“Physician-Centric Health Care Delivery Platform” in Patent Application Approval Process (USPTO 20190237182)
2019 AUG 20 (NewsRx) -- By a
This patent application is assigned to
The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “A current health care delivery model for elderly patients in rural communities is nonexistent. As a result, primary care physicians are unable to handle the increasing numbers of retiring baby boomers in these rural communities. While telehealth and telemedicine implemented by a nurse-centric model has been used to address this problem, these efforts have failed to show a significant reduction in hospital readmissions or overall healthcare costs.
“For example, in 2012, Intel and the
“The basic premise of the physician-centric health care delivery system used in conjunction with RTM, as opposed to a nurse-centric system used in conjunction with RTM, is that physicians can dramatically reduce ER and hospital admissions/readmissions better than nurses, especially when the health care is provided in a home care or nursing home care setting. There are two practical reasons for this. First, in a nurse-centric system used in conjunction with RTM, because of the liability, a patient recently discharged from a hospital frequently will be unnecessarily sent back to an ER by a nurse after analyzing the RTM data. Further, the nurse analyzing the data may not know the patient’s medical history as thoroughly as a physician who has access to the patient’s electronic health record (‘EHR’). Yet further, because a nurse cannot readily order lab tests or prescribe medications, and typically does not carry individual malpractice insurance, a nurse may not be willing to assume the liability risk for erroneously opting for home treatment rather than hospitalization. On the other hand, a trained physician can more readily assess the symptoms presented by the data, order lab tests and a chest x-ray if needed (or perhaps simply modify medications), thereby saving the costs relating to an ER visit, or hospital admission or readmission. Moreover, in the event that hospital admission is warranted, the physician can admit the patient directly to the hospital whereas, typically, a nurse does not have admitting rights and would have to, instead, redirect the patient to the ER for hospital admission.
“Secondly, a physician may be afforded a better opportunity to offer to a patient the hospice alternative to hospital admission. Patients with late-term illnesses may often bounce between hospital discharge and hospital readmission on a weekly cycle. A physician with influence over the patient’s medical power of attorney may be able to offer patients the hospice alternative at the appropriate time to break this cycle and lessen the cost of repeated hospitalization.
“Several cost benefits of a physician-centric model used in conjunction with RTM are apparent. Once a patient appears in the ER without a prior diagnosis by a treating physician, the risk imposed on an ER physician for prematurely discharging the patient from the hospital may cause patients to be unnecessarily admitted instead. Once admitted, unnecessary costs of additional tests performed by the hospital may be incurred. If these visits to the ER can be reduced by the intervention of a treating physician using RTM, the costs relating to the admission and tests may be avoided. In addition, in a physician-centric model used in conjunction with RTM in accordance with the invention, the treating physician is available 24/7, as needed. This means that the treating physician can analyze patient data and interpret test results close to real-time and therefore can administer patient care quickly, thereby reducing the urgency of a patient to appear in the ER for treatment.
“Thus, there is a need for a physician-centric health care delivery system for patients, particularly elderly patients in rural communities, which implements state-of-the-art technologies in telemedicine. This system may be combined with personal care visits by a member of a house call physicians network or patient visits to a satellite/mobile facility such as, for example, a free standing medical clinic, an office building, a room in an office or a kiosk, to further reduce readmissions and health care costs. This system incorporates a physician-based clinical decision support system (‘PCDSS’) integrated with a remote telehealth/telemedicine monitoring (RTM) platform that is capable of analyzing and diagnosing the medical condition of a patient and/or administering health care to a patient in real-time while also providing the treating physician with recommended treatment options. In a further embodiment, the physician-centric health care delivery system includes a ‘smart’ delivery device capable of automatically administering medications to a wearer of the device. The ‘smart’ delivery device may be further adapted to communicate remotely with a physician so that the physician can modify the amount or type of drug being delivered. The present invention addresses these and other needs.”
In addition to the background information obtained for this patent application, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a system for diagnosing and/or treating a patient comprising a patient information database for storing and retrieving data related to the patient. Data includes one or more of real-time patient health information, at least one clinical practice guideline, at least one patient questionnaire and a patient medical history. Also provided is at least one server operative to access the patient information database. A computing device is remotely located from the server and includes a microprocessor configured to store a computer application. The computing device is configured for communication with the server for retrieving the patient health data and the computer application generates at least one of a patient diagnosis or a patient treatment recommendation using that retrieved patient health data. In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for diagnosing and/or treating a patient. The method comprises the steps of: providing a patient information database for storing and retrieving data related to the patient; providing at least one server operative to access the patient information database; providing at least one computing device remotely located from the server where the computing device includes a microprocessor configured to store a computer application and wherein the computing device is configured for communication with the server; providing the patient with a remote telehealth/telemedicine device to generate real-time patient health information; storing the real-time patient health information in the patient information database; and generating at least one of a patient diagnosis or a patient treatment recommendation using the computer application based upon the real-time patient health information.
