US20090240116A1 - Triage based managed health kiosk system - Google Patents

Triage based managed health kiosk system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20090240116A1
US20090240116A1 US12/407,682 US40768209A US2009240116A1 US 20090240116 A1 US20090240116 A1 US 20090240116A1 US 40768209 A US40768209 A US 40768209A US 2009240116 A1 US2009240116 A1 US 2009240116A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
health
user
pieces
care professional
health care
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US12/407,682
Inventor
Charles P. Bluth
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Computerized Screening Inc
Original Assignee
Computerized Screening Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Computerized Screening Inc filed Critical Computerized Screening Inc
Priority to US12/407,682 priority Critical patent/US20090240116A1/en
Assigned to COMPUTERIZED SCREENING, INC. reassignment COMPUTERIZED SCREENING, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: BLUTH, CHARLES P.
Publication of US20090240116A1 publication Critical patent/US20090240116A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/02Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
    • A61B5/0205Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
    • A61B5/02055Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/145Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue
    • A61B5/14546Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/68Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient
    • A61B5/6887Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
    • A61B5/6888Cabins
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/70Means for positioning the patient in relation to the detecting, measuring or recording means
    • A61B5/702Posture restraints
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06QINFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/10Office automation; Time management
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06QINFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q40/00Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
    • GPHYSICS
    • G16INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16HHEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H10/00ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data
    • G16H10/20ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
    • GPHYSICS
    • G16INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16HHEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H10/00ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data
    • G16H10/60ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
    • GPHYSICS
    • G16INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16HHEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H10/00ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data
    • G16H10/60ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
    • G16H10/65ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
    • GPHYSICS
    • G16INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16HHEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H20/00ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
    • G16H20/10ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
    • G16H20/13ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients delivered from dispensers
    • GPHYSICS
    • G16INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16HHEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H40/00ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
    • G16H40/60ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices
    • G16H40/67ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices for remote operation
    • GPHYSICS
    • G16INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16HHEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H50/00ICT specially adapted for medical diagnosis, medical simulation or medical data mining; ICT specially adapted for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics
    • G16H50/20ICT specially adapted for medical diagnosis, medical simulation or medical data mining; ICT specially adapted for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/0002Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network
    • A61B5/0004Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
    • A61B5/0013Medical image data
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/02Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
    • A61B5/021Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels
    • A61B5/022Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/117Identification of persons
    • A61B5/1171Identification of persons based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
    • A61B5/1172Identification of persons based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof using fingerprinting
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/145Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/145Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue
    • A61B5/14532Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissue for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/74Details of notification to user or communication with user or patient ; user input means
    • A61B5/742Details of notification to user or communication with user or patient ; user input means using visual displays
    • A61B5/743Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots

