireless communication with the plurality of hand-held computers, the computer having memory comprising a database configured to store and update patient health care information, the computer automatically and in real time receiving patient health care information from one of the plurality of hand-held computers and automatically synchronizing, in real time, the received patient health care information with all others of the plurality of hand-held computers, the computer in communication with an in-system party or an out-of-system party to transmit patient health care information and receive acknowledgment of receipt of the information, the computer monitoring fee-bearing information exchanged with the in-system party and updating the database for an appropriate patient;

wherein the patient health care information comprises, for each patient, prescriptions, care-giver notes, care-giver prepared charts, patient medical history, physician orders and patient health insurance information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hand-held computers comprise tablet computers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer comprises either a remote server or comprises a cloud computing network.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising accessibly stored information about pharmaceutical drugs, and software applications that cross check prescribed drugs for appropriate administration to a patient by checking against allergy indications, sensitivity indications and drug interactions for the patient.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-system party is a pharmaceutical dispensing entity, and the fee-bearing information exchanged with the in-system party includes a prescription for a medication, a fee is automatically assessed based on the prescription, and the fee is recorded appropriately in the database.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hand-held computers are used by patient care providers in a health care facility, the patient health care information includes information about patient prescription drug administration, and the system is configured to provide a reminder to patient care providers via the hand-held computers about upcoming scheduled treatment activity.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hand-held computers each comprise a touch screen, the touch screens each comprise graphics relating to a generic patient health care provider environment, user touching of a selected graphic permitting user access to patient health care information suggested by the selected graphic.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising receiving patient health care data input from patient care devices and storing these in the database for a corresponding patient.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the patient health care data comprises patient vital signs and clinical information monitored automatically by patient care devices.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising alerting a care giver about patient data from a patient care device when the patient care data is indicative of an unacceptable condition.

11. An integrated, synchronized patient care and billing coordination system, the system comprising:

a plurality of hand-held computers, the hand-held computers each having a user interface, the user interface enabling activities comprising;

facilitating access to patient health care information, inputting new patient health care information, receiving real-time information and alerts about patient health condition;

notification of timing of patient prescription medication treatment, inputting of timing of administration of patient treatment and creating an electronic record confirming the timing of the treatment administered; and

a computer in real time communication with the plurality of hand-held computers, the computer having memory comprising a database configured to receive, store and update patient health care information for a plurality of patients, the computer automatically and in real time receiving patient health care information from one of the plurality of hand-held computers and automatically synchronizing, in real time, the received patient health care information with all others of the plurality of hand-held computers, the computer also receiving as input patient data from patient care devices and storing these data in the database for a corresponding patient, the computer transmitting patient health care information to an in-system pharmacy and receiving acknowledgment of the information, the computer monitoring fee-bearing information, automatically assessing a predetermined fee based on fee-bearing information exchanged with the in-system pharmacy, and automatically applying a charge to the database for a corresponding patient;

wherein the patient health care information comprises, for each patient, prescriptions, care-giver notes, care-giver prepared charts, patient medical history, physician orders and patient health insurance information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of hand-held computers comprise tablet computers.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer comprises a remote server or a cloud computing network.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises communicating with an out-of-system pharmaceutical dispensing entity, and information communicated comprises fee-bearing information and a prescription for a medication.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising accessibly stored information about pharmaceutical drugs, and software applications that cross check prescribed drugs for appropriate administration to a patient by checking against allergy indications, sensitivity indications and drug interactions for the patient.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of hand-held computers are used by patient care providers in a health care facility, the patient health care information includes information about patient prescription drug administration, and the hand-held computer is configured to provide a reminder to patient care providers about upcoming scheduled prescription patient drug administration activity.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of hand-held computers each comprise a touch screen, the touch screens each comprise graphics relating to a generic patient health care provider environment, user touching of a selected graphic permitting user access to patient health care information suggested by the selected graphic.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the patient data from patient care devices comprises patient vital signs and clinical information monitored automatically by patient care devices.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising alerting a care giver about patient data from a patient care device when the patient care data is indicative of an unacceptable condition.

20. A multi-user, automatically synchronized, patient care coordination system, the system comprising:

a plurality of wireless hand-held computers, the hand-held computers each having a user interface, the user interface enabling activities comprising;

facilitating access to patient health care information, inputting new patient health care information, receiving real-time information and alerts about patient health condition;

notification of timing of patient prescription medication treatment, inputting of timing of administration of patient treatment and creating an electronic record confirming the timing of the treatment administered; and

at least one remote server, the remote server in real time communication with the plurality of hand-held computers in real time, the remote server having memory comprising a database configured to store patient health care information for a plurality of patients, and applications software, the remote server automatically and in real time synchronizing patient health care information between the plurality of portable hand-held computers by making newly-input patient health care information received from any one of the plurality of hand-held computers substantially immediately available to all others of the plurality of portable hand-held computers, the remote server in electronic digital communication with an in-system party or out-of-system party to transmit encrypted patient health care information to the in-system party or out-of-system party, system application software automatically assessing a fee based on patient health care information communicated to the in-system party or out-of-system party;

wherein the patient health care information comprises, for each patient, prescriptions, care-giver notes, care-giver prepared charts, patient medical history, physician orders and patient health insurance information.