“In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a system and method for automatic and remotely controlled administration of drugs or other medications. The system utilizes a ‘smart’ delivery system having control circuitry in communication with an actuator for dispensing medications and onboard sensors for monitoring patient health, while also being wirelessly connected to a smart phone or other smart device or any other suitable wireless hub to download device data and upload physician instructions.
“Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will in part become apparent to those in the practice of the invention, when considered with the attached figures.”
The claims supplied by the inventors are:
“1. A system for diagnosing and treating a patient, the system comprising: a patient information database for storing and retrieving patient health data related to the patient, the patient health data including: one or more of real-time patient health information; at least one clinical practice guideline; patient questionnaire answers; and a patient medical history; at least one server operative to access the patient information database; a computing device remotely located from the server for communication using a network; wherein the computing device includes a microprocessor and memory configured to execute and store a diagnostic computer application; wherein the computing device is configured for communication with the server for retrieving the patient health data; wherein the diagnostic computer application generates at least one of a patient diagnosis and a patient treatment recommendation using the patient health data retrieved; and a drug delivery device in communication with the diagnostic computer application comprising: at least one reservoir in fluid communication with a needle; at least one actuator to drive a fluid within a respective at least one reservoir to the needle; a microcontroller to control operation of the at least one actuator; and a power source to power the microcontroller.
“2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the drug delivery device further comprises a wireless communication interface.
“3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the drug delivery device further comprises at least one sensor to monitor a health condition of the patient and transmit a status of the health condition.
“4. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein: the needle is one of an array of needles; and the drug delivery device further includes a conduit and drive electronics controlled by the microcontroller to position the conduit at the needle of the array of needles.
“5. A system for remotely treating a patient, the system comprising: at least one reservoir in fluid communication with a needle; at least one actuator to drive a fluid within the at least one reservoir to the needle; a microcontroller to control operation of the at least one actuator; a communication interface configured to download and upload information from and to at least one remote server over a network; and a power source.
“6. A system in accordance with claim 5, further comprising a communication interface configured to download and upload information from and to at least one server.
“7. A system in accordance with claim 5, wherein further comprising at least one sensor to monitor a health condition of the patient.
“8. A system in accordance with claim 5, wherein the needle is one of an array of needles.
“9. A system in accordance with claim 5, further comprising a conduit and drive electronics controlled by the microcontroller to position the conduit at the needle of the array of needles.
“10. A method for remotely administering a drug, the method comprising: providing a drug delivery device comprising: at least one reservoir in fluid communication with a needle; at least one actuator to drive a fluid from the at least one reservoir to the needle; a microcontroller to control operation of the actuator; and a power source to power the microcontroller and the at least one actuator; programming the microcontroller of the drug delivery device to administer a medication according to an instruction; and administering the medication according to the instruction.
“11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the drug delivery device is in wireless communication with a computing device.
“12. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the microcontroller is programmable responsive to a patient diagnosis for a patient treatment recommendation associated with the instruction.
“13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein: the needle is one of an array of needles; and the drug delivery device further includes a conduit and drive electronics controlled by the microcontroller to position the conduit at the needle of the array of needles.
“14. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising: providing a patient information database for retrieving and storing patient data associated for use of the drug delivery device; and providing at least one server operative to access the patient information database.
“15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the computing device is remotely located from the server for communication therebetween over a network.
“16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the computing device includes a microprocessor and memory configured to execute and store a diagnostic computer application.
“17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the computing device is configured for communication with the server using the Internet.
“18. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the computing device and the drug delivery device in combination provide a telehealth/telemedicine system for generation of health data for use with the patient data.
“19. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising storing the health data in the patient information database as part of the patient data.
“20. A method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising generating the patient diagnosis and the patient treatment recommendation in real time using the diagnostic computer application using the health data and the patient data.”
URL and more information on this patent application, see: Nguyen, Linh C.; Nguyen, An-Dien; Le,
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