Definitions

  • the present invention is directed to triage based managed health kiosk systems, and more particularly to facilitating a more automated approach to emergency triage situations through use of kiosk systems in combination with on-site health care professionals.
  • Do-it-yourself blood pressure monitoring stations are often available in or near retail pharmacies, doctors' offices, corporate facilities, and retail centers such as shopping malls and strip malls.
  • the field of medicine has long employed health care screening to diagnose and track patients' health.
  • An annual physical examination is a well-known part of patient medical care.
  • Health care screening devices in hospitals, physician's offices, businesses, and the like, in combination with the growing number of home diagnostic kits that are available have increased the efficiencies in health care delivery.
  • Large drug store operators have increasingly encouraged individual testing by making available in-store diagnostic testing devices. For example, customers waiting to fill a prescription are often encouraged to check their blood pressure while they wait with a blood pressure measurement/screening device, and pharmacists who fill high-blood pressure prescriptions to customers often encourage their customers to regularly check their blood pressure.
  • Such customers often use blood pressure measurement/screening devices that are provided in the drug store.
  • in-store testing commonly is highly popular among customers and greatly boosts the number of people visiting the store. In-store testing is valuable for positioning stores as health and wellness centers as well as retailers of health care products. In-store testing increases sales since a consumer who learns of a health problem through screening in the store has some likelihood of purchasing a home test kit to monitor the problem. For example, a customer who discovers a problem with high blood pressure through an in-store test is a likely candidate to purchase a home blood pressure testing kit.
  • In-store health care screening expands the pharmacist's role in patient care through education. Test device manufacturers have advanced the design and functionality of products to simplify usage and improve accuracy. The challenge for further improvements in health care screening is to educate consumers about the need for medical tests, and demonstrate that many tests are effectively performed by publicly available devices or at home.
  • a present concern is that health screening is performed on an insufficient segment of the population to efficiently prevent or treat ailments.
  • Other concerns are that health screening is too costly, limited in scope, and time-consuming both for individual patients and health care providers.
  • Health care providers, insurance companies, and employers that ultimately pay for health care have encouraged development and usage of improved, accurate, yet economic health screening facilities both for treatment and prevention of health care problems.
  • Health care costs are a major concern in this day and age in the United States. Some commentators point out that our current national health care policy does little to incentivize preventative medicine and instead incentivizes treating major problems, at a high cost, somewhere down the line. More and better screening of patients, early and often, increases the likelihood of finding a problem early and treating it inexpensively; as opposed to finding it later and spending significantly more to correct a major health problem.
  • Health screening devices, facilities, and methods that can be placed in locations that are convenient to health care customers. Suitable locations include retail outlets such as pharmacies or drug stores where customers already make health care purchases, but also may include medical offices, clinics, emergency rooms, hospitals, convalescence and elderly care facilities; work places (such as offices or factory sites), college dormitories, and the like. Health screening devices, facilities, and methods that are convenient, efficient, low in cost, and professionally accurate in screening health care data would greatly improve the general population's health.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates the high level architecture of a managed health system or community-based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the research database embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a user-data screen from the perspective of a remotely located health care professional in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a plan view of a community-based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the triage embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the user desk portion of a community based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the front area of a community-based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the present invention.
  • the following description is directed to a community based managed health system that includes a managed health kiosk system, a security system for the kiosk system, a research database system associated with the kiosk system, a prescription dispensement system for the kiosk system, a kiosk system for solicitation of patients for medical testing and health studies, and a triage based kiosk system.
  • the systems, and related methods facilitate measurement, recordation, analysis, and communication of various health-related data belonging to a patient, many individual patients, or a specific group of patients.
  • the system and/or apparatuses are able to measure, record, analyze, and communicate data from non-invasive and invasive testing from a variety of input devices.
  • the herein disclosed invention can be a system, a method, or an apparatus, and involves a combination of computer and medical device hardware, computer and input device software, and physical kiosk hardware.
  • the embodiments, however, will mostly be referred to as managed health systems or kiosk systems throughout this application for ease of reading.
  • the disclosed systems combine two or more input devices with one or more personal computers plus Internet connectivity to create a kiosk that a patient is able to use to further the patient's understanding and knowledge of his or her own health and to obtain professional health services.
  • the system is able to utilize up to 24 external devices interacting with one or more personal computers and necessary software to measure, record, and/or analyze a patient's blood pressure, weight, heart rate, pulse oximetry, spirometry, resting metabolic rate, glucose, cholesterol, urinalysis, and other conditions. In other embodiments it may even be possible to utilize more than 24 external input devices.
  • Each of these input devices receive pieces of health information from a user and facilitate recordation of the pieces of health information. Each will be explained below.
  • the herein disclosed managed health system or community based health information and screening kiosk systems can be equipped with a health risk appraisal platform.
  • a health risk appraisal platform can be used in a hospital emergency room for triage analysis.
  • a triage nurse will interact with the community based managed health system kiosk system and with the patient to determine the relative urgency of the patient's situation and what exactly may be afflicting the patient.
  • a community based health information and screening kiosk system can be located at an employer's offices or plant. In such a situation, employees are able to easily keep abreast of many of their own health risks and needs without having to take time off work to see an off-site doctor directly.
  • a community based health information and screening kiosk system can be located in remote or under-serviced geographic locations to allow patients to receive medical testing, information, and advice without having to travel long distances to see competent health care providers.
  • aggregate data from one or more networks of community based health information and screening kiosk systems can be analyzed and then utilized to establish or monitor populations or geographic areas with greater disease risks.
  • the community based health information and screening kiosk system may be set up in different ways depending on the desired application. For example, at a minimum, different prompts will be displayed to an emergency room triage patient, compared to an employee using a company on-site kiosk to obtain a monthly health evaluation. It may also be that entirely different combinations of medical testing and input devices are appropriate for each of the different community based health information and screening kiosk system applications. All such input devices and software variations will be explained below. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, all such permutations are possible and are intended to be covered by this disclosure. If certain embodiments describe certain permutations, it is because such permutations appear to be either a minimum for the desired application, or it is because such permutations appear to be ideal for the desired application. But in every instance, all such permutations are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.
  • One embodiment of the herein disclosed community based health information and screening kiosk system includes a health risk appraisal platform.
  • This platform is able to display to a user a series of computer screens which present a set of health data, including health information and health assessment questions designed to obtain health and lifestyle information from the user to enable the platform to assess health risks.
  • the health risk appraisal system can be either a platform or a specific software program. It is possible to design the overall community based health information and screening kiosk system so that an individual user can pick and choose how the appraisal system elicits health, biographical, and lifestyle information from a user. In such a situation, the owner of the overall system (the kiosk) would be able to select questions from a predetermined list or may be able to write his or her own questions. Such an owner may also be able to choose the order in which such questions are presented. Such a platform is fully adjustable, editable, and customizable by a sophisticated owner, allowing unlimited options for the owner to elicit patient/user information. It is also possible to design the disclosed health risk appraisal system as a pre-packaged software program, or as several fully thought-out, pre-packaged software programs.
  • the appraisal system is able to utilize either a touch screen or a keyboard and mouse/trackball setup, or even a combination of a touch screen and a keyboard. These devices can be referred to as control devices.
  • a touch screen built into the system, a user is able to select answers to multiple-choice type questions directly onscreen.
  • a keyboard and mouse as user-input devices for the system, a user is able to more easily personalize a response. Detailed answers could be typed out as phrases, full sentences, full paragraphs, or even multiple paragraphs.
  • voice recording or recognition software could be utilized so a user is able to speak answers to questions.
  • the system can be built pre-programmed with packaged health risk assessment question sets.
  • health risk assessment tests available in the medical and health community.
  • One such example is the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) assessment test. This is a nine question, relatively detailed test.
  • the PHQ-9 is a powerful tool for assisting primary care providers in diagnosing depression as well as selecting and monitoring treatment, and is based directly on the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).
  • DSM-IV Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition
  • Many other such pre-packaged health assessment tests are available and can easily be formatted for use in the disclosed health risk assessment system.
  • the disclosed invention may also be utilized by a user, or optimized by the owner for specific or known users, as a type of health information encyclopedia.
  • the system may be utilized like a personal computer accessing a specific website.
  • a user is able to navigate a complex combination of health information screens and menus that allow the user to find information on any health-related topic that may be of interest.
  • Such an encyclopedic embodiment may be able to display all sorts of health related data.
  • the system may be able to provide information on various vitamins, minerals, drug active ingredient listings, drug use directions, drug interaction warnings.
  • the system may be able to provide videos on preventative and/or healthy living practices like exercise, ideal sleep patterns, and health-sustaining diets.
  • the system may also provide local directories of community health care providers and services in the user's hometown. All such health information can be locally stored at the kiosk system on a hard drive or on a standard media format such as a flashdrive, a CD, a DVD, etc, or remotely at a personal health record storage system or a remotely located website.
  • the disclosed health information and assessment system may be able to display information, health questionnaires, health assessments, and other important information in practically any language. Such an ability to display in multiple languages is obviously of value, even if such systems are only used in the United States. According to a 2006 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 34 million people aged 5 or older. Obviously, it is desirable to obtain, and dispense, accurate health and fitness information with the disclosed system. Providing health information and presenting health questions in a user's native language will help to increase a user's understanding and ensure that more accurate information is provided to the user. This is easily done with the disclosed system.
  • the number of available display languages is only limited by the software components which are used to build the system, and by the investment that an owner is willing to make having health information and questions for the system owner translated.
  • the health information and assessment system may be able to provide a rough instantaneous translation of information input by a non-English speaking user (or a user who speaks English, but for convenience has chosen to interact with the system in his or her own native language).
  • a non-English speaking user or a user who speaks English, but for convenience has chosen to interact with the system in his or her own native language.
  • user-supplied non-English answers to open-ended questions can be processed and automatically translated into English before being sent to medical professionals such as nurses and doctors.
  • Such processing of multiple-choice type assessment questions is obviously much more easily handled—both questions and each available answer can be pre-translated so that a user is essentially answering each question in all available languages at once.
  • Instantaneous automatic translation which is referred to as machine translation in the field, is not today as accurate as human translation. Nevertheless, machine translation is available that does a passable job that may be good enough for emergency-type situations.
  • Such machine translation can be assisted by producing the original text to be translated in what are referred to as controlled natural languages.
  • Controlled natural languages are subsets of natural languages, obtained by restricting grammar and vocabulary in order to reduce or eliminate ambiguity and complexity.
  • the health information pages and the assessment questions can be originally drafted in controlled, or simplified, English so that it can later be automatically machine translated by the system. Non-English users can be advised to use simple and straightforward sentences, while avoiding slang, when inputting their answers.
  • Information obtained by the health information and assessment system about a user is stored for the user's convenience, for use by health care providers, and for research purposes.
  • the health information is securely stored so that there is no fear of unauthorized dissemination of user health information.
  • the stored information is a combination of user-input answers to health assessment questionnaires and results from various intrusive and non-intrusive health analysis procedures, which will be described in detail below (cholesterol testing, for example). These may be referred to as pieces of health information and pieces of personal identification information (or personally identifying information).
  • This combination of user health information is referred to as a PHR, which stands for Personal Health Record.
  • the PHRs can be stored in a number of ways.
  • An exemplary embodiment of such a health information storage system is where the PHR, gathered at a health information and assessment kiosk system, is transmitted to a storage and processing server located off-site, meaning at a geographic location different than where the kiosk itself is located.
  • the transmission of PHRs may be accomplished through use of a private network, or a public network, such as the Internet.
  • a public network When a public network is utilized, the PHRs are encrypted or otherwise secured so the privacy of the user's health information is maintained, such as through the use of secure socket layer (SSL) formatting, as is known in the art.
  • SSL secure socket layer
  • the PHRs may be stored at a nation-wide hub, or multiple regional hubs, to reduce storage and transport costs, to facilitate access to the information from authorized sources, and to provide a level of redundancy to avoid a catastrophic loss of the information. It is also possible for the user to dictate where his or her PHR should be stored. For example, third parties may setup PHR deposit websites configured to receive, store, and make available a user's PHR created by the herein disclosed kiosk system. Or, it may be possible for the user to dictate that such information be sent, via email or ftp or another appropriate electronic information transmission system, to user's website or personal computer for storage as the user sees fit.
  • the PHR is ideally always available for review by the user at a later date. For example, once a user has input his information at a kiosk system, that user can later access the information at the same kiosk or at another kiosk at another geographic location.
  • the security measures of the present invention ensure that a user attempting to access a PHR is in fact the correct user, but such information is always available once input.
  • health information is aggregated and not stored like PHRs. With aggregated information unlike a PEAR, health information is not grouped together by user. Instead, data from each distinct test or question is grouped with other user's data in an aggregated database to allow for study of trends throughout populations. Aggregated data from multiple users, or groups of users, may be researched, but a specific individual's PHR is not accessible by the researcher(s).
  • One exemplary way of doing this is to assign each user an identification number, and then assign that number, instead of the user's name, to each piece of health data or health information obtained from that user.
  • Authorized entities (researchers) studying the aggregated data would be unable to connect an identification number back to the user's name, thus preserving a user's confidentiality and privacy.
  • Authorized entities would, however, be able to sort the aggregated database by various appropriate parameters, such as: disease, treatment, geographic regions, user demographic (user age, gender, ethnicity, etc.) or classification (employee type, etc.).
  • the research database may be capable of extracting such parameters, including demographical and/or classification information, from the personally identifying information so that the various pieces of health information can be organized or sorted by the parameters without linking the pieces of information to individual users' names or identities.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a layout of the herein disclosed community based health information and screening kiosk and research database system.
  • Kiosk and research database system 100 includes a kiosk system 102 that is connected to both the user's PHR 104 and research database 106 over a network, such as the Internet, 108 .
  • a user uploads his or her health data, it is recorded and analyzed at kiosk system 102 , simultaneously incorporated into the user's PHR 104 and incorporated (in a non-personally identifiable way) into research database 106 .
  • Remotely located health care professionals 110 would have the ability to access the user's PHR 104 if the user allows such access (dotted line at 112 represents user's ability to control when and how health care professionals can access the user's information).
  • Dotted line 114 represents that research database 106 can be accessed by remote health care professionals, including researchers world-wide, and can be manipulated in various ways. For example, aggregate user data can be filtered by disease, by treatment, by user statistics/demographics (such as user age, gender, etc), etc.
  • a user's PHR, and the individual data points being stored for research in the aggregated form, are maintained with the user's confidentiality and security in mind. All record storage meets or exceeds privacy standards, including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), a federal statute governing maintenance of electronic health records.
  • HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
  • many physical security means can be used at the kiosk site to provide security.
  • Up to five levels of security can be implemented in the disclosed health information and assessment system.
  • the security measures can include the following identity verification devices: a thumbprint scanner, a signature pad, use of photo identification cards, an access card with a 16-digit magnetic stripe, and a 4 digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) set by the user. These identity verification security devices will be discussed below.
  • the five levels of security can be combined in various ways. For example, a kiosk system could require at least two forms of identification (a matching thumbprint and a PIN number, for example) from a user before the user is able to access a PHR through the kiosk.
  • the five levels of security can of course be combined in other ways and this specification intends to include all such permutations.
  • the herein disclosed health information and assessment system has the ability to store aggregated user health information and data for analysis. Such analysis can be contracted out to a third party, or such analysis can be part of the entire system. For example, a company that chooses to locate a health information and assessment kiosk system on its premises can mandate, or suggest, that its employees regularly complete a health assessment questionnaire. Results from all company employees can be analyzed in aggregate form to evaluate the company's employee's overall health and fitness levels, and can be used to spot trends, both positive and negative.
  • Such an analysis can be done on aggregate data for many purposes. For example, such an analysis may assist a company in comparing the health of its employees from office to office or from one production facility to another production facility.
  • Other exemplary analyses that can be done include assessing health status data according to employee classification and determining frequently occurring diseases or ailments.
  • the disclosed health information and assessment system is able to perform more generalized employee surveys, beyond health assessments.
  • employers who place a health information and assessment kiosk system at their workplace can ask employees to answer questions regarding their job satisfaction and/or to provide suggestions for company improvement.
  • the kiosk system can be useful in this regard for companies whose employees are not regularly interacting with computers and so can not otherwise easily take automated surveys.
  • employee surveys can be designed by the company itself or can be chosen from many prepackaged employees surveys available in the field.
  • the health information and assessment kiosk system can also provide Internet access to employees.
  • the kiosk system incorporates at least the major components of a personal computer, the kiosk system can easily accomplish many common personal computing tasks, such as word processing, email, and Internet browsing.
  • a company may find it useful to provide the kiosk system for these personal computing uses if their employees do not otherwise have regular access to a personal computer. It also is possible for the company to limit the available webpages that a user can navigate to while using the kiosk system for Internet-browser activity.
  • a company could, for example, limit Internet browsing to only the company's own website. Or, the company could set up its own custom firewall, or chose a pre-packaged firewall, to limit employees to only browsing those sites pre-approved by the company.
  • the kiosk system itself may be connected to a network through a network connection, which may be a standard 10/100 Mb Ethernet jack (RJ45) through a local LAN network or a direct connection to a storage system that is resident within the kiosk system, physically located nearby, or remotely located.
  • a network connection which may be a standard 10/100 Mb Ethernet jack (RJ45) through a local LAN network or a direct connection to a storage system that is resident within the kiosk system, physically located nearby, or remotely located.
  • kiosk systems may be equipped with 802.11a/b/g devices for wireless connectivity, with storage being nearby or remote. Other methods or devices for connecting with a network are known in the art and may also be appropriate.
  • the health information and assessment system is able to accurately obtain a user's vital signs through a combination of invasive and non-invasive testing.
  • the data from the various invasive and non-invasive testing procedures can be stored as part of the user's PHR, and it can be transmitted to health care professionals at other geographic locations.
  • a doctor would like to closely and accurately monitor a patient's vital signs, such as body temperature, pulse or heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, without requiring the patient to go to a doctor's office or a medical facility.
  • All of these vital signs, and many more health metrics, can be monitored remotely using the health information and assessment system, which may be located at a community clinic, at a drug store, at a grocery store, or many other convenient locations close to a patient's home.
  • a doctor or nurse is then able to receive an electronic transmission of the desired vital sign data, and other data, so that the doctor or nurse can monitor the patient's vital signs remotely, and even communicate directly with the patient while the kiosk system is in use, as further described below.
  • Such a remote monitoring setup is desirable for many reasons.
  • the doctor or nurse is able to remotely monitor several patients, possibly at the same time, from one centralized location without having to travel. Conversely, the patient is able to avoid the need to travel, what may be a long distance, to see the doctor or nurse, and can instead travel, what may be a short distance, to a local health information and assessment kiosk system.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a user-data screen 200 as displayed to a remotely located health care professional in accordance with the present invention.
  • the user's video image 202 and the user's health data can be simultaneously displayed to the professional.
  • User-data screen 200 may include live video 202 of the user on one portion of the user-data screen 200 , include wave-form user data 204 (blood pressure readings, for example) on another portion, textual user information 206 (personal information such as name, age, etc, for example) on another portion, and possibly further user data 208 on another portion.
  • wave-form user data 204 blood pressure readings, for example
  • textual user information 206 personal information such as name, age, etc, for example
  • possibly further user data 208 on another portion.
  • the remotely located health care professional may be able to select which pieces of health information are displayed by user-data screen 200 . Additionally, the user-data screen 200 may be combined with a health care professional video camera to capture a video image of the health care professional, which then may be displayed to the kiosk user.
  • This user interaction with a remotely located health care professional is sometimes referred to as telehealth in the medical community.
  • the herein described kiosk system enables greatly enhanced telehealth because live patient/user video, real time vital sign readings, and additional detailed user health information can be combined with traditional voice interaction (a user communication and a health care professional communication can be sent back and forth between the kiosk system and the remotely located user-data screen system) to allow health care professionals to conduct appointments, screenings, and diagnoses over long distances easily and efficiently.
  • the herein disclosed community-based health and screening kiosk system can also act as a community, or even a larger geographic area (such as a nation-wide), health analysis tool over a long term time frame.
  • the data collected from users and patients can all be stored either locally or remotely at a centralized location as described in FIG. 1 above. This information is aggregated so that it is no longer identified with the individual who provided the data. This information can be accumulated over long periods of time from a vast number of users or patients. All this aggregated health data can be very valuable to the greater medical community.
  • the data can be analyzed and trends can be identified over time.
  • An additional application of the herein disclosed kiosk systems is to provide live video for verbal discussions between users and remotely located doctors.
  • This application creates the opportunity for automated prescription drug dispensement from the kiosk system.
  • a remotely located doctor can view the patient, talk to them about their issues and needs, and obtain all the health data he or she needs to legally and ethically write a drug prescription for the patient.
  • the kiosk system may be equipped with several of the most widely prescribed drugs in an automated dispensing device.
  • Such auto-dispensement devices are known in the art, but have never previously been combined with a real-time remote health assessment and analysis system.
  • Existing dispensement devices made by companies such as QUIQMED, PHARMACY AUTOMATION SYSTEMS, and INSTYMEDS can be advantageously combined with the herein disclosed kiosk systems to produce a community based managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system.
  • Such commercial drug dispensers and their equivalent, may be capable of measuring a prescribed amount of the prescription drug and then bottling this prescribed amount in a consumer container, such as an industry standard cylindrical plastic container.
  • prescription dispensement devices may dispense blister packs, containing pro-dosed amounts of the prescription drugs, as is known in the art. It may be additionally possible to attach a payment system to the managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system.
  • Such a payment system may be capable of receiving payment by cash or by credit or debit card, as is well known in the art.
  • the kiosk system can be combined with a prescription printing device, which may be a standard computer printer, for printing industry recognized drug prescriptions.
  • the kiosk system can be located in a commercial or public pharmacy facility, in which case the kiosk system may be capable of receiving the drug prescription from the remotely located health care professional and transmitting it to the pharmacy facility, where the prescription can be filled.
  • a further application of the herein disclosed kiosk system is in the solicitation of medical testing and studies volunteers.
  • the kiosk system is able to measure and record all sorts of health information of users. Once a health assessment has been performed on a user, the kiosk systems can go one step further and compare the user's individual health to databases of on-going or upcoming medical tests and studies.
  • the medical community has a difficult time finding testing subjects for very specific tests because there is a disconnect between the medical professionals looking for test subjects and the people with the diseases and conditions they are looking for.
  • Once a user completes a health screening at the kiosk system however, he or she can be immediately made aware of upcoming tests and/or trials that might be appropriate for that user. The user can be shown these tests and trials on user-display screen 406 . Going further, the user can then direct the kiosk system to send, over the kiosk system network 108 , an application for the test and/or trial.
  • kiosk systems may also be used in triage situations.
  • a kiosk system may be located in an emergency room or the waiting room of a clinic, where patients can sit down (if they are able to do so) and communicate with the kiosk system to provide information regarding their condition.
  • An onsite nurse or other health care professional may then work with the kiosk system to determine the user's relative health situation; i.e. whether and when the user needs professional care.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of a portion of a kiosk system designed for triage use.
  • user-display screen 406 is not visible in FIG.
  • triage kiosk 300 may have an additional health care professional keyboard 303 and health care professional signature pad 302 . Additionally, the health care professional may have his or her own health care professional monitor 306 , separate from user-display screen 406 .
  • a laptop PC or standard stand-alone PC, could be used in place of health care professional keyboard 303 , health care professional monitor 306 , and/or health care professional signature pad 302 , in what may be referred to as a health care professional input and display system.
  • These health care professional input devices allow an on-site health care professional, such as a triage nurse, to monitor the user's progress through a kiosk health assessment questionnaire, and so sign-off on (or deny) the results of such an assessment or completed questionnaire.
  • the health care professional can assess the completed questionnaire and provide his or her health care professional authorization for a Final triage assessment.
  • the kiosk systems can be combined with a printer to print out situation-specific user-identifying labels.
  • the labels may include a triage assessment and can be worn by the user to convey the user's triage assessment to other health care professionals working in the emergency room or clinic.
  • FIGS. 2 through 5 illustrate many of the various embodiments of the disclosed community-based health information and screening kiosk system.
  • the kiosk system has many different components that can be used in many of the different embodiments, but may not be needed in others. Hence, a great variety of different permutations of the kiosk system, each including different combinations of those components, could be developed.
  • the kiosk system can include headphones, a microphone, a keyboard, a card reader, a signature card, a thumbprint pad, a scanner, a privacy curtain, a release button, a camera, glucose meter hook-up, a pulse oximeter, weight-scale, blood pressure monitor, invasive-testing inputs, a temperature sensor, and other testing devices.
  • These devices may then be combined with various other devices, such as a printer, an audio speaker, a video display screen, and/or Internet connectivity. Each of these devices can then be integrated into the software platforms so that data received by the input device can be incorporated into a user's PHR and/or delivered in useful format to a health care professional.
  • FIG. 4 A preferred embodiment of a kiosk system is described with reference to FIG. 4 .
  • the kiosk system of FIG. 4 has a user desk portion 400 that includes a number of different items, include headset 401 , which may be a physical combination of headphones and a microphone, or the functional combination of a pair of headphones and a microphone separately mounted within the kiosk system.
  • Headset 401 allows a user to communicate with a health care profession and hear audio information dispensed either from a remotely-located health care professional or from available pharmaceutical encyclopedias and/or health information videos and the like.
  • Headset 401 could be comprised of a flexible band and wiring that feeds audio content directly into a user's ears through one or two speakers held against the user's head by the band, while also being capable of receiving audio input by the user via a microphone. It could also be a standard telephone-type input/output device—having a unshaped handheld plastic or metal piece that a user holds up to the side of his head, while placing the speaker at the user's ear and the microphone near the user's mouth. Headset 401 allows the user to interact with remote health care professionals by speaking a user voice communication into the microphone and by listening to a health care professional communication through the headphones. Obviously, speakers mounted within the kiosk could be used in place of the headphones. The advantage to using a headset is that it leaves a user's hands free to simultaneously use other input devices, such as the keyboard or the pulse oximeter.
  • Keyboard 403 is a standard alphanumeric keyboard that a user may use to input words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or even multiple paragraphs into the system. Keyboard 403 can additionally be utilized by deaf and/or hard-of-hearing users to communicate in real time with health care professionals. Such user inputs, or responses, may be integrated into the user's PHR, may be used as part of an automated health assessment, and/or may be transmitted to a remote health care professional to be used as the health care professional sees fit. Keyboard 403 is generally a standard United States layout keyboard (QWERTY setup), but a foreign-language keyboard or keyboard setup may be substituted as needed in foreign locations.
  • QWERTY setup United States layout keyboard
  • Signature pad 402 may be a standard signature pad for electronically recording a user's signature.
  • a user may be prompted to enter his or her signature into signature pad 402 .
  • a user's signature may be used as a security measure, to compare with a previous signature in a user's PHR, or may be used in a legally binding way to create a contract or to acknowledge a doctor's warning, etc.
  • Many commercial signature pads are available on the market, and most can be utilized in the disclosed kiosk system. Such signature pads have a relatively small LCD, or equivalent, display screen, and a pen-like device that the user uses to write his or her signature on the small display screen. The movements of the pen-like device are recorded by the signature pad and then can be transmitted into the kiosk system.
  • An image of the user's signature can be stored at the kiosk, or can be transmitted to remote health care professionals or to the user's remotely-stored PHR.
  • Thumbprint reader 410 may be located on the right side of the user-desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Thumbprint reader 410 is a commercially available device for capturing the likeness of a user's thumbprint. If the kiosk system is set up to utilize thumbprint reader 410 as an additional security measure, a user may be prompted to insert his or her thumb into the reader, or to swipe his or her thumb through, or past, thumbprint reader 410 . As is known in the art, the thumbprint reader 410 may compare the user's thumbprint to stored thumbprints, or may compare portions of the user's thumbprint, such as specific swirls, whorls, or patterns within a thumbprint, to previously recorded thumbprint portions.
  • thumbprint reader 410 may record the user's thumbprint, or portions thereof, for future security-related comparisons.
  • an electronic finger-print identification system may be substituted in a community-based health information and screening kiosk system in place of thumbprint reader 410 .
  • Card reader 405 may be located on the left side of the user-desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Card reader 405 may be one or several types of commercially available card readers. Card reader 405 may be able to read magnetic stripe cards that store information/data on a band of magnetic material on the back of the card, such as a credit card or some identification cards, or may be able to read cards carrying information/data in the form of bar coding.
  • the overall system may be capable of creating user-specific health kiosk cards.
  • the system may be able to print out a health kiosk card for a user that stores (magnetically, by bar code, or by an alternative data storage system known in the art) identifying information and the user's PHR.
  • Card reader 405 may be capable of reading the user's data off one of these health kiosk cards, so that a specific user may easily transport his or her PEAR from one kiosk to another.
  • Such a card can also act as an additional form of identification for security purposes.
  • Camera 407 may be located above user display screen 406 .
  • Camera 407 may be a commercially available digital or analog video recording device capable of capturing static images as well as full motion video.
  • camera 407 may be mounted on the end of a flexible and adjustable cable and be capable of being pulled out by a user. Fiber optic cables can allow for this sort of flexibility and adjustability and may be appropriate. For example, if a remote health care professional wishes to see a close-up image of a user's ailment, the user may be able to pull out camera 407 to give the health care professional a better image of the patient.
  • the main purpose of camera 407 is to capture still and motion images of a user, which are then transmitted to remotely located health care professionals. Still and/or motion images of the user may also be stored and incorporated into the user's PHR or for any other suitable purpose.
  • User image 202 in FIG. 2 illustrates the view that a remotely located health care professional could see of the kiosk user.
  • User display screen 406 is located at the approximate center of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system.
  • User display screen 406 may be a standard video monitor capable of displaying full color still images and/or full motion video.
  • user display screen 406 is a 15 to 17 inch color monitor with a touch screen.
  • Touch screen capability allows a user to input selections and manipulate data by directly touching the screen, as opposed to having to use a mouse or keyboard to make on-screen selections, as is known in the art.
  • a standard personal computer mouse (not shown) may be incorporated into systems not utilizing a touch screen.
  • Speaker 415 may be located anywhere on the kiosk system, so long as a user seated in user seat 502 of FIG. 5 is able to hear the audio emanating from speaker 415 . As will be further shown in FIG. 5 , use of the speaker 415 may be limited, however, in order to prevent someone from overhearing the questions being asked of the user and/or the user's answers when being provided or providing personal information.
  • a privacy button is provided on the vertical panel 412 , on the touch screen 406 , or elsewhere within the kiosk system, to enable a user to switch from verbal communication via the speaker 415 and a microphone to the headset 401 or a traditional telephone headset (not shown).
  • speaker 415 may be located on the left side of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Alternatively, more than one speaker may be used. For example, two speakers, one on each side of user display screen 406 , may be used to provide stereo sound to a user. Speaker 415 may be any sort of commercially available audio speaker capable of playing audio sounds produced by the kiosk system. Speaker 415 may be configured so that when a user plugs headphones or a headset 401 into the kiosk system, speaker 415 automatically mutes so audio only is played through the headphones or headset 401 . Alternatively, the software platform may provide a user with various audio options, including allowing audio to play both through headphones/headset and through speaker 415 . Those skilled in the art will recognize the various audio arrangements that are possible when a kiosk system is configured with both headphones/headset 401 capability and speaker 415 capabilities.
  • Pulse oximeter 409 may be located near the bottom of vertical panel 412 , to the right of keyboard 403 . Pulse oximeter 409 should be located so that a user can easily insert his or her finger into the pulse oximeter while seated normally at the kiosk system.
  • a pulse oximeter is a device used to indirectly measure the oxygen saturation of a user's blood (as opposed to measuring oxygen saturation directly through a blood sample) and changes in blood volume in the skin.
  • Pulse oximeter 409 may be used to produce a photoplethysmograph (a possible output format of a pulse oximeter), which may be incorporated into the user's PHR, transmitted to remotely located health care professional, or otherwise stored and used as appropriate. Most commercial pulse oximeter devices clip onto a user's finger and send data through wires running back towards the user and along the user's arm. Pulse oximeter 409 may be designed so that its wiring runs back into and is communicatively coupled with the kiosk system away from the user.
  • a temperature sensor 414 is provided in the upper right portion of the vertical panel 412 , but could be located elsewhere. Any one or more of a number of different temperature sensors 414 could be used, such as a contact sensor that infers the temperature of a user that contacts the sensor, or a noncontact sensor that might use an infrared sensors or some other form of sensors to detect the temperature of a user in proximity of the sensor.
  • Blood glucose meter port 416 may be located anywhere on the kiosk system. In a preferred embodiment, blood glucose meter port 416 may be located below the temperature sensor 414 on the right side of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Blood glucose meter port 416 is capable of linking to standard commercial blood glucose meters through interface hardware in the port, which may be situated on a cable to make it easier to connect to a meter. When a user hooks his or her blood glucose meter into blood glucose meter port 416 , the data stored on the blood glucose meter is transferred into the kiosk system, where it can be incorporated into the user's PHR, transmitted to remotely located health care professionals, or stored and analyzed as appropriate. It is also possible to include a non-invasive blood glucose meter in the kiosk system, so that a user does not have to provide his or her own blood glucose meter.
  • Blood pressure cuff test interface 504 is not clearly seen in FIG. 4 , but is illustrated in FIG. 5 .
  • Blood pressure cuff test interface 504 is positioned on the left side of the kiosk system, so that a user can easily slip his or her arm through the cuff while seated on the seat 502 of the kiosk system.
  • Blood pressure cuff test interface 504 is capable of measuring and analyzing a user's blood pressure and heart rate.
  • the blood pressure cuff test interface 504 in combination with the overall kiosk system, utilizes a measurement algorithm based on a plurality of measurements, providing a unique ability to increase diagnostic and analytical success in detection.
  • a first of the three techniques is an auscultatory technique.
  • a sound measurement acquired from a microphone located in the measurement cuff detects start and end Korotkoff sounds using a combination of filters.
  • the auscultatory technique is a conventional method that is recommended by the American Heart Association and is similar to manual techniques used by a health care professional.
  • the auscultatory technique and associated filtering techniques are well known by those having ordinary skill in the art.
  • a second technique is an oscillometric technique that is commonly found in many low-cost blood pressure measurement devices.
  • a pressure cuff is used to measure pressure oscillations, which are detected and monitored using mean pressure, and systolic and diastolic pressure ratios to identify systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
  • a third technique called a pattern recognition technique, measures a sound envelope and incorporates pattern recognition to identify systolic and diastolic pressures.
  • the pattern recognition technique uses 1,000 sound impressions per second, or between 40,000 and 60,000 sound impressions per test.
  • a signal from the pressure sensor is used in addition to the three techniques to quantify the regions of sound under analysis.
  • the precise blood pressure cuff test interface apparatus and methods of use are described in Bluth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,435, which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • the blood pressure and heart rate data obtained by use of blood pressure cuff test interface 504 may be utilized in much the same way as other data collected from a user by the kiosk system. Such data can be utilized to perform a health risk assessment for the user, can be incorporated into the user's PHR, can be transmitted to remotely located health care professionals, can be transmitted to various medical research databases in a non-personally-identifiable format, and/or can be stored locally and analyzed as appropriate.
  • User seat 502 is shown in FIG. 5 .
  • user seat 502 is slideably-mounted to the left side of the kiosk system.
  • User seat 502 is capable of sliding underneath the user-desk portion of the kiosk system so that a user in a wheelchair is able to put his or her wheelchair into position so as to use the kiosk system.
  • As user seat 502 is slideable it may be adjustable to several different positions at varying distances from the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system.
  • user seat 502 may be capable of continuous movement and placement at any practical distance from user desk portion 400 .
  • User seat 502 may additionally be equipped with a scale to accurately measure a user's weight, as described in Bluth et al., U.S. Pat. No.
  • the scale of user seat 502 is communicatively coupled to the kiosk system so that either digital or analog weight data can be utilized to perform a health risk assessment for the user, can be incorporated into the user's PHR, can be transmitted to remotely located health care professionals, can be transmitted to various medical research databases in a non-personally-identifiable format, and/or can be stored locally and analyzed as appropriate.
  • the precise weight-scale user seat apparatus and methods of use are described in Bluth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,897, which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • the kiosk system can also include invasive testing.
  • invasive testing For example, cholesterol testing, urine testing, and blood testing can be administered to a user by the kiosk system, with the help of licensed health care professionals (nurses, technicians, etc.). Such tests require a licensed professional to assist the user and to carrier out the test. Tools and supplies needed for these invasive tests can be stored on shelving units which may be built into the back side (not shown) of the kiosk system.
  • a nurse or other licensed health care professional can administer the invasive test and then can input results, which may be referred to as invasive testing information, manually (via keyboard 403 , via keyboard 303 , or via touch-screen options).
  • An invasive testing system used to analyze the invasively collected fluids can be connected to an additional port at the back of the kiosk system, or send its results over the network 108 to the kiosk system.
  • the kiosk system may also include several devices that can be described as output devices, such as a printer, as opposed to the various health diagnostic input devices.
  • FIG. 5 includes a paper slot 506 in which paper output by a printer incorporated into the kiosk system is accessible by a user.
  • the output paper may include printed answers to health assessment questions, results of various tests, a summary of information provided by the user, and many other types of data.
  • FIG. 3 also illustrates a plan view of a triage version of the kiosk system that includes various output devices.
  • flatbed scanner 305 is located on the top of the kiosk system.
  • Flatbed scanner 305 is communicatively coupled to the kiosk system, so that documents and information scanned in by a user is input into the system.
  • Flatbed scanner 305 can be any type of commercially available scanner capable of receiving hard copy documents and converting them into electronically transferable images or electronic documents.
  • a user may be able to scan in his or her health insurance card, identification or other documentation.
  • the kiosk system software platform may be able to recognize certain information contained within the scanned-in documents—such as the user's social security number, for example—and fill in various forms automatically.
  • scanned-in medical records could be automatically incorporated into the user's PHR and/or be transmitted to a remotely located health care professional.
  • Flatbed scanner 305 may be located on top of the kiosk, or may be embedded within a top portion of the kiosk system on a slideable tray, somewhat above where a seated user's head would normally be located, so that a user can slide flatbed scanner 305 out for use and then slide it in, and out of the way, after use.
  • the scanner could be located on the front of the kiosk system, such as scanner 507 of FIG. 5 . In such a situation, the scanner 507 might be placed on a tray that can slide out from the front of the kiosk system and be more readily accessible by users.
  • Printer 304 may also be located on top of the kiosk system, as is illustrated in FIG. 3 .
  • printer 304 may be embedded within an upper portion of the kiosk system, in such a way as to eject printed sheets of paper through a printer-eject slot 506 somewhat above where a seated user's head would normally be located.
  • Printer 304 may be a standard commercial printer (laser, ink-jet, or other presently available technology) capable of printing either black-and-white documents, or full color documents.
  • printer 304 may be a label-maker specifically designed to print-out situation-specific labels for use as user (patient) identifiers.
  • the kiosk system is designed to provide a user with a secure and private experience despite the fact that the kiosk system may be located in a very public space, such as a store, waiting room, office complex, etc. Privacy for the user is very important because a user may use the herein disclosed kiosk system to engage in personal medical discussions with a remotely located health care professional. Providing the user with a private setting will enable the user to feel completely comfortable discussing and listening to personal health care information.
  • the kiosk system may include a privacy curtain 508 , illustrated in FIG. 5 , which can fully enclose the user during use of the kiosk system. Privacy curtain 508 slides along privacy track 510 to form a barrier between a user seated within the kiosk system and the surrounding room in which the kiosk system is located.
  • Privacy curtain 508 may be designed to automatically move along privacy track 510 after a user sits down on the seat 502 at the kiosk system and engages the kiosk software platform. Alternatively, privacy curtain 508 may be designed to close after a user presses an appropriate button (not shown) on the user desk portion 400 , or makes an appropriate selection within the software platform by touching an on-screen button or clicking of a computer mouse. Privacy curtain 508 would likewise open when the user has finished using the kiosk system, which may be indicated by selecting an appropriate physical button within the kiosk, selecting a software button, finishing a test or procedure, or getting up from the seat 502 .
  • the material of the privacy curtain 508 should be formed of any material that would help to reduce sound emanating from within the kiosk system during use so as to provide a user with a greater degree of privacy.
  • the kiosk system may also include a safety feature for disengaging in an emergency situation.
  • a hardware button may be included on the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system that when pressed automatically releases a user's arm from blood pressure cuff test interface 504 , and automatically opens privacy curtain 508 , so that the user can quickly leave the kiosk system.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates such a hardware release button 417 positioned on the right side of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system.
  • a software platform button or on-screen option may be available to the user that will quickly and automatically release the user's arm from blood pressure cuff test interface 504 and/or open privacy curtain 508 .
  • a similar hardware release button can be located on the back side of the kiosk system to allow a health care professional to quickly and automatically disengage blood pressure cuff test interface 504 and/or privacy curtain 508 .
  • Third-party display screen 512 is located on the side of the kiosk system, preferably near the top of the kiosk system so as to be easily viewable from some distance away.
  • Third-party display screen 512 is a video monitor capable of displaying still images and full-motion video.
  • Third-party display screen 512 may be a standard 15 to 17 inch monitor much like user display screen 406 , or it may be different—smaller or bigger.
  • the purpose of third-party display screen 512 is two-fold. First, to provide marketing and/or educational health-related information to persons in the vicinity of the kiosk system other than the immediate user seated within the kiosk system.
  • third-party display screen 512 may be connected to a DVD player and may play repeated loops of various health-related advertisements. Alternatively, third-party display screen 512 may display information on how to use the kiosk, or how to find a doctor in that particular geographic location. Third-party screen 512 may also be linked to the network 108 and therefore may be capable of streaming advertisements and/or informational feeds from any available Internet sources. A kiosk system may be equipped with several of these third-party display monitors, on various sides of the kiosk system, so that multiple messages may be displayed.
  • Third-party display screen 512 may include one or more speakers for emitting audio related to the video images displayed on screen. Audio related to the health information/advertisements establishes the second purpose of the third-party display screens, to provide a counter-point visual and audio stimulus that distracts anyone outside of the kiosk system from being able to hear or pay attention to any sound emanating from a user's use of the kiosk system. If someone other than the user is in close proximity to the kiosk, they would likely be distracted by images and sounds being generated, and therefore less likely to overhear a user consulting with a remotely located doctor.
  • buttons are only one way to accomplish the more generally described systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer programs.
  • certain features or user options are described as buttons, it may be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same function can be accomplished by using radio buttons, drop-down menus, or check-box-type options instead. All such available possibilities are intended to be covered by this specification.

Abstract

The present invention is directed to triage based managed health kiosk systems, and more particularly to facilitating a more automated approach to emergency triage situations through use of kiosk systems in combination with on-site health care professionals. The disclosed system allows a user to answer automated health assessment questions, provide health data, and consult with an on-site health care professional, and then receive a health care professional authorized triage assessment of the extent and relative urgency of care needed.

Description

    CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
  • This is a utility patent application, taking priority from provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/070,309, filed Mar. 21, 2008.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention is directed to triage based managed health kiosk systems, and more particularly to facilitating a more automated approach to emergency triage situations through use of kiosk systems in combination with on-site health care professionals.
  • STATEMENTS AS TO THE RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
  • Not applicable.
  • REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK
  • Not applicable.
  • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • Publicly available self-directed health care stations have been available at varying levels of complexity and sophistication for many years. Do-it-yourself blood pressure monitoring stations are often available in or near retail pharmacies, doctors' offices, corporate facilities, and retail centers such as shopping malls and strip malls.
  • The field of medicine has long employed health care screening to diagnose and track patients' health. An annual physical examination is a well-known part of patient medical care.
  • Hospitals, health clinics, and pharmacies, in addition to having an active role in supplying medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, have actively promoted various health care screenings and wellness programs. Screening programs are sometimes offered with the help of other health care providers or coordinated on a national basis with groups such as the American Lung Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Podiatric Medical Association.
  • Health care screening devices in hospitals, physician's offices, businesses, and the like, in combination with the growing number of home diagnostic kits that are available have increased the efficiencies in health care delivery. Large drug store operators have increasingly encouraged individual testing by making available in-store diagnostic testing devices. For example, customers waiting to fill a prescription are often encouraged to check their blood pressure while they wait with a blood pressure measurement/screening device, and pharmacists who fill high-blood pressure prescriptions to customers often encourage their customers to regularly check their blood pressure. Such customers often use blood pressure measurement/screening devices that are provided in the drug store.
  • To increase attention to the importance of health care screening, many medical and health product retailers offer medical tests and screening for consumers visiting their stores. Most commonly, the retailers check cholesterol levels and blood pressure, although other tests are available. In addition to supplying a valuable customer service, in-store testing effectively educates consumers about various health problems that can be better managed by a regimen that includes monitoring. Typically consumers are unaware of the technological advances that have made health care screenings feasible in the clinical, retail, and home settings. Pharmacies and drug retailers have generally found that the availability of screening test devices in the stores increase traffic and cultivate customer loyalty.
  • The offer of in-store testing commonly is highly popular among customers and greatly boosts the number of people visiting the store. In-store testing is valuable for positioning stores as health and wellness centers as well as retailers of health care products. In-store testing increases sales since a consumer who learns of a health problem through screening in the store has some likelihood of purchasing a home test kit to monitor the problem. For example, a customer who discovers a problem with high blood pressure through an in-store test is a likely candidate to purchase a home blood pressure testing kit.
  • In-store health care screening expands the pharmacist's role in patient care through education. Test device manufacturers have advanced the design and functionality of products to simplify usage and improve accuracy. The challenge for further improvements in health care screening is to educate consumers about the need for medical tests, and demonstrate that many tests are effectively performed by publicly available devices or at home.
  • A present concern is that health screening is performed on an insufficient segment of the population to efficiently prevent or treat ailments. Other concerns are that health screening is too costly, limited in scope, and time-consuming both for individual patients and health care providers. Despite these deficiencies, a strong awareness exists of a need and desire for improved health screening procedures and equipment. Health care providers, insurance companies, and employers that ultimately pay for health care have encouraged development and usage of improved, accurate, yet economic health screening facilities both for treatment and prevention of health care problems.
  • Generally, individual doctors and small groups of doctors have insufficient capital to maintain complete health screening facilities. Even if more health care providers were suitably equipped, typically only a small portion of the population utilizes health screening facilities due to time constraints, cost considerations, and/or general apathy.
  • Health care costs are a major concern in this day and age in the United States. Some commentators point out that our current national health care policy does little to incentivize preventative medicine and instead incentivizes treating major problems, at a high cost, somewhere down the line. More and better screening of patients, early and often, increases the likelihood of finding a problem early and treating it inexpensively; as opposed to finding it later and spending significantly more to correct a major health problem.
  • As health care costs go up, a doctor's time is also more valuable. It would be advantageous, and would save money, to allow doctors to see more patients each day.
  • What are needed are health screening devices, facilities, and methods that can be placed in locations that are convenient to health care customers. Suitable locations include retail outlets such as pharmacies or drug stores where customers already make health care purchases, but also may include medical offices, clinics, emergency rooms, hospitals, convalescence and elderly care facilities; work places (such as offices or factory sites), college dormitories, and the like. Health screening devices, facilities, and methods that are convenient, efficient, low in cost, and professionally accurate in screening health care data would greatly improve the general population's health.
  • Health screening facilities do exist. Bluth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,436 describes a health care information system including blood pressure monitoring and body weight monitoring. Such systems, however, do not take advantage of more modern technologies. More and more medical testing devices have become cheaper and easier to manufacture, making their absence from such screening facilities inefficient.
  • Local health screening facilities that take advantage of various medical testing device efficiencies and improved twenty-first century interconnectivity through the use of broadband Internet would be advantageous.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
  • FIG. 1 illustrates the high level architecture of a managed health system or community-based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the research database embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a user-data screen from the perspective of a remotely located health care professional in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a plan view of a community-based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the triage embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the user desk portion of a community based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the front area of a community-based health information and screening kiosk system in accordance with the present invention.
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  • The following description is directed to a community based managed health system that includes a managed health kiosk system, a security system for the kiosk system, a research database system associated with the kiosk system, a prescription dispensement system for the kiosk system, a kiosk system for solicitation of patients for medical testing and health studies, and a triage based kiosk system.
  • The systems, and related methods, facilitate measurement, recordation, analysis, and communication of various health-related data belonging to a patient, many individual patients, or a specific group of patients. The system and/or apparatuses are able to measure, record, analyze, and communicate data from non-invasive and invasive testing from a variety of input devices. The herein disclosed invention can be a system, a method, or an apparatus, and involves a combination of computer and medical device hardware, computer and input device software, and physical kiosk hardware. The embodiments, however, will mostly be referred to as managed health systems or kiosk systems throughout this application for ease of reading.
  • The disclosed systems combine two or more input devices with one or more personal computers plus Internet connectivity to create a kiosk that a patient is able to use to further the patient's understanding and knowledge of his or her own health and to obtain professional health services. The system is able to utilize up to 24 external devices interacting with one or more personal computers and necessary software to measure, record, and/or analyze a patient's blood pressure, weight, heart rate, pulse oximetry, spirometry, resting metabolic rate, glucose, cholesterol, urinalysis, and other conditions. In other embodiments it may even be possible to utilize more than 24 external input devices. Each of these input devices receive pieces of health information from a user and facilitate recordation of the pieces of health information. Each will be explained below.
  • The herein disclosed managed health system or community based health information and screening kiosk systems can be equipped with a health risk appraisal platform. Such a platform can be utilized in many related ways. For example, a health risk appraisal platform can be used in a hospital emergency room for triage analysis. In such an application, a triage nurse will interact with the community based managed health system kiosk system and with the patient to determine the relative urgency of the patient's situation and what exactly may be afflicting the patient. In another example application, a community based health information and screening kiosk system can be located at an employer's offices or plant. In such a situation, employees are able to easily keep abreast of many of their own health risks and needs without having to take time off work to see an off-site doctor directly. Employers too may take advantage of the on-site kiosk to monitor and analyze aggregate (non-patient identifiable) health status data. In yet another example application, a community based health information and screening kiosk system can be located in remote or under-serviced geographic locations to allow patients to receive medical testing, information, and advice without having to travel long distances to see competent health care providers. Finally, aggregate data from one or more networks of community based health information and screening kiosk systems can be analyzed and then utilized to establish or monitor populations or geographic areas with greater disease risks.
  • The community based health information and screening kiosk system may be set up in different ways depending on the desired application. For example, at a minimum, different prompts will be displayed to an emergency room triage patient, compared to an employee using a company on-site kiosk to obtain a monthly health evaluation. It may also be that entirely different combinations of medical testing and input devices are appropriate for each of the different community based health information and screening kiosk system applications. All such input devices and software variations will be explained below. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, all such permutations are possible and are intended to be covered by this disclosure. If certain embodiments describe certain permutations, it is because such permutations appear to be either a minimum for the desired application, or it is because such permutations appear to be ideal for the desired application. But in every instance, all such permutations are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.
  • One embodiment of the herein disclosed community based health information and screening kiosk system includes a health risk appraisal platform. This platform is able to display to a user a series of computer screens which present a set of health data, including health information and health assessment questions designed to obtain health and lifestyle information from the user to enable the platform to assess health risks.
  • The health risk appraisal system can be either a platform or a specific software program. It is possible to design the overall community based health information and screening kiosk system so that an individual user can pick and choose how the appraisal system elicits health, biographical, and lifestyle information from a user. In such a situation, the owner of the overall system (the kiosk) would be able to select questions from a predetermined list or may be able to write his or her own questions. Such an owner may also be able to choose the order in which such questions are presented. Such a platform is fully adjustable, editable, and customizable by a sophisticated owner, allowing unlimited options for the owner to elicit patient/user information. It is also possible to design the disclosed health risk appraisal system as a pre-packaged software program, or as several fully thought-out, pre-packaged software programs.
  • The appraisal system is able to utilize either a touch screen or a keyboard and mouse/trackball setup, or even a combination of a touch screen and a keyboard. These devices can be referred to as control devices. With a touch screen built into the system, a user is able to select answers to multiple-choice type questions directly onscreen. With a keyboard and mouse as user-input devices for the system, a user is able to more easily personalize a response. Detailed answers could be typed out as phrases, full sentences, full paragraphs, or even multiple paragraphs. As information will be stored digitally and/or electronically, there is no inherit need to limit space for a user or patient's explanation of health related information. To reduce the need to sterilize the user touched components of a kiosk system, voice recording or recognition software could be utilized so a user is able to speak answers to questions.
  • As discussed above, the system can be built pre-programmed with packaged health risk assessment question sets. There are many such health risk assessment tests available in the medical and health community. One such example is the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) assessment test. This is a nine question, relatively detailed test. The PHQ-9 is a powerful tool for assisting primary care providers in diagnosing depression as well as selecting and monitoring treatment, and is based directly on the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). There are two components of the PHQ-9: assessing symptoms and functional impairment to make a tentative depression diagnosis; and deriving a severity score to help select and monitor treatment. Many other such pre-packaged health assessment tests are available and can easily be formatted for use in the disclosed health risk assessment system.
  • Aside from highly interactive embodiments of the disclosed health information and assessment system, the disclosed invention may also be utilized by a user, or optimized by the owner for specific or known users, as a type of health information encyclopedia. In this sense, the system may be utilized like a personal computer accessing a specific website. A user is able to navigate a complex combination of health information screens and menus that allow the user to find information on any health-related topic that may be of interest.
  • Such an encyclopedic embodiment may be able to display all sorts of health related data. For example, the system may be able to provide information on various vitamins, minerals, drug active ingredient listings, drug use directions, drug interaction warnings. The system may be able to provide videos on preventative and/or healthy living practices like exercise, ideal sleep patterns, and health-sustaining diets. The system may also provide local directories of community health care providers and services in the user's hometown. All such health information can be locally stored at the kiosk system on a hard drive or on a standard media format such as a flashdrive, a CD, a DVD, etc, or remotely at a personal health record storage system or a remotely located website.
  • The disclosed health information and assessment system may be able to display information, health questionnaires, health assessments, and other important information in practically any language. Such an ability to display in multiple languages is obviously of value, even if such systems are only used in the United States. According to a 2006 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 34 million people aged 5 or older. Obviously, it is desirable to obtain, and dispense, accurate health and fitness information with the disclosed system. Providing health information and presenting health questions in a user's native language will help to increase a user's understanding and ensure that more accurate information is provided to the user. This is easily done with the disclosed system.
  • The number of available display languages is only limited by the software components which are used to build the system, and by the investment that an owner is willing to make having health information and questions for the system owner translated.
  • Aside from display considerations, how the system stores information is of great importance. The health information and assessment system may be able to provide a rough instantaneous translation of information input by a non-English speaking user (or a user who speaks English, but for convenience has chosen to interact with the system in his or her own native language). In this way, user-supplied non-English answers to open-ended questions (as opposed to multiple-choice questions) can be processed and automatically translated into English before being sent to medical professionals such as nurses and doctors. Such processing of multiple-choice type assessment questions is obviously much more easily handled—both questions and each available answer can be pre-translated so that a user is essentially answering each question in all available languages at once.
  • Instantaneous automatic translation, which is referred to as machine translation in the field, is not today as accurate as human translation. Nevertheless, machine translation is available that does a passable job that may be good enough for emergency-type situations. Such machine translation can be assisted by producing the original text to be translated in what are referred to as controlled natural languages. Controlled natural languages are subsets of natural languages, obtained by restricting grammar and vocabulary in order to reduce or eliminate ambiguity and complexity. The health information pages and the assessment questions can be originally drafted in controlled, or simplified, English so that it can later be automatically machine translated by the system. Non-English users can be advised to use simple and straightforward sentences, while avoiding slang, when inputting their answers.
  • Information obtained by the health information and assessment system about a user is stored for the user's convenience, for use by health care providers, and for research purposes. The health information is securely stored so that there is no fear of unauthorized dissemination of user health information. The stored information is a combination of user-input answers to health assessment questionnaires and results from various intrusive and non-intrusive health analysis procedures, which will be described in detail below (cholesterol testing, for example). These may be referred to as pieces of health information and pieces of personal identification information (or personally identifying information). This combination of user health information is referred to as a PHR, which stands for Personal Health Record.
  • The PHRs can be stored in a number of ways. An exemplary embodiment of such a health information storage system is where the PHR, gathered at a health information and assessment kiosk system, is transmitted to a storage and processing server located off-site, meaning at a geographic location different than where the kiosk itself is located. The transmission of PHRs may be accomplished through use of a private network, or a public network, such as the Internet. When a public network is utilized, the PHRs are encrypted or otherwise secured so the privacy of the user's health information is maintained, such as through the use of secure socket layer (SSL) formatting, as is known in the art. When a public network, such as the Internet, is utilized the PHRs may be stored at a nation-wide hub, or multiple regional hubs, to reduce storage and transport costs, to facilitate access to the information from authorized sources, and to provide a level of redundancy to avoid a catastrophic loss of the information. It is also possible for the user to dictate where his or her PHR should be stored. For example, third parties may setup PHR deposit websites configured to receive, store, and make available a user's PHR created by the herein disclosed kiosk system. Or, it may be possible for the user to dictate that such information be sent, via email or ftp or another appropriate electronic information transmission system, to user's website or personal computer for storage as the user sees fit.
  • Regardless of where a PHR is stored, the PHR is ideally always available for review by the user at a later date. For example, once a user has input his information at a kiosk system, that user can later access the information at the same kiosk or at another kiosk at another geographic location. The security measures of the present invention ensure that a user attempting to access a PHR is in fact the correct user, but such information is always available once input.
  • When stored for research purposes, health information is aggregated and not stored like PHRs. With aggregated information unlike a PEAR, health information is not grouped together by user. Instead, data from each distinct test or question is grouped with other user's data in an aggregated database to allow for study of trends throughout populations. Aggregated data from multiple users, or groups of users, may be researched, but a specific individual's PHR is not accessible by the researcher(s). One exemplary way of doing this is to assign each user an identification number, and then assign that number, instead of the user's name, to each piece of health data or health information obtained from that user. Authorized entities (researchers) studying the aggregated data would be unable to connect an identification number back to the user's name, thus preserving a user's confidentiality and privacy. Authorized entities would, however, be able to sort the aggregated database by various appropriate parameters, such as: disease, treatment, geographic regions, user demographic (user age, gender, ethnicity, etc.) or classification (employee type, etc.). The research database may be capable of extracting such parameters, including demographical and/or classification information, from the personally identifying information so that the various pieces of health information can be organized or sorted by the parameters without linking the pieces of information to individual users' names or identities.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a layout of the herein disclosed community based health information and screening kiosk and research database system. Kiosk and research database system 100 includes a kiosk system 102 that is connected to both the user's PHR 104 and research database 106 over a network, such as the Internet, 108. When a user uploads his or her health data, it is recorded and analyzed at kiosk system 102, simultaneously incorporated into the user's PHR 104 and incorporated (in a non-personally identifiable way) into research database 106. Remotely located health care professionals 110 would have the ability to access the user's PHR 104 if the user allows such access (dotted line at 112 represents user's ability to control when and how health care professionals can access the user's information). Dotted line 114 represents that research database 106 can be accessed by remote health care professionals, including researchers world-wide, and can be manipulated in various ways. For example, aggregate user data can be filtered by disease, by treatment, by user statistics/demographics (such as user age, gender, etc), etc.
  • A user's PHR, and the individual data points being stored for research in the aggregated form, are maintained with the user's confidentiality and security in mind. All record storage meets or exceeds privacy standards, including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), a federal statute governing maintenance of electronic health records.
  • In addition to security means for securing transmission of data, many physical security means can be used at the kiosk site to provide security. Up to five levels of security can be implemented in the disclosed health information and assessment system. The security measures can include the following identity verification devices: a thumbprint scanner, a signature pad, use of photo identification cards, an access card with a 16-digit magnetic stripe, and a 4 digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) set by the user. These identity verification security devices will be discussed below. The five levels of security can be combined in various ways. For example, a kiosk system could require at least two forms of identification (a matching thumbprint and a PIN number, for example) from a user before the user is able to access a PHR through the kiosk. The five levels of security can of course be combined in other ways and this specification intends to include all such permutations.
  • As described above, the herein disclosed health information and assessment system has the ability to store aggregated user health information and data for analysis. Such analysis can be contracted out to a third party, or such analysis can be part of the entire system. For example, a company that chooses to locate a health information and assessment kiosk system on its premises can mandate, or suggest, that its employees regularly complete a health assessment questionnaire. Results from all company employees can be analyzed in aggregate form to evaluate the company's employee's overall health and fitness levels, and can be used to spot trends, both positive and negative.
  • Such an analysis can be done on aggregate data for many purposes. For example, such an analysis may assist a company in comparing the health of its employees from office to office or from one production facility to another production facility. Other exemplary analyses that can be done include assessing health status data according to employee classification and determining frequently occurring diseases or ailments.
  • The disclosed health information and assessment system is able to perform more generalized employee surveys, beyond health assessments. For example, employers who place a health information and assessment kiosk system at their workplace can ask employees to answer questions regarding their job satisfaction and/or to provide suggestions for company improvement. The kiosk system can be useful in this regard for companies whose employees are not regularly interacting with computers and so can not otherwise easily take automated surveys. As with health assessment questionnaires, employee surveys can be designed by the company itself or can be chosen from many prepackaged employees surveys available in the field.
  • If a company's employees do not have regular access to a computer, the health information and assessment kiosk system can also provide Internet access to employees. Essentially, because the kiosk system incorporates at least the major components of a personal computer, the kiosk system can easily accomplish many common personal computing tasks, such as word processing, email, and Internet browsing. A company may find it useful to provide the kiosk system for these personal computing uses if their employees do not otherwise have regular access to a personal computer. It also is possible for the company to limit the available webpages that a user can navigate to while using the kiosk system for Internet-browser activity. A company could, for example, limit Internet browsing to only the company's own website. Or, the company could set up its own custom firewall, or chose a pre-packaged firewall, to limit employees to only browsing those sites pre-approved by the company.
  • Due to the large amount of data collected, especially when video is utilized, many of the applications herein disclosed require some form of network connectivity, but this can be both internal to and external to the kiosk system. The kiosk system itself may be connected to a network through a network connection, which may be a standard 10/100 Mb Ethernet jack (RJ45) through a local LAN network or a direct connection to a storage system that is resident within the kiosk system, physically located nearby, or remotely located. Alternatively, kiosk systems may be equipped with 802.11a/b/g devices for wireless connectivity, with storage being nearby or remote. Other methods or devices for connecting with a network are known in the art and may also be appropriate.
  • As described above, the health information and assessment system is able to accurately obtain a user's vital signs through a combination of invasive and non-invasive testing. The data from the various invasive and non-invasive testing procedures can be stored as part of the user's PHR, and it can be transmitted to health care professionals at other geographic locations. In many situations, such as prior to or following a major medical procedure, a doctor would like to closely and accurately monitor a patient's vital signs, such as body temperature, pulse or heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, without requiring the patient to go to a doctor's office or a medical facility. All of these vital signs, and many more health metrics, can be monitored remotely using the health information and assessment system, which may be located at a community clinic, at a drug store, at a grocery store, or many other convenient locations close to a patient's home. A doctor or nurse is then able to receive an electronic transmission of the desired vital sign data, and other data, so that the doctor or nurse can monitor the patient's vital signs remotely, and even communicate directly with the patient while the kiosk system is in use, as further described below.
  • Such a remote monitoring setup is desirable for many reasons. The doctor or nurse is able to remotely monitor several patients, possibly at the same time, from one centralized location without having to travel. Conversely, the patient is able to avoid the need to travel, what may be a long distance, to see the doctor or nurse, and can instead travel, what may be a short distance, to a local health information and assessment kiosk system.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a user-data screen 200 as displayed to a remotely located health care professional in accordance with the present invention. When a user is interacting with a remotely located health care professional, the user's video image 202 and the user's health data can be simultaneously displayed to the professional. User-data screen 200 may include live video 202 of the user on one portion of the user-data screen 200, include wave-form user data 204 (blood pressure readings, for example) on another portion, textual user information 206 (personal information such as name, age, etc, for example) on another portion, and possibly further user data 208 on another portion. In this way, a remotely located health care professional can fully interact with the user seated at a kiosk system. The remotely located health care professional may be able to select which pieces of health information are displayed by user-data screen 200. Additionally, the user-data screen 200 may be combined with a health care professional video camera to capture a video image of the health care professional, which then may be displayed to the kiosk user. This user interaction with a remotely located health care professional is sometimes referred to as telehealth in the medical community. The herein described kiosk system enables greatly enhanced telehealth because live patient/user video, real time vital sign readings, and additional detailed user health information can be combined with traditional voice interaction (a user communication and a health care professional communication can be sent back and forth between the kiosk system and the remotely located user-data screen system) to allow health care professionals to conduct appointments, screenings, and diagnoses over long distances easily and efficiently.
  • The herein disclosed community-based health and screening kiosk system can also act as a community, or even a larger geographic area (such as a nation-wide), health analysis tool over a long term time frame. For example, the data collected from users and patients can all be stored either locally or remotely at a centralized location as described in FIG. 1 above. This information is aggregated so that it is no longer identified with the individual who provided the data. This information can be accumulated over long periods of time from a vast number of users or patients. All this aggregated health data can be very valuable to the greater medical community. The data can be analyzed and trends can be identified over time.
  • An additional application of the herein disclosed kiosk systems is to provide live video for verbal discussions between users and remotely located doctors. This application creates the opportunity for automated prescription drug dispensement from the kiosk system. A remotely located doctor can view the patient, talk to them about their issues and needs, and obtain all the health data he or she needs to legally and ethically write a drug prescription for the patient. The kiosk system may be equipped with several of the most widely prescribed drugs in an automated dispensing device. Such auto-dispensement devices are known in the art, but have never previously been combined with a real-time remote health assessment and analysis system. Existing dispensement devices made by companies such as QUIQMED, PHARMACY AUTOMATION SYSTEMS, and INSTYMEDS can be advantageously combined with the herein disclosed kiosk systems to produce a community based managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system. Such commercial drug dispensers, and their equivalent, may be capable of measuring a prescribed amount of the prescription drug and then bottling this prescribed amount in a consumer container, such as an industry standard cylindrical plastic container. Alternatively, such prescription dispensement devices may dispense blister packs, containing pro-dosed amounts of the prescription drugs, as is known in the art. It may be additionally possible to attach a payment system to the managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system. Such a payment system may be capable of receiving payment by cash or by credit or debit card, as is well known in the art. Alternatively, the kiosk system can be combined with a prescription printing device, which may be a standard computer printer, for printing industry recognized drug prescriptions. Or, the kiosk system can be located in a commercial or public pharmacy facility, in which case the kiosk system may be capable of receiving the drug prescription from the remotely located health care professional and transmitting it to the pharmacy facility, where the prescription can be filled.
  • A further application of the herein disclosed kiosk system is in the solicitation of medical testing and studies volunteers. As described, the kiosk system is able to measure and record all sorts of health information of users. Once a health assessment has been performed on a user, the kiosk systems can go one step further and compare the user's individual health to databases of on-going or upcoming medical tests and studies. The medical community has a difficult time finding testing subjects for very specific tests because there is a disconnect between the medical professionals looking for test subjects and the people with the diseases and conditions they are looking for. Once a user completes a health screening at the kiosk system, however, he or she can be immediately made aware of upcoming tests and/or trials that might be appropriate for that user. The user can be shown these tests and trials on user-display screen 406. Going further, the user can then direct the kiosk system to send, over the kiosk system network 108, an application for the test and/or trial.
  • As described above, kiosk systems may also be used in triage situations. In such situations, a kiosk system may be located in an emergency room or the waiting room of a clinic, where patients can sit down (if they are able to do so) and communicate with the kiosk system to provide information regarding their condition. An onsite nurse or other health care professional may then work with the kiosk system to determine the user's relative health situation; i.e. whether and when the user needs professional care. As further described below, FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of a portion of a kiosk system designed for triage use. In addition to the user's monitor and input devices (user-display screen 406 is not visible in FIG. 3, but keyboard 403 and signature pad 402 can be seen and indicate where the user would sit), triage kiosk 300 may have an additional health care professional keyboard 303 and health care professional signature pad 302. Additionally, the health care professional may have his or her own health care professional monitor 306, separate from user-display screen 406. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a laptop PC, or standard stand-alone PC, could be used in place of health care professional keyboard 303, health care professional monitor 306, and/or health care professional signature pad 302, in what may be referred to as a health care professional input and display system. These health care professional input devices allow an on-site health care professional, such as a triage nurse, to monitor the user's progress through a kiosk health assessment questionnaire, and so sign-off on (or deny) the results of such an assessment or completed questionnaire. In other words, the health care professional can assess the completed questionnaire and provide his or her health care professional authorization for a Final triage assessment.
  • In such triage situations, the kiosk systems can be combined with a printer to print out situation-specific user-identifying labels. The labels may include a triage assessment and can be worn by the user to convey the user's triage assessment to other health care professionals working in the emergency room or clinic.
  • FIGS. 2 through 5 illustrate many of the various embodiments of the disclosed community-based health information and screening kiosk system. The kiosk system has many different components that can be used in many of the different embodiments, but may not be needed in others. Hence, a great variety of different permutations of the kiosk system, each including different combinations of those components, could be developed. For example, the kiosk system can include headphones, a microphone, a keyboard, a card reader, a signature card, a thumbprint pad, a scanner, a privacy curtain, a release button, a camera, glucose meter hook-up, a pulse oximeter, weight-scale, blood pressure monitor, invasive-testing inputs, a temperature sensor, and other testing devices. These devices may then be combined with various other devices, such as a printer, an audio speaker, a video display screen, and/or Internet connectivity. Each of these devices can then be integrated into the software platforms so that data received by the input device can be incorporated into a user's PHR and/or delivered in useful format to a health care professional.
  • A preferred embodiment of a kiosk system is described with reference to FIG. 4. The kiosk system of FIG. 4 has a user desk portion 400 that includes a number of different items, include headset 401, which may be a physical combination of headphones and a microphone, or the functional combination of a pair of headphones and a microphone separately mounted within the kiosk system. Headset 401 allows a user to communicate with a health care profession and hear audio information dispensed either from a remotely-located health care professional or from available pharmaceutical encyclopedias and/or health information videos and the like. Headset 401 could be comprised of a flexible band and wiring that feeds audio content directly into a user's ears through one or two speakers held against the user's head by the band, while also being capable of receiving audio input by the user via a microphone. It could also be a standard telephone-type input/output device—having a unshaped handheld plastic or metal piece that a user holds up to the side of his head, while placing the speaker at the user's ear and the microphone near the user's mouth. Headset 401 allows the user to interact with remote health care professionals by speaking a user voice communication into the microphone and by listening to a health care professional communication through the headphones. Obviously, speakers mounted within the kiosk could be used in place of the headphones. The advantage to using a headset is that it leaves a user's hands free to simultaneously use other input devices, such as the keyboard or the pulse oximeter.
  • Signature pad 402 may be located on the user desk portion 400 in front of, or slightly beneath, keyboard 403. Keyboard 403 is a standard alphanumeric keyboard that a user may use to input words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or even multiple paragraphs into the system. Keyboard 403 can additionally be utilized by deaf and/or hard-of-hearing users to communicate in real time with health care professionals. Such user inputs, or responses, may be integrated into the user's PHR, may be used as part of an automated health assessment, and/or may be transmitted to a remote health care professional to be used as the health care professional sees fit. Keyboard 403 is generally a standard United States layout keyboard (QWERTY setup), but a foreign-language keyboard or keyboard setup may be substituted as needed in foreign locations.
  • Signature pad 402 may be a standard signature pad for electronically recording a user's signature. A user may be prompted to enter his or her signature into signature pad 402. A user's signature may be used as a security measure, to compare with a previous signature in a user's PHR, or may be used in a legally binding way to create a contract or to acknowledge a doctor's warning, etc. Many commercial signature pads are available on the market, and most can be utilized in the disclosed kiosk system. Such signature pads have a relatively small LCD, or equivalent, display screen, and a pen-like device that the user uses to write his or her signature on the small display screen. The movements of the pen-like device are recorded by the signature pad and then can be transmitted into the kiosk system. An image of the user's signature can be stored at the kiosk, or can be transmitted to remote health care professionals or to the user's remotely-stored PHR.
  • Thumbprint reader 410 may be located on the right side of the user-desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Thumbprint reader 410 is a commercially available device for capturing the likeness of a user's thumbprint. If the kiosk system is set up to utilize thumbprint reader 410 as an additional security measure, a user may be prompted to insert his or her thumb into the reader, or to swipe his or her thumb through, or past, thumbprint reader 410. As is known in the art, the thumbprint reader 410 may compare the user's thumbprint to stored thumbprints, or may compare portions of the user's thumbprint, such as specific swirls, whorls, or patterns within a thumbprint, to previously recorded thumbprint portions. Alternatively, if a user is utilizing the kiosk system for the first time, thumbprint reader 410 may record the user's thumbprint, or portions thereof, for future security-related comparisons. Alternatively, an electronic finger-print identification system may be substituted in a community-based health information and screening kiosk system in place of thumbprint reader 410.
  • Card reader 405 may be located on the left side of the user-desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Card reader 405 may be one or several types of commercially available card readers. Card reader 405 may be able to read magnetic stripe cards that store information/data on a band of magnetic material on the back of the card, such as a credit card or some identification cards, or may be able to read cards carrying information/data in the form of bar coding.
  • The overall system may be capable of creating user-specific health kiosk cards. The system may be able to print out a health kiosk card for a user that stores (magnetically, by bar code, or by an alternative data storage system known in the art) identifying information and the user's PHR. Card reader 405 may be capable of reading the user's data off one of these health kiosk cards, so that a specific user may easily transport his or her PEAR from one kiosk to another. Such a card can also act as an additional form of identification for security purposes.
  • Camera 407 may be located above user display screen 406. Camera 407 may be a commercially available digital or analog video recording device capable of capturing static images as well as full motion video. In certain embodiments, camera 407 may be mounted on the end of a flexible and adjustable cable and be capable of being pulled out by a user. Fiber optic cables can allow for this sort of flexibility and adjustability and may be appropriate. For example, if a remote health care professional wishes to see a close-up image of a user's ailment, the user may be able to pull out camera 407 to give the health care professional a better image of the patient.
  • The main purpose of camera 407 is to capture still and motion images of a user, which are then transmitted to remotely located health care professionals. Still and/or motion images of the user may also be stored and incorporated into the user's PHR or for any other suitable purpose. User image 202 in FIG. 2 illustrates the view that a remotely located health care professional could see of the kiosk user.
  • User display screen 406 is located at the approximate center of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. User display screen 406 may be a standard video monitor capable of displaying full color still images and/or full motion video. In a preferred embodiment, user display screen 406 is a 15 to 17 inch color monitor with a touch screen. Touch screen capability allows a user to input selections and manipulate data by directly touching the screen, as opposed to having to use a mouse or keyboard to make on-screen selections, as is known in the art. A standard personal computer mouse (not shown) may be incorporated into systems not utilizing a touch screen.
  • Speaker 415 may be located anywhere on the kiosk system, so long as a user seated in user seat 502 of FIG. 5 is able to hear the audio emanating from speaker 415. As will be further shown in FIG. 5, use of the speaker 415 may be limited, however, in order to prevent someone from overhearing the questions being asked of the user and/or the user's answers when being provided or providing personal information. A privacy button is provided on the vertical panel 412, on the touch screen 406, or elsewhere within the kiosk system, to enable a user to switch from verbal communication via the speaker 415 and a microphone to the headset 401 or a traditional telephone headset (not shown). In a preferred embodiment, speaker 415 may be located on the left side of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Alternatively, more than one speaker may be used. For example, two speakers, one on each side of user display screen 406, may be used to provide stereo sound to a user. Speaker 415 may be any sort of commercially available audio speaker capable of playing audio sounds produced by the kiosk system. Speaker 415 may be configured so that when a user plugs headphones or a headset 401 into the kiosk system, speaker 415 automatically mutes so audio only is played through the headphones or headset 401. Alternatively, the software platform may provide a user with various audio options, including allowing audio to play both through headphones/headset and through speaker 415. Those skilled in the art will recognize the various audio arrangements that are possible when a kiosk system is configured with both headphones/headset 401 capability and speaker 415 capabilities.
  • The following devices, and other similar devices, may be referred to as medical diagnostic devices, as they are used to record, measure, and/or analyze the user's health. Pulse oximeter 409 may be located near the bottom of vertical panel 412, to the right of keyboard 403. Pulse oximeter 409 should be located so that a user can easily insert his or her finger into the pulse oximeter while seated normally at the kiosk system. A pulse oximeter is a device used to indirectly measure the oxygen saturation of a user's blood (as opposed to measuring oxygen saturation directly through a blood sample) and changes in blood volume in the skin. Pulse oximeter 409 may be used to produce a photoplethysmograph (a possible output format of a pulse oximeter), which may be incorporated into the user's PHR, transmitted to remotely located health care professional, or otherwise stored and used as appropriate. Most commercial pulse oximeter devices clip onto a user's finger and send data through wires running back towards the user and along the user's arm. Pulse oximeter 409 may be designed so that its wiring runs back into and is communicatively coupled with the kiosk system away from the user.
  • A temperature sensor 414 is provided in the upper right portion of the vertical panel 412, but could be located elsewhere. Any one or more of a number of different temperature sensors 414 could be used, such as a contact sensor that infers the temperature of a user that contacts the sensor, or a noncontact sensor that might use an infrared sensors or some other form of sensors to detect the temperature of a user in proximity of the sensor.
  • Blood glucose meter port 416 may be located anywhere on the kiosk system. In a preferred embodiment, blood glucose meter port 416 may be located below the temperature sensor 414 on the right side of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Blood glucose meter port 416 is capable of linking to standard commercial blood glucose meters through interface hardware in the port, which may be situated on a cable to make it easier to connect to a meter. When a user hooks his or her blood glucose meter into blood glucose meter port 416, the data stored on the blood glucose meter is transferred into the kiosk system, where it can be incorporated into the user's PHR, transmitted to remotely located health care professionals, or stored and analyzed as appropriate. It is also possible to include a non-invasive blood glucose meter in the kiosk system, so that a user does not have to provide his or her own blood glucose meter.
  • Blood pressure cuff test interface 504 is not clearly seen in FIG. 4, but is illustrated in FIG. 5. Blood pressure cuff test interface 504 is positioned on the left side of the kiosk system, so that a user can easily slip his or her arm through the cuff while seated on the seat 502 of the kiosk system. Blood pressure cuff test interface 504 is capable of measuring and analyzing a user's blood pressure and heart rate. The blood pressure cuff test interface 504, in combination with the overall kiosk system, utilizes a measurement algorithm based on a plurality of measurements, providing a unique ability to increase diagnostic and analytical success in detection.
  • In an illustrative implementation, three measurement techniques are used in combination to improve overall measurement accuracy. A first of the three techniques is an auscultatory technique. A sound measurement acquired from a microphone located in the measurement cuff detects start and end Korotkoff sounds using a combination of filters. The auscultatory technique is a conventional method that is recommended by the American Heart Association and is similar to manual techniques used by a health care professional. The auscultatory technique and associated filtering techniques are well known by those having ordinary skill in the art. A second technique is an oscillometric technique that is commonly found in many low-cost blood pressure measurement devices. A pressure cuff is used to measure pressure oscillations, which are detected and monitored using mean pressure, and systolic and diastolic pressure ratios to identify systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A third technique, called a pattern recognition technique, measures a sound envelope and incorporates pattern recognition to identify systolic and diastolic pressures. The pattern recognition technique uses 1,000 sound impressions per second, or between 40,000 and 60,000 sound impressions per test. A signal from the pressure sensor is used in addition to the three techniques to quantify the regions of sound under analysis. The precise blood pressure cuff test interface apparatus and methods of use are described in Bluth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,435, which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • The blood pressure and heart rate data obtained by use of blood pressure cuff test interface 504 may be utilized in much the same way as other data collected from a user by the kiosk system. Such data can be utilized to perform a health risk assessment for the user, can be incorporated into the user's PHR, can be transmitted to remotely located health care professionals, can be transmitted to various medical research databases in a non-personally-identifiable format, and/or can be stored locally and analyzed as appropriate.
  • User seat 502 is shown in FIG. 5. In a preferred embodiment of the kiosk system, user seat 502 is slideably-mounted to the left side of the kiosk system. User seat 502 is capable of sliding underneath the user-desk portion of the kiosk system so that a user in a wheelchair is able to put his or her wheelchair into position so as to use the kiosk system. As user seat 502 is slideable, it may be adjustable to several different positions at varying distances from the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Alternatively, user seat 502 may be capable of continuous movement and placement at any practical distance from user desk portion 400. User seat 502 may additionally be equipped with a scale to accurately measure a user's weight, as described in Bluth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,897, which is incorporated herein by reference. In this situation, the scale of user seat 502 is communicatively coupled to the kiosk system so that either digital or analog weight data can be utilized to perform a health risk assessment for the user, can be incorporated into the user's PHR, can be transmitted to remotely located health care professionals, can be transmitted to various medical research databases in a non-personally-identifiable format, and/or can be stored locally and analyzed as appropriate. The precise weight-scale user seat apparatus and methods of use are described in Bluth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,897, which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • In addition to the various non-invasive health diagnostic input devices described above (question-and-answer input, visual input, verbal input, pulse oximeter input, blood glucose input, blood pressure and heart rate input, weight input, etc.), the kiosk system can also include invasive testing. For example, cholesterol testing, urine testing, and blood testing can be administered to a user by the kiosk system, with the help of licensed health care professionals (nurses, technicians, etc.). Such tests require a licensed professional to assist the user and to carrier out the test. Tools and supplies needed for these invasive tests can be stored on shelving units which may be built into the back side (not shown) of the kiosk system. A nurse or other licensed health care professional can administer the invasive test and then can input results, which may be referred to as invasive testing information, manually (via keyboard 403, via keyboard 303, or via touch-screen options). An invasive testing system used to analyze the invasively collected fluids can be connected to an additional port at the back of the kiosk system, or send its results over the network 108 to the kiosk system.
  • As previously noted, the kiosk system may also include several devices that can be described as output devices, such as a printer, as opposed to the various health diagnostic input devices. FIG. 5 includes a paper slot 506 in which paper output by a printer incorporated into the kiosk system is accessible by a user. The output paper may include printed answers to health assessment questions, results of various tests, a summary of information provided by the user, and many other types of data. FIG. 3 also illustrates a plan view of a triage version of the kiosk system that includes various output devices.
  • In FIG. 3, flatbed scanner 305 is located on the top of the kiosk system. Flatbed scanner 305 is communicatively coupled to the kiosk system, so that documents and information scanned in by a user is input into the system. Flatbed scanner 305 can be any type of commercially available scanner capable of receiving hard copy documents and converting them into electronically transferable images or electronic documents. For example, a user may be able to scan in his or her health insurance card, identification or other documentation. The kiosk system software platform may be able to recognize certain information contained within the scanned-in documents—such as the user's social security number, for example—and fill in various forms automatically. For example, scanned-in medical records could be automatically incorporated into the user's PHR and/or be transmitted to a remotely located health care professional. Flatbed scanner 305 may be located on top of the kiosk, or may be embedded within a top portion of the kiosk system on a slideable tray, somewhat above where a seated user's head would normally be located, so that a user can slide flatbed scanner 305 out for use and then slide it in, and out of the way, after use. Alternatively, the scanner could be located on the front of the kiosk system, such as scanner 507 of FIG. 5. In such a situation, the scanner 507 might be placed on a tray that can slide out from the front of the kiosk system and be more readily accessible by users.
  • Printer 304 may also be located on top of the kiosk system, as is illustrated in FIG. 3. Alternatively, as previously noted, printer 304 may be embedded within an upper portion of the kiosk system, in such a way as to eject printed sheets of paper through a printer-eject slot 506 somewhat above where a seated user's head would normally be located. Printer 304 may be a standard commercial printer (laser, ink-jet, or other presently available technology) capable of printing either black-and-white documents, or full color documents. Alternatively in certain situations such as in triage, printer 304 may be a label-maker specifically designed to print-out situation-specific labels for use as user (patient) identifiers.
  • The kiosk system is designed to provide a user with a secure and private experience despite the fact that the kiosk system may be located in a very public space, such as a store, waiting room, office complex, etc. Privacy for the user is very important because a user may use the herein disclosed kiosk system to engage in personal medical discussions with a remotely located health care professional. Providing the user with a private setting will enable the user to feel completely comfortable discussing and listening to personal health care information. To further enhance the privacy of the setting, the kiosk system may include a privacy curtain 508, illustrated in FIG. 5, which can fully enclose the user during use of the kiosk system. Privacy curtain 508 slides along privacy track 510 to form a barrier between a user seated within the kiosk system and the surrounding room in which the kiosk system is located. Privacy curtain 508 may be designed to automatically move along privacy track 510 after a user sits down on the seat 502 at the kiosk system and engages the kiosk software platform. Alternatively, privacy curtain 508 may be designed to close after a user presses an appropriate button (not shown) on the user desk portion 400, or makes an appropriate selection within the software platform by touching an on-screen button or clicking of a computer mouse. Privacy curtain 508 would likewise open when the user has finished using the kiosk system, which may be indicated by selecting an appropriate physical button within the kiosk, selecting a software button, finishing a test or procedure, or getting up from the seat 502. The material of the privacy curtain 508 should be formed of any material that would help to reduce sound emanating from within the kiosk system during use so as to provide a user with a greater degree of privacy.
  • The kiosk system may also include a safety feature for disengaging in an emergency situation. For example, a hardware button may be included on the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system that when pressed automatically releases a user's arm from blood pressure cuff test interface 504, and automatically opens privacy curtain 508, so that the user can quickly leave the kiosk system. FIG. 4 illustrates such a hardware release button 417 positioned on the right side of vertical panel 412 of the user desk portion 400 of the kiosk system. Alternatively, a software platform button or on-screen option may be available to the user that will quickly and automatically release the user's arm from blood pressure cuff test interface 504 and/or open privacy curtain 508. A similar hardware release button can be located on the back side of the kiosk system to allow a health care professional to quickly and automatically disengage blood pressure cuff test interface 504 and/or privacy curtain 508.
  • An additional privacy-enhancing feature of the herein disclosed kiosk system is the third-party display screen 512 illustrated in FIG. 5. Third-party display screen 512 is located on the side of the kiosk system, preferably near the top of the kiosk system so as to be easily viewable from some distance away. Third-party display screen 512 is a video monitor capable of displaying still images and full-motion video. Third-party display screen 512 may be a standard 15 to 17 inch monitor much like user display screen 406, or it may be different—smaller or bigger. The purpose of third-party display screen 512 is two-fold. First, to provide marketing and/or educational health-related information to persons in the vicinity of the kiosk system other than the immediate user seated within the kiosk system. For example, third-party display screen 512 may be connected to a DVD player and may play repeated loops of various health-related advertisements. Alternatively, third-party display screen 512 may display information on how to use the kiosk, or how to find a doctor in that particular geographic location. Third-party screen 512 may also be linked to the network 108 and therefore may be capable of streaming advertisements and/or informational feeds from any available Internet sources. A kiosk system may be equipped with several of these third-party display monitors, on various sides of the kiosk system, so that multiple messages may be displayed.
  • Third-party display screen 512 may include one or more speakers for emitting audio related to the video images displayed on screen. Audio related to the health information/advertisements establishes the second purpose of the third-party display screens, to provide a counter-point visual and audio stimulus that distracts anyone outside of the kiosk system from being able to hear or pay attention to any sound emanating from a user's use of the kiosk system. If someone other than the user is in close proximity to the kiosk, they would likely be distracted by images and sounds being generated, and therefore less likely to overhear a user consulting with a remotely located doctor.
  • While the present inventions have been illustrated and described herein in terms of a preferred embodiment and several alternatives associated with community-based health information and screening kiosk systems, it is to be understood that the various components of the combination and the combination itself can have a multitude of additional uses and applications. For example, the kiosk systems herein disclosed can easily be adapted to other settings or uses. Accordingly, the inventions should not be limited to just the particular descriptions and various drawing figures contained in this specification that merely illustrate one or more preferred embodiments and applications of the principles of the invention.
  • It should be apparent that the examples discussed above are only presented as examples. The various user-accessible menus, buttons, and interfaces are only one way to accomplish the more generally described systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer programs. For example, where certain features or user options are described as buttons, it may be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same function can be accomplished by using radio buttons, drop-down menus, or check-box-type options instead. All such available possibilities are intended to be covered by this specification.
  • Finally, it should be noted that where this specification describes a system for obtaining health information and screening, it is intended to cover related methods of utilizing the kiosk systems.

Claims (21)

1. A managed health system, comprising:
a user input and display system including a user display screen displaying a health assessment questionnaire to a user and two or more input devices receiving one or more pieces of health information and one or more pieces of personal identification information from the users and receiving a completed questionnaire based on the user's input to the health assessment questionnaire, and including a first network connection transmitting the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information and the one or more pieces of personal identification information; and
a health care professional input and display system including a second network connection receiving the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information, and the one or more pieces of personal identification information, a health care professional display screen displaying the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information, and the one or more pieces of personal identification information, and two or more health care professional input devices receiving one or more health care professional authorizations based on a health care professional's assessment of the completed questionnaire and the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more health care professional authorization transmitted by the second network connection.
2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the two or more health care professional input devices include a health care professional keyboard and a health care professional signature pad.
3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the two or more health care professional input devices and the health care professional display screen are included in a stand-alone PC.
4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the two or more health care professional input devices and the health care professional display screen are included in a laptop PC.
5. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a printer communicatively coupled to the first network connection, wherein the first network connection receives the one or more health care professional authorizations, wherein the user input and display system generates a situation-specific user-identifying label based on the one or more pieces of personal identification information and the health care professional's assessment of the completed questionnaire and the one or more pieces of health information after the first network connection receives the one or more health care professional authorizations, and wherein the situation-specific user-identifying label is printed by the printer.
6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the user input and display system further determines a triage assessment for the user based upon the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information and the one or more pieces of personal identification information, and wherein the situation-specific user-identifying label includes the triage assessment.
7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the first network connection transmits the triage assessment to the health care professional input and display system for display, wherein the one or more health care professional authorizations are further based on a health care professional's assessment of the triage assessment, wherein the one or more health care professional authorizations include a triage assessment sign-off, and wherein the printer will not print the situation-specific user-identifying label including the triage assessment before the health care professional input and display system receives the triage assessment sign-off.
8. The system as recited in claim 7, further comprising a storage system communicatively coupled to the first network connection and the second network connection and securely receiving and storing the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more pieces of personal identification information, the completed questionnaire, the health care professional's assessment and the triage assessment in a personal health record.
9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the storage system is distributed over one or more hubs and a copy of the personal health record is stored at each of the one or more hubs.
10. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a storage system communicatively coupled to the first network connection and securely receiving and storing the one or more pieces of health information and the one or more pieces of personal identification information in a personal health record.
11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the personal health record further includes the completed questionnaire and the health care professional's assessment.
12. A managed health system, comprising:
a kiosk system, including a user input and display system communicatively coupled to a health care professional input and display system, the user input and display system having a user display screen displaying a health assessment questionnaire to a user, two or more input devices receiving one or more pieces of health information from the user, one or more pieces of personal identification information from the user, and a completed questionnaire based on the user's input to the health assessment questionnaire, and transmitting the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information, and the one or more pieces of personal identification information, the health care professional input and display system, having a health care professional display screen, receiving and displaying the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information and the one or more pieces of personal identification information from the user, having two or more health care professional input devices receiving one or more health care professional authorizations based on a health care professional's assessment of the completed questionnaire and the one or more pieces of health information, and transmitting the health care professional's assessment and the one or more health care professional authorizations;
a storage system communicatively coupled to the kiosk system and securely receiving and storing the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more pieces of personal identification information, the completed questionnaire, the health care professional's assessment and the one or more health care professional authorizations from the kiosk system in a personal health record for the user; and
a printer communicatively coupled to the kiosk system and printing a situation-specific user-identifying label based on the one or more pieces of personal identification information, the health care professional's assessment of the completed questionnaire and the one or more pieces of health information.
13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the kiosk system further determines and transmits a triage assessment for the user based upon the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information and the one or more pieces of personal identification information, and wherein the storage system receives and stores the triage assessment in the personal health record.
14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the health care professional display screen further displays the triage assessment, and wherein the health care professional authorizations include a triage assessment sign-off.
15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the printer will not print the situation-specific user-identifying label until the triage assessment sign-off has been generated.
16. A managed health system, comprising:
a kiosk systems including a user input and display system communicatively coupled to a health care professional input and display system, the user input and display system having a user display screen displaying a health assessment questionnaire to a user, two or more input devices receiving one or more pieces of health information from the user, one or more pieces of personal identification information from the user, and a completed questionnaire based on the user's input to the health assessment questionnaire, and transmitting the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information, and the one or more pieces of personal identification information to the health care professional input and display system, the health care professional input and display system having a health care professional display screen receiving and displaying the completed questionnaire, the one or more pieces of health information and the one or more pieces of personal identification information from the user, having two or more health care professional input devices receiving one or more health care professional authorizations based on a health care professional's assessment of the completed questionnaire and the one or more pieces of health information, determining a triage assessment for the user based upon the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more pieces of personal identification information, and the health care professional's assessment, and transmitting the triage assessment;
a storage system communicatively coupled to the kiosk system and securely receiving and storing the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more pieces of personal identification information, and the triage assessment from the kiosk system in a personal health record; and
a printer communicatively coupled to the kiosk system and printing a situation-specific user-identifying label based on the triage assessment.
17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the situation-specific user-identifying label is further based on the one or more pieces of personal identification information, the one or more pieces of health information and the health care professional's assessment.
18. A method for developing a triage assessment of a user, comprising the steps of:
receiving one or more pieces of health information from the user through a kiosk system equipped with a display and two or more input devices;
receiving one or more pieces of personal identification information from the user through the two or more input devices;
displaying a health assessment questionnaire to the user;
receiving a completed questionnaire based on the user's input to the health assessment questionnaire through at least one of the two or more input devices; and
generating the triage assessment from a health care professional based on the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more pieces of personal identification information, and the completed questionnaire.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the kiosk system is further equipped with a second display, further comprising the step of displaying the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more pieces of personal identification information and the completed questionnaire to the health care professional on the second display and receiving the triage assessment from the health care professional through the two or more input devices.
20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of printing a situation-specific user-identifying label based on the triage assessment, the one or more pieces of personal identification information, the health care professional's assessment of the completed questionnaire, and the one or more pieces of health information.
21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of storing the one or more pieces of health information, the one or more pieces of personal identification information, and the triage assessment in a personal health record associated with the user.
US12/407,682 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Triage based managed health kiosk system Abandoned US20090240116A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12/407,682 US20090240116A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Triage based managed health kiosk system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US7030908P 2008-03-21 2008-03-21
US12/407,682 US20090240116A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Triage based managed health kiosk system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20090240116A1 true US20090240116A1 (en) 2009-09-24

Family

ID=41089593

Family Applications (8)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/407,637 Abandoned US20090240527A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk system
US12/407,652 Abandoned US20090240702A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk and research database system
US12/407,623 Abandoned US20090240524A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk and remote diagnosis system
US12/407,682 Abandoned US20090240116A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Triage based managed health kiosk system
US12/407,677 Abandoned US20090240115A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk system for soliciting medical testing and health study participants
US12/407,648 Abandoned US20090241177A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Security system for a community based managed health kiosk system
US12/407,657 Active 2032-12-20 US9743844B2 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system
US15/657,016 Abandoned US20170319083A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2017-07-21 Community based managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system

Family Applications Before (3)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/407,637 Abandoned US20090240527A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk system
US12/407,652 Abandoned US20090240702A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk and research database system
US12/407,623 Abandoned US20090240524A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk and remote diagnosis system

Family Applications After (4)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/407,677 Abandoned US20090240115A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk system for soliciting medical testing and health study participants
US12/407,648 Abandoned US20090241177A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Security system for a community based managed health kiosk system
US12/407,657 Active 2032-12-20 US9743844B2 (en) 2008-03-21 2009-03-19 Community based managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system
US15/657,016 Abandoned US20170319083A1 (en) 2008-03-21 2017-07-21 Community based managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system

Country Status (1)

Country Link
US (8) US20090240527A1 (en)

Cited By (23)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100222649A1 (en) * 2009-03-02 2010-09-02 American Well Systems Remote medical servicing
US20110022748A1 (en) * 2009-07-24 2011-01-27 Welch Allyn, Inc. Configurable health-care equipment apparatus
USD632397S1 (en) 2010-07-22 2011-02-08 Welch Allyn, Inc. Portions of a patient-monitor housing
US20110071420A1 (en) * 2009-09-18 2011-03-24 St Pierre Shawn C Physiological Parameter Measuring Platform Device Supporting Multiple Workflows
USD635681S1 (en) 2010-07-22 2011-04-05 Welch Allyn, Inc. Patient-monitor housing
USD667838S1 (en) 2009-12-31 2012-09-25 Welch Allyn, Inc. Patient monitoring device with graphical user interface
USD671222S1 (en) 2010-07-22 2012-11-20 Welch Allyn, Inc. Module for a patient-monitor or the like
USD694909S1 (en) 2011-10-12 2013-12-03 HealthSpot Inc. Medical kiosk
US20140235963A1 (en) * 2013-02-15 2014-08-21 Welch Allyn, Inc. Remote Health Care System
US8996392B2 (en) 2011-03-31 2015-03-31 Healthspot, Inc. Medical kiosk and method of use
US9043217B2 (en) 2011-03-31 2015-05-26 HealthSpot Inc. Medical kiosk and method of use
US9055870B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2015-06-16 Welch Allyn, Inc. Physiological parameter measuring platform device supporting multiple workflows
US9094493B2 (en) 2012-04-25 2015-07-28 Compliance Software, Inc. Capturing and processing instant drug test results using a mobile device
US9235682B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2016-01-12 Welch Allyn, Inc. Combined episodic and continuous parameter monitoring
US9350956B2 (en) 2012-04-25 2016-05-24 Compliance Software, Inc. Capturing and processing instant drug test results using a mobile device
USD772252S1 (en) 2012-04-05 2016-11-22 Welch Allyn, Inc. Patient monitoring device with a graphical user interface
WO2017100833A1 (en) * 2015-12-16 2017-06-22 Etrihealth Pty Ltd A method of using a computer system to support a triage assessment
USD802789S1 (en) 2012-04-25 2017-11-14 Formfox, Inc. Test cup holder
US9883801B2 (en) 2014-07-29 2018-02-06 Kurt Stump Computer-implemented systems and methods of automated physiological monitoring, prognosis, and triage
US10223681B2 (en) 2012-08-15 2019-03-05 Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Corp. Veterinary kiosk with integrated veterinary medical devices
US10226200B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2019-03-12 Welch Allyn, Inc. User interface enhancements for physiological parameter monitoring platform devices
USD916713S1 (en) 2012-04-05 2021-04-20 Welch Allyn, Inc. Display screen with graphical user interface for patient central monitoring station
CN113053018A (en) * 2021-04-06 2021-06-29 上海工程技术大学 A multi-functional first visit equipment for patient reposition of redundant personnel

Families Citing this family (113)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7614747B2 (en) * 2004-07-28 2009-11-10 Solohealth, Inc. Automated vision screening apparatus and method
KR200436314Y1 (en) * 2007-03-21 2007-07-26 강은순 Vending machine for urine analysis stick
DE102007020870A1 (en) * 2007-05-04 2008-11-13 Airbus Deutschland Gmbh High-lift system on the wing of an aircraft
US9171415B2 (en) 2008-07-07 2015-10-27 Peacock Myers, P.C. Secure cabinet for dispensing items
JP5232611B2 (en) * 2008-12-05 2013-07-10 シスメックス株式会社 Sample analyzer, sample analysis method, and computer program
US8619115B2 (en) * 2009-01-15 2013-12-31 Nsixty, Llc Video communication system and method for using same
US20100235185A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-16 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100235189A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-16 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100235187A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-16 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US10319471B2 (en) 2009-03-10 2019-06-11 Gearbox Llc Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100241448A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-23 Searete Llc, A Limited Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US9911165B2 (en) 2009-03-10 2018-03-06 Gearbox, Llc Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US8095384B2 (en) 2009-03-10 2012-01-10 The Invention Science Fund I Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US9886729B2 (en) * 2009-03-10 2018-02-06 Gearbox, Llc Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100235190A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-16 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US9892435B2 (en) * 2009-03-10 2018-02-13 Gearbox Llc Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100235184A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-16 Searete Llc Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100235191A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-16 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100235188A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-09-16 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20100274577A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2010-10-28 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US20110202361A1 (en) * 2009-03-10 2011-08-18 Searete Llc, A Limited Liability Corporation Of The State Of Delaware Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US9858540B2 (en) * 2009-03-10 2018-01-02 Gearbox, Llc Computational systems and methods for health services planning and matching
US9844333B2 (en) * 2009-03-24 2017-12-19 International Business Machines Corporation Remote delivery and monitoring of health care
US8891851B2 (en) * 2009-07-15 2014-11-18 Glenn F. Spaulding Home healthcare management system and hardware
GB2474699A (en) * 2009-10-26 2011-04-27 Daniel James Barlow Customer feedback device with audio, video and optical code input
US8526573B2 (en) 2009-11-25 2013-09-03 Merge Healthcare Incorporated Systems and methods for remote diagnostic imaging
CA2690784A1 (en) * 2010-01-22 2011-07-22 Spqkumar Inc. Network and method for data input, storage and retrieval
WO2011088565A1 (en) * 2010-01-22 2011-07-28 Spqkumar Inc. A portable device for secure storage of user provided data
WO2011130296A1 (en) 2010-04-12 2011-10-20 Provider Meds, LP On site prescription management system and methods for health care facilities
WO2012033244A1 (en) * 2010-09-09 2012-03-15 엘지전자 주식회사 Self-examination method and self-examination device
USD665413S1 (en) * 2011-03-09 2012-08-14 Microsoft Corporation Display screen with graphical user interface
USD665412S1 (en) * 2011-03-09 2012-08-14 Microsoft Corporation Display screen with graphical user interface
USD665411S1 (en) * 2011-03-09 2012-08-14 Microsoft Corporation Display screen with graphical user interface
USD667841S1 (en) * 2011-03-09 2012-09-25 Microsoft Corporation Display screen with graphical user interface
WO2012135058A2 (en) * 2011-03-28 2012-10-04 Ihealth Engines Method and system for promoting health education
ES1074493Y (en) * 2011-04-04 2011-08-02 Tecnologias Ade S L DEVICE FOR MEASURING BODY PARAMETERS
US9069380B2 (en) 2011-06-10 2015-06-30 Aliphcom Media device, application, and content management using sensory input
US20130194066A1 (en) * 2011-06-10 2013-08-01 Aliphcom Motion profile templates and movement languages for wearable devices
US9492120B2 (en) 2011-07-05 2016-11-15 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Workstation for monitoring and improving health and productivity of employees
EP2729058B1 (en) * 2011-07-05 2019-03-13 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Floor mat system and associated, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for monitoring and improving health and productivity of employees
US10307104B2 (en) 2011-07-05 2019-06-04 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Chair pad system and associated, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for monitoring and improving health and productivity of employees
US9615746B2 (en) * 2011-07-05 2017-04-11 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Floor mat system and associated, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for monitoring and improving health and productivity of employees
US10108783B2 (en) 2011-07-05 2018-10-23 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for monitoring health of employees using mobile devices
US8423387B1 (en) * 2011-07-11 2013-04-16 Muhammad Mirza Direct physician delivery of patient care over a network
US10346938B2 (en) 2011-08-09 2019-07-09 Drfirst.Com, Inc. Systems and methods for providing supplemental materials to increase patient adherence to prescribed medication
WO2013077977A1 (en) * 2011-11-23 2013-05-30 Remedev, Inc. Remotely-executed medical diagnosis and therapy including emergency automation
US20200098461A1 (en) * 2011-11-23 2020-03-26 Remedev, Inc. Remotely-executed medical diagnosis and therapy including emergency automation
US20130138421A1 (en) * 2011-11-28 2013-05-30 Micromass Uk Limited Automatic Human Language Translation
US20130191170A1 (en) * 2012-01-25 2013-07-25 Joshua L. Jarrett Kiosk for providing insurance services and products
EP2811897A4 (en) * 2012-02-07 2016-10-26 Healthspot Inc Medical kiosk and method of use
US11826120B1 (en) 2012-03-02 2023-11-28 Md Health Rx Solutions, Llc Method for utilizing an integrated weight system in a medical service kiosk
US11875894B2 (en) 2012-03-02 2024-01-16 Md Health Rx Solutions, Llc Medical services kiosk
US9426051B2 (en) * 2012-03-15 2016-08-23 Mckesson Financial Holdings Method and apparatus for facilitating remote health monitoring of a computerized healthcare system
US10832364B2 (en) 2012-03-16 2020-11-10 Drfirst.Com, Inc. Information system for physicians
US20130304510A1 (en) 2012-05-08 2013-11-14 Drfirst.Com, Inc. Health information exchange system and method
TW201347727A (en) * 2012-05-31 2013-12-01 Ibm Method and computer device for automatically uploading measurement data of a non-connected medical detecting device
WO2014006620A1 (en) 2012-07-05 2014-01-09 P.C.O.A. Devices Ltd. Medication dispenser
AU2013298086B2 (en) 2012-07-30 2017-07-20 P.C.O.A. Devices Ltd A receptacle for containing and dispensing solid medicinal pills
JP2014038529A (en) * 2012-08-17 2014-02-27 Medetopia Kk Handy terminal of medical checkup computer, and data processing method employing handy terminal of medical checkup computer
US9511945B2 (en) 2012-10-12 2016-12-06 Aesynt Incorporated Apparatuses, systems, and methods for transporting medications from a central pharmacy to a patient in a healthcare facility
US9150119B2 (en) 2013-03-15 2015-10-06 Aesynt Incorporated Apparatuses, systems, and methods for anticipating and delivering medications from a central pharmacy to a patient using a track based transport system
US20140228648A1 (en) * 2013-02-13 2014-08-14 Bag Enterprises, Inc. Pet scale kiosk with interactive client information software
US8751039B1 (en) 2013-02-22 2014-06-10 Remedev, Inc. Remotely-executed medical therapy device
US9538992B1 (en) * 2013-03-15 2017-01-10 Theranos, Inc. Systems, devices, and methods for integrated patient service center
US9656144B2 (en) * 2013-03-25 2017-05-23 Flex Booth, Inc. System and method for tracking fitness progress from a client device
WO2014160538A2 (en) * 2013-03-25 2014-10-02 Jafarifesharaki Kiarash System and method for tracking fitness progress
US20140350418A1 (en) * 2013-05-21 2014-11-27 Pharma-Smart Internation, Inc. Blood pressure kiosk for use with left or right arm
CN104173108A (en) * 2013-05-28 2014-12-03 天津点康科技有限公司 System and method for collecting identifying data of display screen of health detecting instrument
RU2014142737A (en) * 2013-07-16 2016-05-20 Андрей Юрьевич Щербаков METHOD FOR MOBILE HEALTH MONITORING
US9261604B2 (en) * 2013-09-16 2016-02-16 Gray Rapid Diagnosis, Llc Radiation exposure self test (REST)—optimized personal dosimetry and kiosk for reliably indicating exposure to radiation
US9864842B2 (en) 2013-11-14 2018-01-09 Elwha Llc Devices, systems, and methods for automated medical product or service delivery
US10289806B2 (en) 2013-11-14 2019-05-14 Elwha Llc Devices, systems, and methods for automated medical product or service delivery
JP5637411B1 (en) * 2013-11-28 2014-12-10 株式会社タニタ Biological information measuring device, biological information measuring system, individual registration information registration method and program
EP2940612A1 (en) * 2014-05-02 2015-11-04 Leonard Solie Medical assistance method and system with a medical kiosk
JP2015215769A (en) * 2014-05-12 2015-12-03 レオナード ソリーLeonard Solie Method and system for medical support
CN105095622A (en) * 2014-05-13 2015-11-25 伦纳德·索力 Medical assistance method and medical assistance system
IL233295B (en) 2014-06-22 2019-11-28 Ilan Paz A controlled pill-dispensing system
IL238387B (en) 2015-04-20 2019-01-31 Paz Ilan Medication dispenser depilling mechanism
US10825095B1 (en) * 2015-10-15 2020-11-03 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Using images and voice recordings to facilitate underwriting life insurance
EP3362030B1 (en) 2015-10-15 2023-09-06 Dosentrx Ltd. Image recognition-based dosage form dispensers
WO2017077529A1 (en) 2015-11-02 2017-05-11 P.C.O.A. Lockable advanceable oral dosage form dispenser containers
US10642955B2 (en) 2015-12-04 2020-05-05 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Devices, methods, and computer medium to provide real time 3D visualization bio-feedback
US9889311B2 (en) 2015-12-04 2018-02-13 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems, protective casings for smartphones, and associated methods to enhance use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) device
US10475351B2 (en) 2015-12-04 2019-11-12 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems, computer medium and methods for management training systems
CN105303337A (en) * 2015-12-07 2016-02-03 浪潮电子信息产业股份有限公司 Student dormitory management device, system and method
US10628770B2 (en) 2015-12-14 2020-04-21 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems and methods for acquiring and employing resiliency data for leadership development
CN105561411A (en) * 2016-01-29 2016-05-11 武汉佰美斯医疗科技有限公司 Multi-station multimedia intelligent complete blood collecting equipment
US11791020B2 (en) * 2016-02-19 2023-10-17 Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai Systems and methods for monitoring subjects having chronic gastrointestinal indications
US10861604B2 (en) 2016-05-05 2020-12-08 Advinow, Inc. Systems and methods for automated medical diagnostics
US20170323069A1 (en) * 2016-05-05 2017-11-09 James Stewart Bates Systems and methods for medical instrument patient measurements
USD814480S1 (en) * 2016-05-23 2018-04-03 Brainlab Ag Display screen with an animated graphical user interface for medical software
US10709642B2 (en) * 2016-06-18 2020-07-14 Totusrx Inc. Smart pack system for medicines
US20180113995A1 (en) * 2016-10-25 2018-04-26 David R. Hall Pharmaceutical Dispensing Method in an Unattended Medical Kiosk
TWI584220B (en) * 2016-11-15 2017-05-21 遠傳電信股份有限公司 Health diagnosis and treatment system with bar code function
JP6726093B2 (en) * 2016-12-28 2020-07-22 オムロンヘルスケア株式会社 Information processing system
USD814483S1 (en) * 2017-01-18 2018-04-03 Caterpillar Inc. Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface
CN108877921B (en) * 2017-05-12 2021-10-19 京东方科技集团股份有限公司 Medical intelligent triage method and medical intelligent triage system
US11164679B2 (en) * 2017-06-20 2021-11-02 Advinow, Inc. Systems and methods for intelligent patient interface exam station
US10824132B2 (en) 2017-12-07 2020-11-03 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Intelligent personal protective equipment
US11348688B2 (en) 2018-03-06 2022-05-31 Advinow, Inc. Systems and methods for audio medical instrument patient measurements
US10939806B2 (en) 2018-03-06 2021-03-09 Advinow, Inc. Systems and methods for optical medical instrument patient measurements
US10853827B2 (en) * 2018-06-18 2020-12-01 Adp, Llc Double-blind research portal
US11860852B1 (en) 2019-06-03 2024-01-02 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Systems and methods for analyzing veracity of statements
EP4052271A1 (en) * 2019-10-30 2022-09-07 Reperio Health, Inc. Modular automated physical health testing systems and associated devices and methods
WO2021092964A1 (en) * 2019-11-16 2021-05-20 柏兆(吉安)电子有限责任公司 Electronic doctor-based community elderly blood glucose smart consultation system
US20210313058A1 (en) * 2020-04-01 2021-10-07 Zahid F. Mian Modular telehealth system and method thereof
USD955587S1 (en) * 2020-06-10 2022-06-21 Lawrence B Caplin Body temperature detection safety kiosk
CN111986440A (en) * 2020-08-28 2020-11-24 山东浪潮商用系统有限公司 Tax office body temperature abnormity early warning method, device and system
CN113362429A (en) * 2021-08-09 2021-09-07 景昱医疗器械(长沙)有限公司 Image processing apparatus, method, device, and readable storage medium
USD995562S1 (en) * 2021-08-25 2023-08-15 Nautilus, Inc. Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface
CN114360159A (en) * 2021-11-29 2022-04-15 付三山 Physical examination information management and information pushing nursing device for vaccination
KR102495438B1 (en) * 2022-03-28 2023-02-06 송연권 Complex health care kiosk device and operation method of the same
DE202022107158U1 (en) 2022-12-21 2023-03-02 Rakesh Kumar Bhujade Machine learning based healthcare database management system

Citations (97)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3935984A (en) * 1974-09-09 1976-02-03 Ambitex Company Automatic cuff mechanism for blood pressure measuring system
US4013135A (en) * 1975-12-29 1977-03-22 Kechely Raymond O Apparatus for supporting and weighing patients in a sitting position
US4109646A (en) * 1976-12-20 1978-08-29 Weisman & Allen Automatic blood pressure cuff applicator
US4206765A (en) * 1977-08-18 1980-06-10 Vita-Stat Neducak Services, Inc. Cuff mechanism
US4274424A (en) * 1978-06-12 1981-06-23 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. Device for automatically winding a blood pressure measuring cuff
US4582151A (en) * 1983-12-07 1986-04-15 S.C.A.I.M.E. Weighing apparatus
US4677983A (en) * 1985-03-11 1987-07-07 Terumo Corporation Method and apparatus for measuring circulatory function
US4799562A (en) * 1987-12-24 1989-01-24 Everest & Jennings Canadian Limited Cantilever weighing apparatus
US4998534A (en) * 1989-10-19 1991-03-12 Medical Devices Limited Partnership Blood pressure monitor with compensation for physique and method of use
US5140991A (en) * 1989-08-22 1992-08-25 Colin Electronics, Co., Ltd. Heartbeat synchronous pulse wave detecting apparatus
US5278753A (en) * 1991-08-16 1994-01-11 Graft Iii Charles V Electronic voting system
US5380269A (en) * 1991-08-26 1995-01-10 Urso; Charles L. Back treatment device
US5410471A (en) * 1992-02-24 1995-04-25 Toto, Ltd. Networked health care and monitoring system
US5441047A (en) * 1992-03-25 1995-08-15 David; Daniel Ambulatory patient health monitoring techniques utilizing interactive visual communication
US5533511A (en) * 1994-01-05 1996-07-09 Vital Insite, Incorporated Apparatus and method for noninvasive blood pressure measurement
USD371844S (en) * 1994-11-18 1996-07-16 Spacelabs Medical, Inc. Blood pressure testing kiosk
US5547270A (en) * 1995-04-19 1996-08-20 Dang; Anh H. Compact desk with locking enclosure
US5595180A (en) * 1994-08-10 1997-01-21 Colin Corporation Method and apparatus for winding cuff in blood pressure measurement
US5647369A (en) * 1994-10-04 1997-07-15 Rutgers University Apparatus and methods for the noninvasive measurment of cardiovascular system parameters
US5704362A (en) * 1993-08-13 1998-01-06 Johnson & Johnson Medical, Inc. Method for oscillometric blood pressure determination employing curve fitting
US5727560A (en) * 1995-09-20 1998-03-17 Colin Corporation Blood pressure measuring apparatus
US5801755A (en) * 1996-04-09 1998-09-01 Echerer; Scott J. Interactive communciation system for medical treatment of remotely located patients
US5857967A (en) * 1997-07-09 1999-01-12 Hewlett-Packard Company Universally accessible healthcare devices with on the fly generation of HTML files
US5867821A (en) * 1994-05-11 1999-02-02 Paxton Developments Inc. Method and apparatus for electronically accessing and distributing personal health care information and services in hospitals and homes
US5899998A (en) * 1995-08-31 1999-05-04 Medcard Systems, Inc. Method and system for maintaining and updating computerized medical records
US5918696A (en) * 1997-09-05 1999-07-06 Automotive Systems Laboratory, Inc. Seat weight sensor with means for distributing loads
US5954640A (en) * 1996-06-27 1999-09-21 Szabo; Andrew J. Nutritional optimization method
US6024281A (en) * 1989-09-27 2000-02-15 Shepley; Kenneth James Nutritional information system for shoppers
US6029141A (en) * 1997-06-27 2000-02-22 Amazon.Com, Inc. Internet-based customer referral system
US6045510A (en) * 1994-02-25 2000-04-04 Colin Corporation Blood pressure measuring apparatus
US6050924A (en) * 1997-04-28 2000-04-18 Shea; Michael J. Exercise system
US6080106A (en) * 1997-10-28 2000-06-27 Alere Incorporated Patient interface system with a scale
US6085195A (en) * 1998-06-02 2000-07-04 Xstasis, Llc Internet photo booth
US6101478A (en) * 1997-04-30 2000-08-08 Health Hero Network Multi-user remote health monitoring system
US6122351A (en) * 1997-01-21 2000-09-19 Med Graph, Inc. Method and system aiding medical diagnosis and treatment
US6168563B1 (en) * 1992-11-17 2001-01-02 Health Hero Network, Inc. Remote health monitoring and maintenance system
US6176826B1 (en) * 1994-09-08 2001-01-23 Fujitsu Limited Home care system, center terminal and patient terminal
US6206829B1 (en) * 1996-07-12 2001-03-27 First Opinion Corporation Computerized medical diagnostic and treatment advice system including network access
US6213394B1 (en) * 1999-06-14 2001-04-10 Industrial Electronic Engineers, Inc. Visual system for, and method of, displaying graphics and alphanumeric information
US6219587B1 (en) * 1998-05-27 2001-04-17 Nextrx Corporation Automated pharmaceutical management and dispensing system
US6221012B1 (en) * 1992-12-11 2001-04-24 Siemens Medical Electronics, Inc. Transportable modular patient monitor with data acquisition modules
US6225901B1 (en) * 1997-03-07 2001-05-01 Cardionet, Inc. Reprogrammable remote sensor monitoring system
US6260021B1 (en) * 1998-06-12 2001-07-10 Philips Electronics North America Corporation Computer-based medical image distribution system and method
US6263330B1 (en) * 1998-02-24 2001-07-17 Luc Bessette Method and apparatus for the management of data files
US6283761B1 (en) * 1992-09-08 2001-09-04 Raymond Anthony Joao Apparatus and method for processing and/or for providing healthcare information and/or healthcare-related information
US6290646B1 (en) * 1999-04-16 2001-09-18 Cardiocom Apparatus and method for monitoring and communicating wellness parameters of ambulatory patients
US6336136B1 (en) * 1999-12-24 2002-01-01 Scott C. Harris Internet weight reduction system
US20020032501A1 (en) * 2000-07-26 2002-03-14 Tilles David J. Item delivery and retrieval system
US6364834B1 (en) * 1996-11-13 2002-04-02 Criticare Systems, Inc. Method and system for remotely monitoring multiple medical parameters in an integrated medical monitoring system
US20020046278A1 (en) * 2000-07-17 2002-04-18 Roy Hays Method and system for global log on in a distributed system
US6381029B1 (en) * 1998-12-23 2002-04-30 Etrauma, Llc Systems and methods for remote viewing of patient images
US6379301B1 (en) * 1997-01-10 2002-04-30 Health Hero Network, Inc. Diabetes management system and method for controlling blood glucose
US20020082962A1 (en) * 2000-07-27 2002-06-27 Farris Robert G. Value transfer system for unbanked customers
US20020087054A1 (en) * 2001-01-03 2002-07-04 Wen-Guai Lin System and a method for monitoring the effectiveness of a medical treatment
US6418441B1 (en) * 1998-03-27 2002-07-09 Charles G. Call Methods and apparatus for disseminating product information via the internet using universal product codes
US6416471B1 (en) * 1999-04-15 2002-07-09 Nexan Limited Portable remote patient telemonitoring system
US6427164B1 (en) * 1999-06-23 2002-07-30 Mail Registry, Inc. Systems and methods for automatically forwarding electronic mail when the recipient is otherwise unknown
US6428124B1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2002-08-06 Computerized Screening, Inc. Health care kiosk with handicapped accessible seat
US20020115912A1 (en) * 1998-09-10 2002-08-22 Kyoko Muraki Electronic first aid kit, medium and information set
US6440068B1 (en) * 2000-04-28 2002-08-27 International Business Machines Corporation Measuring user health as measured by multiple diverse health measurement devices utilizing a personal storage device
US6454705B1 (en) * 1999-09-21 2002-09-24 Cardiocom Medical wellness parameters management system, apparatus and method
US6511435B1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2003-01-28 Computerized Screening, Inc. Blood pressure measurement system
US6519491B2 (en) * 2000-01-31 2003-02-11 Tanita Corporation Bio-characteristic value measuring apparatus with simplified setting and display recognition
US6525670B1 (en) * 1998-10-23 2003-02-25 Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. In-home health care system
US20030046109A1 (en) * 2001-08-30 2003-03-06 Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. Medical information system for improving efficiency of clinical record creating operations
US20030078809A1 (en) * 2001-10-18 2003-04-24 Lacour Jude Prescription approval system and method
US6576471B2 (en) * 1999-02-26 2003-06-10 Liposcience, Inc. Methods, systems, and computer program products for analyzing and presenting NMR lipoprotein-based risk assessment results
US6581038B1 (en) * 1999-03-15 2003-06-17 Nexcura, Inc. Automated profiler system for providing medical information to patients
US6584564B2 (en) * 2000-04-25 2003-06-24 Sigaba Corporation Secure e-mail system
US20030125017A1 (en) * 2001-12-28 2003-07-03 Greene David P. Healthcare personal area identification network method and system
US6594607B2 (en) * 2000-02-18 2003-07-15 Kevin T. Lavery Medical screening apparatus and method
US6595929B2 (en) * 2001-03-30 2003-07-22 Bodymedia, Inc. System for monitoring health, wellness and fitness having a method and apparatus for improved measurement of heat flow
US6602469B1 (en) * 1998-11-09 2003-08-05 Lifestream Technologies, Inc. Health monitoring and diagnostic device and network-based health assessment and medical records maintenance system
US6605038B1 (en) * 2000-06-16 2003-08-12 Bodymedia, Inc. System for monitoring health, wellness and fitness
US6606606B2 (en) * 1998-11-09 2003-08-12 Onecore Financial Network, Inc. Systems and methods for performing integrated financial transaction
US6692436B1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2004-02-17 Computerized Screening, Inc. Health care information system
US6699195B2 (en) * 2001-08-27 2004-03-02 Omron Corporation Electronic blood pressure monitor and blood pressure data processing system
US20040044560A1 (en) * 2001-04-05 2004-03-04 Joe Giglio Kiosk with body fat analyzer
US6705990B1 (en) * 2000-07-25 2004-03-16 Tensys Medical, Inc. Method and apparatus for monitoring physiologic parameters of a living subject
US20040078229A1 (en) * 2002-05-31 2004-04-22 Conceptual Mindworks, Inc. System and method of managing electronic medical records
US20040077955A1 (en) * 2001-02-23 2004-04-22 Shozo Kawanishi Visceral fat meter provided with tonometer
US20040093238A1 (en) * 2002-11-08 2004-05-13 Deakter Daniel R. System and process for matching patients with clinical medical trials
US20040116785A1 (en) * 2001-05-14 2004-06-17 Bulat Paul I. System and method for delivering medical examination, treatment and assistance over a network
US6752760B2 (en) * 2001-04-11 2004-06-22 Tanita Corporation Apparatus for measuring visceral fat
US20040138924A1 (en) * 2002-12-12 2004-07-15 Gorsev Pristine System and method for intake of a patient in a hospital emergency room
US20040162466A1 (en) * 2000-12-15 2004-08-19 Quy Roger J. Method and apparatus for health and disease management combining patient data monitoring with wireless internet connectivity
US20040172291A1 (en) * 2002-07-25 2004-09-02 Knowlton Edward W. System and methods for medical services and transactions
US20050038326A1 (en) * 2003-05-30 2005-02-17 Michael Mathur System, device, and method for remote monitoring and servicing
US6912507B1 (en) * 2000-08-05 2005-06-28 Motorola, Inc. Method and apparatus for interactive shopping
US20070016618A1 (en) * 2005-07-14 2007-01-18 Microsoft Corporation Moving data from file on storage volume to alternate location to free space
US20070136096A1 (en) * 2005-12-12 2007-06-14 Okalebo Lorna I Systems and methods for maintaining and accessing medical information
US7246069B1 (en) * 1999-10-15 2007-07-17 Ue Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for online health monitoring
US20070164103A1 (en) * 2006-01-17 2007-07-19 Jeffrey Berkowitz Digital identification
US20080082317A1 (en) * 2006-10-02 2008-04-03 Daniel Rosart Displaying Original Text in a User Interface with Translated Text
US20080081955A1 (en) * 2006-09-19 2008-04-03 3M Innovative Properties Company Medical diagnosis derived from patient drug history data
US20080114213A1 (en) * 2006-10-18 2008-05-15 Bagan Kenneth J Biometric Network Exchange System
US7706915B2 (en) * 2004-12-03 2010-04-27 Saudi Arabian Oil Company System and software of enhanced pharmacy services and related methods

Family Cites Families (116)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USD250896S (en) 1977-03-21 1979-01-23 Vita-Stat Medical Services, Inc. Coin operated automatic blood pressure testing apparatus or the like
USD254629S (en) 1977-10-20 1980-04-01 Filac Corporation Sphygmometer
USD262139S (en) 1979-02-28 1981-12-01 National Blood Pressure Services, Inc. Blood pressure medical measurement apparatus
USD259509S (en) 1980-05-01 1981-06-09 Gulf & Western Manufacturing Company Enclosure for body data monitoring apparatus
USD290879S (en) * 1984-03-26 1987-07-14 Giampapa Vincent C Mid-facial zygomatic arch skeletal implant
USD290876S (en) 1984-04-11 1987-07-14 Daniele Ghigini Automatic apparatus for measuring of arterial blood pressure
DE3424162A1 (en) * 1984-06-30 1986-01-23 Heinz Georg Hünibach Thun Baus PRODUCT INFORMATION AND DISPLAY SYSTEM
US4677963A (en) * 1984-11-14 1987-07-07 Ajamian Hrant K Annular cutting disc
FR2589712A2 (en) 1985-09-18 1987-05-15 Becquet Jacqueline APPARATUS FOR MONITORING THE HEART RATE WITH PLETHYSMOGRAPHIC DETECTION
USD297364S (en) 1986-04-21 1988-08-23 Daniel Slater Console for self-measuring one's weight, height, blood pressure and pulse rate
US4731726A (en) * 1986-05-19 1988-03-15 Healthware Corporation Patient-operated glucose monitor and diabetes management system
US4803625A (en) 1986-06-30 1989-02-07 Buddy Systems, Inc. Personal health monitor
US4776339A (en) * 1987-03-05 1988-10-11 N.A.D., Inc. Interlock for oxygen saturation monitor anesthesia apparatus
FR2613918B1 (en) 1987-04-15 1990-11-09 David Philippe INCORPORATED SEAT FURNITURE
DE3885220T2 (en) * 1987-08-24 1994-02-24 Toto Ltd Toilet with device for determining the composition of urine.
CA1301621C (en) 1988-02-03 1992-05-26 Secom Co., Ltd. Health care administration and measuring apparatus
JP2831647B2 (en) * 1988-03-31 1998-12-02 株式会社東芝 Machine translation system
US5054495A (en) * 1989-07-10 1991-10-08 Colin Electronics Co., Ltd. Automatic blood-pressure measuring apparatus
US5103830A (en) 1989-10-05 1992-04-14 Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic sphygmomanometer
US5291399A (en) 1990-07-27 1994-03-01 Executone Information Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for accessing a portable personal database as for a hospital environment
CA2024112C (en) 1990-08-28 1994-07-26 Douglas Ball Computer workstation
US5118062A (en) * 1990-12-17 1992-06-02 Bruno Archambault Seat attachment assembly
US5351186A (en) 1991-01-16 1994-09-27 Bullock Communications, Inc. System and method for obtaining information concerning a product or a service
US5361871A (en) 1991-08-20 1994-11-08 Digicomp Research Corporation Product information system for shoppers
US5292177A (en) * 1991-11-25 1994-03-08 Krueger International, Inc. Modular seating system
US5217181A (en) 1992-02-28 1993-06-08 Ussc Group, Inc. Sliding support
ATE197761T1 (en) * 1992-04-03 2000-12-15 Micromedical Ind Ltd ARRANGEMENT FOR MONITORING PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS
US5997476A (en) * 1997-03-28 1999-12-07 Health Hero Network, Inc. Networked system for interactive communication and remote monitoring of individuals
US5951300A (en) * 1997-03-10 1999-09-14 Health Hero Network Online system and method for providing composite entertainment and health information
US5307263A (en) * 1992-11-17 1994-04-26 Raya Systems, Inc. Modular microprocessor-based health monitoring system
US5899855A (en) 1992-11-17 1999-05-04 Health Hero Network, Inc. Modular microprocessor-based health monitoring system
US5897493A (en) * 1997-03-28 1999-04-27 Health Hero Network, Inc. Monitoring system for remotely querying individuals
US5601435A (en) * 1994-11-04 1997-02-11 Intercare Method and apparatus for interactively monitoring a physiological condition and for interactively providing health related information
CA2161627A1 (en) * 1993-04-30 1994-11-10 Arnold J. Goldman Personalized method and system for storage, communication, analysis and processing of health-related data
US5558638A (en) 1993-04-30 1996-09-24 Healthdyne, Inc. Patient monitor and support system
US5765910A (en) * 1993-08-05 1998-06-16 Larkin; Stephen F. Programmed motion work station
US5833602A (en) * 1993-09-20 1998-11-10 Osemwota; Omoigui Process of continuous noninvasive hemometry
US5537289A (en) 1994-03-11 1996-07-16 Spacelabs Medical, Inc. Wall-mounted medical monitoring system with removable modules
US5704366A (en) * 1994-05-23 1998-01-06 Enact Health Management Systems System for monitoring and reporting medical measurements
EP0720412A2 (en) * 1994-12-27 1996-07-03 AT&T Corp. Telelcommunication kiosk network architecture
US5713856A (en) 1995-03-13 1998-02-03 Alaris Medical Systems, Inc. Modular patient care system
US6853083B1 (en) * 1995-03-24 2005-02-08 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. Thin film transfer, organic electroluminescence display device and manufacturing method of the same
US6484939B1 (en) * 1995-06-06 2002-11-26 Dennis C. Blaeuer Self scanning and check out shopping cart-based electronic advertising system
US5799141A (en) * 1995-06-09 1998-08-25 Qualix Group, Inc. Real-time data protection system and method
US5710551A (en) * 1995-07-26 1998-01-20 Ridgeway; Donald G. Self-medication monitoring system
US5678562A (en) * 1995-11-09 1997-10-21 Burdick, Inc. Ambulatory physiological monitor with removable disk cartridge and wireless modem
JP3580924B2 (en) * 1995-12-22 2004-10-27 コーリンメディカルテクノロジー株式会社 Arterial elasticity evaluation device
US5781909A (en) * 1996-02-13 1998-07-14 Microtouch Systems, Inc. Supervised satellite kiosk management system with combined local and remote data storage
US5890128A (en) * 1996-03-04 1999-03-30 Diaz; H. Benjamin Personalized hand held calorie computer (ECC)
US5826267A (en) 1996-03-20 1998-10-20 Mcmillan; James Michael Web information kiosk
US6050940A (en) 1996-06-17 2000-04-18 Cybernet Systems Corporation General-purpose medical instrumentation
JP2000514682A (en) 1996-07-11 2000-11-07 メドトロニック・インコーポレーテッド Minimal invasive implantable device for monitoring physiological events
US5987519A (en) 1996-09-20 1999-11-16 Georgia Tech Research Corporation Telemedicine system using voice video and data encapsulation and de-encapsulation for communicating medical information between central monitoring stations and remote patient monitoring stations
US6032119A (en) * 1997-01-16 2000-02-29 Health Hero Network, Inc. Personalized display of health information
US5974124A (en) * 1997-01-21 1999-10-26 Med Graph Method and system aiding medical diagnosis and treatment
US6102856A (en) * 1997-02-12 2000-08-15 Groff; Clarence P Wearable vital sign monitoring system
US5961451A (en) * 1997-04-07 1999-10-05 Motorola, Inc. Noninvasive apparatus having a retaining member to retain a removable biosensor
US5970474A (en) * 1997-04-24 1999-10-19 Sears, Roebuck And Co. Registry information system for shoppers
US6286029B1 (en) 1997-04-28 2001-09-04 Sabre Inc. Kiosk controller that retrieves content from servers and then pushes the retrieved content to a kiosk in the order specified in a run list
US5899980A (en) * 1997-08-11 1999-05-04 Trivnet Ltd. Retail method over a wide area network
US6190313B1 (en) * 1998-04-20 2001-02-20 Allen J. Hinkle Interactive health care system and method
FR2768254B1 (en) * 1997-09-09 2000-07-21 Dior Christian Parfums ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVE PRESENTATION OF LOCATION OF SALE INFORMATION
JPH11239165A (en) * 1998-02-20 1999-08-31 Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd Medical network system
US6024699A (en) * 1998-03-13 2000-02-15 Healthware Corporation Systems, methods and computer program products for monitoring, diagnosing and treating medical conditions of remotely located patients
US5913210A (en) 1998-03-27 1999-06-15 Call; Charles G. Methods and apparatus for disseminating product information via the internet
US6148297A (en) * 1998-06-01 2000-11-14 Surgical Safety Products, Inc. Health care information and data tracking system and method
US5967600A (en) * 1998-06-29 1999-10-19 Jelacic; Matthew Convertible work station
JP2000056417A (en) * 1998-08-03 2000-02-25 Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd Device and method for producing photographic paper
US7305347B1 (en) 1998-09-09 2007-12-04 Raymond Anthony Joao Apparatus and method for providing employee benefits and /or employee benefits information
US6336044B1 (en) * 1998-09-11 2002-01-01 Futrex Inc. Reliable body fat measurement in self-service health parameter Measuring system
JP3815893B2 (en) * 1998-09-25 2006-08-30 パイオニア株式会社 Biological monitoring system
US6473740B2 (en) * 1998-11-29 2002-10-29 Qpass, Inc. Electronic commerce using a transaction network
US6496855B1 (en) 1999-03-02 2002-12-17 America Online, Inc. Web site registration proxy system
DE19910615C1 (en) * 1999-03-10 2000-06-21 Heimann Systems Gmbh & Co Ergonomic operating station for x-ray equipment includes seat, monitor and control panel with individual adjustments allowing user of any size to customize settings for ideal posture, sitting or standing
US6484144B2 (en) * 1999-03-23 2002-11-19 Dental Medicine International L.L.C. Method and system for healthcare treatment planning and assessment
US6336900B1 (en) * 1999-04-12 2002-01-08 Agilent Technologies, Inc. Home hub for reporting patient health parameters
US6454708B1 (en) * 1999-04-15 2002-09-24 Nexan Limited Portable remote patient telemonitoring system using a memory card or smart card
US6609106B1 (en) 1999-05-07 2003-08-19 Steven C. Robertson System and method for providing electronic multi-merchant gift registry services over a distributed network
US6330491B1 (en) * 1999-07-21 2001-12-11 Nicholas Lion Integrated system and method of vending prescription medications using a network of remotely distributed, automated dispensing units
US7287031B1 (en) * 1999-08-12 2007-10-23 Ronald Steven Karpf Computer system and method for increasing patients compliance to medical care instructions
ATE339154T1 (en) * 1999-09-21 2006-10-15 Honeywell Hommed Llc HOME PATIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
EP1217942A1 (en) * 1999-09-24 2002-07-03 Healthetech, Inc. Physiological monitor and associated computation, display and communication unit
WO2001033457A1 (en) * 1999-10-29 2001-05-10 Strategic Visualization, Inc. Apparatus and method for providing medical services over a communication network
US6612984B1 (en) * 1999-12-03 2003-09-02 Kerr, Ii Robert A. System and method for collecting and transmitting medical data
US20010051881A1 (en) * 1999-12-22 2001-12-13 Aaron G. Filler System, method and article of manufacture for managing a medical services network
US6213953B1 (en) * 1999-12-27 2001-04-10 American Medical Screening Ltd. Blood pressure cuff
US6513532B2 (en) * 2000-01-19 2003-02-04 Healthetech, Inc. Diet and activity-monitoring device
US20010034631A1 (en) * 2000-01-21 2001-10-25 Kiselik Daniel R. Method and apparatus for the automatic selection of parties to an arrangement between a requestor and a satisfier of selected requirements
DE10015430C1 (en) * 2000-03-28 2001-05-10 Preh Elektro Feinmechanik Capacitive sensor for detecting surface condensation, has passivation layer covering metallized capacitor electrodes covered by hydrophilic layer
US6714814B2 (en) * 2000-03-30 2004-03-30 Tanita Corporation Bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus
AU2001251616A1 (en) * 2000-04-13 2001-10-30 Hospitalcareonline.Com Inc. Remote patient care
US6403897B1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2002-06-11 Computerized Screening, Inc. Seat scale for health care measurement kiosk
US20010056226A1 (en) * 2000-04-18 2001-12-27 Richard Zodnik Integrated telemedicine computer system
US20050192841A1 (en) * 2000-09-01 2005-09-01 Roy Hays Method and system for collecting information before user registration
US20020090087A1 (en) * 2001-01-11 2002-07-11 Yuriko Tamura External memory for PVR
US6471657B2 (en) * 2001-01-31 2002-10-29 Spacelabs Medical, Inc. User releasable and adjustable blood pressure cuff and method
US20020105665A1 (en) * 2001-02-08 2002-08-08 Eastman Kodak Company Method of interating imaging products/services with non-imaging products/services in a single kiosk
US6638218B2 (en) * 2001-05-14 2003-10-28 American Doctors On-Line, Inc. System and method for delivering medical examination, diagnosis, and treatment over a network
US6623785B2 (en) * 2001-06-07 2003-09-23 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus and method
KR100466665B1 (en) * 2001-06-12 2005-01-15 주식회사 코디소프트 method of automatically evaluating physical health state using a game
US6826572B2 (en) * 2001-11-13 2004-11-30 Overture Services, Inc. System and method allowing advertisers to manage search listings in a pay for placement search system using grouping
US20040171955A1 (en) * 2002-01-10 2004-09-02 Joel Morganroth Method and system for processing electrocardiograms
BR0200290A (en) * 2002-01-29 2003-10-14 Bussiness Solucoees Interativa Interactive health information and care optimization system and related areas
US20040078216A1 (en) * 2002-02-01 2004-04-22 Gregory Toto Clinical trial process improvement method and system
US20040204954A1 (en) * 2002-07-23 2004-10-14 Joe Lacko Virtual pharmacy kiosk system
US20040162740A1 (en) * 2003-02-14 2004-08-19 Ericsson Arthur Dale Digitized prescription system
US20040210457A1 (en) * 2003-04-15 2004-10-21 Joseph Sameh Website messaging system for soliciting volunteers for medical clinical trials
US20040260470A1 (en) * 2003-06-14 2004-12-23 Rast Rodger H. Conveyance scheduling and logistics system
US20050049746A1 (en) * 2003-08-26 2005-03-03 Ken Rosenblum Automatic prescription drug dispenser
US7748636B2 (en) * 2004-11-16 2010-07-06 Dpd Patent Trust Ltd. Portable identity card reader system for physical and logical access
US20060106646A1 (en) * 2004-11-18 2006-05-18 Eastman Kodak Company Medical kiosk with multiple input sources
US8484048B2 (en) 2005-03-23 2013-07-09 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Automated system and method for prioritization of waiting patients
US20070239549A1 (en) * 2006-02-07 2007-10-11 Lafauci Michael System and method for monitoring alcoholic products
US20070265869A1 (en) * 2006-04-05 2007-11-15 Ryckman Lawrence G Method and apparatus for physician to interview and dispense directly prescription to patient that is at location remote from physician
EP2041713A4 (en) * 2006-07-11 2011-08-31 Pcas Patient Care Automation Services Inc Method, system and apparatus for dispensing drugs
US8356004B2 (en) * 2007-12-13 2013-01-15 Searete Llc Methods and systems for comparing media content

Patent Citations (100)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3935984A (en) * 1974-09-09 1976-02-03 Ambitex Company Automatic cuff mechanism for blood pressure measuring system
US4013135A (en) * 1975-12-29 1977-03-22 Kechely Raymond O Apparatus for supporting and weighing patients in a sitting position
US4109646A (en) * 1976-12-20 1978-08-29 Weisman & Allen Automatic blood pressure cuff applicator
US4206765A (en) * 1977-08-18 1980-06-10 Vita-Stat Neducak Services, Inc. Cuff mechanism
US4274424A (en) * 1978-06-12 1981-06-23 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. Device for automatically winding a blood pressure measuring cuff
US4582151A (en) * 1983-12-07 1986-04-15 S.C.A.I.M.E. Weighing apparatus
US4677983A (en) * 1985-03-11 1987-07-07 Terumo Corporation Method and apparatus for measuring circulatory function
US4799562A (en) * 1987-12-24 1989-01-24 Everest & Jennings Canadian Limited Cantilever weighing apparatus
US5140991A (en) * 1989-08-22 1992-08-25 Colin Electronics, Co., Ltd. Heartbeat synchronous pulse wave detecting apparatus
US6024281A (en) * 1989-09-27 2000-02-15 Shepley; Kenneth James Nutritional information system for shoppers
US4998534A (en) * 1989-10-19 1991-03-12 Medical Devices Limited Partnership Blood pressure monitor with compensation for physique and method of use
US5278753A (en) * 1991-08-16 1994-01-11 Graft Iii Charles V Electronic voting system
US5380269A (en) * 1991-08-26 1995-01-10 Urso; Charles L. Back treatment device
US5410471A (en) * 1992-02-24 1995-04-25 Toto, Ltd. Networked health care and monitoring system
US5441047A (en) * 1992-03-25 1995-08-15 David; Daniel Ambulatory patient health monitoring techniques utilizing interactive visual communication
US6283761B1 (en) * 1992-09-08 2001-09-04 Raymond Anthony Joao Apparatus and method for processing and/or for providing healthcare information and/or healthcare-related information
US6168563B1 (en) * 1992-11-17 2001-01-02 Health Hero Network, Inc. Remote health monitoring and maintenance system
US6221012B1 (en) * 1992-12-11 2001-04-24 Siemens Medical Electronics, Inc. Transportable modular patient monitor with data acquisition modules
US5704362A (en) * 1993-08-13 1998-01-06 Johnson & Johnson Medical, Inc. Method for oscillometric blood pressure determination employing curve fitting
US5533511A (en) * 1994-01-05 1996-07-09 Vital Insite, Incorporated Apparatus and method for noninvasive blood pressure measurement
US20020120199A1 (en) * 1994-02-25 2002-08-29 Colin Corporation Blood pressure measuring apparatus
US6045510A (en) * 1994-02-25 2000-04-04 Colin Corporation Blood pressure measuring apparatus
US5867821A (en) * 1994-05-11 1999-02-02 Paxton Developments Inc. Method and apparatus for electronically accessing and distributing personal health care information and services in hospitals and homes
US5595180A (en) * 1994-08-10 1997-01-21 Colin Corporation Method and apparatus for winding cuff in blood pressure measurement
US6176826B1 (en) * 1994-09-08 2001-01-23 Fujitsu Limited Home care system, center terminal and patient terminal
US5647369A (en) * 1994-10-04 1997-07-15 Rutgers University Apparatus and methods for the noninvasive measurment of cardiovascular system parameters
USD371844S (en) * 1994-11-18 1996-07-16 Spacelabs Medical, Inc. Blood pressure testing kiosk
US5547270A (en) * 1995-04-19 1996-08-20 Dang; Anh H. Compact desk with locking enclosure
US5899998A (en) * 1995-08-31 1999-05-04 Medcard Systems, Inc. Method and system for maintaining and updating computerized medical records
US5727560A (en) * 1995-09-20 1998-03-17 Colin Corporation Blood pressure measuring apparatus
US6046761A (en) * 1996-04-09 2000-04-04 Medcom Technology Associates, Inc Interactive communication system for medical treatment of remotely located patients
US5801755A (en) * 1996-04-09 1998-09-01 Echerer; Scott J. Interactive communciation system for medical treatment of remotely located patients
US5954640A (en) * 1996-06-27 1999-09-21 Szabo; Andrew J. Nutritional optimization method
US6206829B1 (en) * 1996-07-12 2001-03-27 First Opinion Corporation Computerized medical diagnostic and treatment advice system including network access
US6364834B1 (en) * 1996-11-13 2002-04-02 Criticare Systems, Inc. Method and system for remotely monitoring multiple medical parameters in an integrated medical monitoring system
US6379301B1 (en) * 1997-01-10 2002-04-30 Health Hero Network, Inc. Diabetes management system and method for controlling blood glucose
US6122351A (en) * 1997-01-21 2000-09-19 Med Graph, Inc. Method and system aiding medical diagnosis and treatment
US6225901B1 (en) * 1997-03-07 2001-05-01 Cardionet, Inc. Reprogrammable remote sensor monitoring system
US6381577B1 (en) * 1997-03-28 2002-04-30 Health Hero Network, Inc. Multi-user remote health monitoring system
US6050924A (en) * 1997-04-28 2000-04-18 Shea; Michael J. Exercise system
US6101478A (en) * 1997-04-30 2000-08-08 Health Hero Network Multi-user remote health monitoring system
US6029141A (en) * 1997-06-27 2000-02-22 Amazon.Com, Inc. Internet-based customer referral system
US5857967A (en) * 1997-07-09 1999-01-12 Hewlett-Packard Company Universally accessible healthcare devices with on the fly generation of HTML files
US5918696A (en) * 1997-09-05 1999-07-06 Automotive Systems Laboratory, Inc. Seat weight sensor with means for distributing loads
US6080106A (en) * 1997-10-28 2000-06-27 Alere Incorporated Patient interface system with a scale
US6263330B1 (en) * 1998-02-24 2001-07-17 Luc Bessette Method and apparatus for the management of data files
US6418441B1 (en) * 1998-03-27 2002-07-09 Charles G. Call Methods and apparatus for disseminating product information via the internet using universal product codes
US6219587B1 (en) * 1998-05-27 2001-04-17 Nextrx Corporation Automated pharmaceutical management and dispensing system
US6085195A (en) * 1998-06-02 2000-07-04 Xstasis, Llc Internet photo booth
US6260021B1 (en) * 1998-06-12 2001-07-10 Philips Electronics North America Corporation Computer-based medical image distribution system and method
US20020115912A1 (en) * 1998-09-10 2002-08-22 Kyoko Muraki Electronic first aid kit, medium and information set
US6525670B1 (en) * 1998-10-23 2003-02-25 Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. In-home health care system
US6606606B2 (en) * 1998-11-09 2003-08-12 Onecore Financial Network, Inc. Systems and methods for performing integrated financial transaction
US6602469B1 (en) * 1998-11-09 2003-08-05 Lifestream Technologies, Inc. Health monitoring and diagnostic device and network-based health assessment and medical records maintenance system
US6381029B1 (en) * 1998-12-23 2002-04-30 Etrauma, Llc Systems and methods for remote viewing of patient images
US6576471B2 (en) * 1999-02-26 2003-06-10 Liposcience, Inc. Methods, systems, and computer program products for analyzing and presenting NMR lipoprotein-based risk assessment results
US6581038B1 (en) * 1999-03-15 2003-06-17 Nexcura, Inc. Automated profiler system for providing medical information to patients
US6416471B1 (en) * 1999-04-15 2002-07-09 Nexan Limited Portable remote patient telemonitoring system
US6290646B1 (en) * 1999-04-16 2001-09-18 Cardiocom Apparatus and method for monitoring and communicating wellness parameters of ambulatory patients
US6213394B1 (en) * 1999-06-14 2001-04-10 Industrial Electronic Engineers, Inc. Visual system for, and method of, displaying graphics and alphanumeric information
US6427164B1 (en) * 1999-06-23 2002-07-30 Mail Registry, Inc. Systems and methods for automatically forwarding electronic mail when the recipient is otherwise unknown
US6454705B1 (en) * 1999-09-21 2002-09-24 Cardiocom Medical wellness parameters management system, apparatus and method
US7246069B1 (en) * 1999-10-15 2007-07-17 Ue Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for online health monitoring
US6336136B1 (en) * 1999-12-24 2002-01-01 Scott C. Harris Internet weight reduction system
US6519491B2 (en) * 2000-01-31 2003-02-11 Tanita Corporation Bio-characteristic value measuring apparatus with simplified setting and display recognition
US6594607B2 (en) * 2000-02-18 2003-07-15 Kevin T. Lavery Medical screening apparatus and method
US6511435B1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2003-01-28 Computerized Screening, Inc. Blood pressure measurement system
US6692436B1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2004-02-17 Computerized Screening, Inc. Health care information system
US6428124B1 (en) * 2000-04-14 2002-08-06 Computerized Screening, Inc. Health care kiosk with handicapped accessible seat
US6584564B2 (en) * 2000-04-25 2003-06-24 Sigaba Corporation Secure e-mail system
US6440068B1 (en) * 2000-04-28 2002-08-27 International Business Machines Corporation Measuring user health as measured by multiple diverse health measurement devices utilizing a personal storage device
US6605038B1 (en) * 2000-06-16 2003-08-12 Bodymedia, Inc. System for monitoring health, wellness and fitness
US20020046278A1 (en) * 2000-07-17 2002-04-18 Roy Hays Method and system for global log on in a distributed system
US6705990B1 (en) * 2000-07-25 2004-03-16 Tensys Medical, Inc. Method and apparatus for monitoring physiologic parameters of a living subject
US20020032501A1 (en) * 2000-07-26 2002-03-14 Tilles David J. Item delivery and retrieval system
US20020082962A1 (en) * 2000-07-27 2002-06-27 Farris Robert G. Value transfer system for unbanked customers
US6912507B1 (en) * 2000-08-05 2005-06-28 Motorola, Inc. Method and apparatus for interactive shopping
US20040162466A1 (en) * 2000-12-15 2004-08-19 Quy Roger J. Method and apparatus for health and disease management combining patient data monitoring with wireless internet connectivity
US20020087054A1 (en) * 2001-01-03 2002-07-04 Wen-Guai Lin System and a method for monitoring the effectiveness of a medical treatment
US20040077955A1 (en) * 2001-02-23 2004-04-22 Shozo Kawanishi Visceral fat meter provided with tonometer
US6595929B2 (en) * 2001-03-30 2003-07-22 Bodymedia, Inc. System for monitoring health, wellness and fitness having a method and apparatus for improved measurement of heat flow
US20040044560A1 (en) * 2001-04-05 2004-03-04 Joe Giglio Kiosk with body fat analyzer
US6752760B2 (en) * 2001-04-11 2004-06-22 Tanita Corporation Apparatus for measuring visceral fat
US20040116785A1 (en) * 2001-05-14 2004-06-17 Bulat Paul I. System and method for delivering medical examination, treatment and assistance over a network
US6699195B2 (en) * 2001-08-27 2004-03-02 Omron Corporation Electronic blood pressure monitor and blood pressure data processing system
US20030046109A1 (en) * 2001-08-30 2003-03-06 Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. Medical information system for improving efficiency of clinical record creating operations
US20030078809A1 (en) * 2001-10-18 2003-04-24 Lacour Jude Prescription approval system and method
US20030125017A1 (en) * 2001-12-28 2003-07-03 Greene David P. Healthcare personal area identification network method and system
US20040078229A1 (en) * 2002-05-31 2004-04-22 Conceptual Mindworks, Inc. System and method of managing electronic medical records
US20040172291A1 (en) * 2002-07-25 2004-09-02 Knowlton Edward W. System and methods for medical services and transactions
US20040093238A1 (en) * 2002-11-08 2004-05-13 Deakter Daniel R. System and process for matching patients with clinical medical trials
US20040138924A1 (en) * 2002-12-12 2004-07-15 Gorsev Pristine System and method for intake of a patient in a hospital emergency room
US20050038326A1 (en) * 2003-05-30 2005-02-17 Michael Mathur System, device, and method for remote monitoring and servicing
US7706915B2 (en) * 2004-12-03 2010-04-27 Saudi Arabian Oil Company System and software of enhanced pharmacy services and related methods
US20070016618A1 (en) * 2005-07-14 2007-01-18 Microsoft Corporation Moving data from file on storage volume to alternate location to free space
US20070136096A1 (en) * 2005-12-12 2007-06-14 Okalebo Lorna I Systems and methods for maintaining and accessing medical information
US20070164103A1 (en) * 2006-01-17 2007-07-19 Jeffrey Berkowitz Digital identification
US20080081955A1 (en) * 2006-09-19 2008-04-03 3M Innovative Properties Company Medical diagnosis derived from patient drug history data
US20080082317A1 (en) * 2006-10-02 2008-04-03 Daniel Rosart Displaying Original Text in a User Interface with Translated Text
US20080114213A1 (en) * 2006-10-18 2008-05-15 Bagan Kenneth J Biometric Network Exchange System

Cited By (32)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100222649A1 (en) * 2009-03-02 2010-09-02 American Well Systems Remote medical servicing
US8499108B2 (en) 2009-07-24 2013-07-30 Welch Allyn, Inc. Configurable health-care equipment apparatus
US20110022748A1 (en) * 2009-07-24 2011-01-27 Welch Allyn, Inc. Configurable health-care equipment apparatus
US8214566B2 (en) * 2009-07-24 2012-07-03 Welch Allyn, Inc. Configurable health-care equipment apparatus
US9265429B2 (en) 2009-09-18 2016-02-23 Welch Allyn, Inc. Physiological parameter measuring platform device supporting multiple workflows
US20110071420A1 (en) * 2009-09-18 2011-03-24 St Pierre Shawn C Physiological Parameter Measuring Platform Device Supporting Multiple Workflows
US9646136B2 (en) 2009-09-18 2017-05-09 Welch Allyn, Inc. Physiological parameter measuring platform device supporting multiple workflows
USD667838S1 (en) 2009-12-31 2012-09-25 Welch Allyn, Inc. Patient monitoring device with graphical user interface
USD667837S1 (en) 2009-12-31 2012-09-25 Welch Allyn, Inc. Patient monitoring device with graphical user interface
USD671222S1 (en) 2010-07-22 2012-11-20 Welch Allyn, Inc. Module for a patient-monitor or the like
USD635681S1 (en) 2010-07-22 2011-04-05 Welch Allyn, Inc. Patient-monitor housing
USD632397S1 (en) 2010-07-22 2011-02-08 Welch Allyn, Inc. Portions of a patient-monitor housing
US10074148B2 (en) 2011-03-31 2018-09-11 Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Corp. Medical kiosk and method of use
US8996392B2 (en) 2011-03-31 2015-03-31 Healthspot, Inc. Medical kiosk and method of use
US9043217B2 (en) 2011-03-31 2015-05-26 HealthSpot Inc. Medical kiosk and method of use
USD694909S1 (en) 2011-10-12 2013-12-03 HealthSpot Inc. Medical kiosk
US9235682B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2016-01-12 Welch Allyn, Inc. Combined episodic and continuous parameter monitoring
US10204081B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2019-02-12 Welch Allyn, Inc. Combined episodic and continuous parameter monitoring
US11039797B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2021-06-22 Welch Allyn, Inc. Physiological parameter measuring platform device
USD772252S1 (en) 2012-04-05 2016-11-22 Welch Allyn, Inc. Patient monitoring device with a graphical user interface
US9055870B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2015-06-16 Welch Allyn, Inc. Physiological parameter measuring platform device supporting multiple workflows
USD916713S1 (en) 2012-04-05 2021-04-20 Welch Allyn, Inc. Display screen with graphical user interface for patient central monitoring station
US10226200B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2019-03-12 Welch Allyn, Inc. User interface enhancements for physiological parameter monitoring platform devices
US10016169B2 (en) 2012-04-05 2018-07-10 Welch Allyn, Inc. Physiological parameter measuring platform device supporting multiple workflows
US9094493B2 (en) 2012-04-25 2015-07-28 Compliance Software, Inc. Capturing and processing instant drug test results using a mobile device
USD802789S1 (en) 2012-04-25 2017-11-14 Formfox, Inc. Test cup holder
US9350956B2 (en) 2012-04-25 2016-05-24 Compliance Software, Inc. Capturing and processing instant drug test results using a mobile device
US10223681B2 (en) 2012-08-15 2019-03-05 Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Corp. Veterinary kiosk with integrated veterinary medical devices
US20140235963A1 (en) * 2013-02-15 2014-08-21 Welch Allyn, Inc. Remote Health Care System
US9883801B2 (en) 2014-07-29 2018-02-06 Kurt Stump Computer-implemented systems and methods of automated physiological monitoring, prognosis, and triage
WO2017100833A1 (en) * 2015-12-16 2017-06-22 Etrihealth Pty Ltd A method of using a computer system to support a triage assessment
CN113053018A (en) * 2021-04-06 2021-06-29 上海工程技术大学 A multi-functional first visit equipment for patient reposition of redundant personnel

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20090240524A1 (en) 2009-09-24
US20090240528A1 (en) 2009-09-24
US20090240115A1 (en) 2009-09-24
US20170319083A1 (en) 2017-11-09
US20090241177A1 (en) 2009-09-24
US20090240527A1 (en) 2009-09-24
US9743844B2 (en) 2017-08-29
US20090240702A1 (en) 2009-09-24

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20170319083A1 (en) Community based managed health kiosk and prescription dispensement system
US8655796B2 (en) Methods and systems for recording verifiable documentation
US8606595B2 (en) Methods and systems for assuring compliance
US8027822B2 (en) Interactive, internet supported health and fitness management system
US6692436B1 (en) Health care information system
US20120323590A1 (en) Methods and systems for electronic medical source
US20060247968A1 (en) Systems and methods for marketing health products and/or services to health consumers and health providers
US20090143652A1 (en) Apparatus and Method for Measuring, Recording and Transmitting Primary Health Indicators
US20120323805A1 (en) Methods and systems for electronic medical protocol
US20100204596A1 (en) Method and system for providing remote healthcare
US20180060518A1 (en) Electronic community medical marijuana network
WO2003084393A1 (en) Health management system and health management method
US20180025133A1 (en) System for guiding clinical decisions using improved processing of data collected during a clinical trial
JP4388773B2 (en) Automatic inquiry system
JP2018156558A (en) Matrix display method applicable to healthcare
CA2405838A1 (en) Blood pressure measurement system
TW201917738A (en) Cloud health management system combining Internet of Things providing online interactive consultation through a health management unit or a virtual reality device

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: COMPUTERIZED SCREENING, INC., NEVADA

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BLUTH, CHARLES P.;REEL/FRAME:022428/0414

Effective date: 20090316

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION