Abstract: In a medical communication method, two or more persons are identified as having a selected medical condition or characteristic. At the residence of each identified person, a video conference-enabling unit (56) is operatively connected with a consumer electronics device (50, 52) disposed in the identified person's residence. A video conference is conducted between at least two of the two or more identified persons using their respective consumer electronics devices (50, 52) and video conference-enabling units (56).

Abstract: Management of patient activities for a clinician is provided via a patient activity list. The patient activity list includes a timeline view comprising a two-dimensional representation in which a first dimension corresponds with one or more patients assigned to the clinician and a second dimension corresponds with time periods. The timeline view includes one or more scheduled clinical activities, each scheduled clinical activity being presented in the timeline view based on a scheduled time and a corresponding patient. In response to a user selection of a time period in the timeline view, details of scheduled clinical activities corresponding with the selected time period are provided within the timeline view.

Abstract: A method and system for allowing a user to select a healthcare services package is disclosed where a central server generally receives personal information data from the user over the Internet regarding the user's preferences with respect to healthcare service providers and the user's sponsor, i.e., the party responsible for paying for all or part of the user's healthcare costs (such as an employer, an insurance company or the user himself). The server thereafter provides a list comprising a plurality of healthcare service providers and information regarding the healthcare service providers (e.g., specialty, rate, location, hospital affiliation, etc.) to the user for selection by the user of a healthcare services panel.

Abstract: A system and method of computerizing traditional companies with customized individual addressable electronic direct marketing, self-service automation, and customer care support. The system relates to a personal agent carried by a user and a network of companies, manufacturers, stores, doctors, pharmacists, financial institutions and others. In particular, a doctor can have a professional unit that communicates with a user's personal unit including the transfer of drug prescriptions, medication information, etc. The personal agent can provide drug information to the user as well as a reminder to take the medication and an actual storage and dispensing of medication.

Abstract: A decison flowchart of a triage protocol is provided for a medical condition of a patient. The flowchart includes a plurality of decision blocks. Each decision block relates to one or more patient symptoms and/or considerations. A plurality of exit points are provided in the flowchart. Each exit point is associated with a respective decision block. Each exit point is reached upon the presence or absence of a symptom or consideration in the respective decision block. Each exit point recommends an action to be taken by the patient. The exit points may be customized. More specifically, the recommended action at selected exit points may be individually selected from a plurality of selectable actions. Thus, the decision flowchart may provide different recommended courses of action for a patient having the same symptoms and/or considerations based upon individual selections. The recommended action becomes an exit message for the respective exit point.

Abstract: A system for determining a patient benefits eligibility under a healthcare assistance program. Initial patient information, such as the patient's date of birth, household members, medical condition including pregnancy, and income and financial resources, if available, is used to make an initial determination as to whether the patient is likely to qualify for benefits. If the initial patient information satisfies one of the well-established criteria or the probability models, additional patient information is obtained, typically including additional details about the patient's income and financial resources, as well as the income and financial resources of the patient's household. The patient information is compared to the eligibility requirements for the assistance program. If the comparison indicates that it is likely that the patient will qualify for benefits under the assistance program, then an application for the assistance program is provided and the application is completed and submitted.

Abstract: A pharmacy benefits management system and method. A processor server has claim information relating to pharmacy benefits claims, and information relating to a claims processing formulary stored therein. A provider server has pharmacy benefits plan structure information stored therein. A management server has price information relating drugs in various classes and a processing module for correlating the claim information with the benefits plan structure information and the formulary information to identify drugs dispensed to patients, expenses associated with the drugs in accordance with the pharmacy benefits plan structure information, alternative drugs in the same class as the drugs and expenses associated with the alternative drugs.

Abstract: A computing device, system, method and machine readable medium for managing beds of a healthcare facility is provided. A system includes a client device and a server computing device. The client device may generate a request to assign a bed to a patient, present a list of beds to assign the patient, and receive a selection that identifies a bed of the list of beds. The server computing device may generate the list of beds presented by the client device in response to the request. The server computing device may retrieve an electronic medical record for the patient, and obtain healthcare attributes for the patient from the electronic medical record. The server computing device may generate the list based upon capabilities of a plurality of beds and the healthcare attributes of the patient retrieved from the electronic medical record. The server computing device may further assign to the patient the bed identified by the selection.

Abstract: The instant invention relates to a system and method for ensuring and verifying the identity of all parties involved in an online marketplace transaction involving buyers, sellers, and third parties, such as a marketplace. Anonymous transactions are supported by the present invention. Verification is provided and insurance may be purchased in accordance with the instant invention guaranteeing that the parties are who they represent themselves to be and are capable of entering into the transaction, thereby facilitating completion of the online transaction.

Abstract: A method of fulfilling needs acquired as a result of property and other similar losses, the method involving the steps of directing a person or entity with a need resulting from a loss to a site on a global computer network, interviewing the person or entity at the site to obtain information about the person or entity and the need they have, and analyzing and processing the information to provide the person or entity automatic access at the site to at least one service that will go toward fulfilling the need of the person or entity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for processing pharmaceutical orders to determine whether a buyer of pharmaceuticals qualifies for an “own use” discount. “Own use” discounts on pharmaceuticals are available for a limited class of buyers under 35 U.S.C. §13c. Under one method, an auditor receives an order for a quantity of pharmaceuticals, receives a report associated with the order containing sufficient information therein to perform an audit on the order, and compares the information found in the order with the information found in the associated report to make a status determination as to whether a buyer qualifies for an “own use” discount. Preferably a second report containing additional audit information is received as well. The auditor can also audit the order by comparing the order to this additional information.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for increasing and/or monitoring a party's compliance with a schedule for taking medicines. In a first embodiment, a method is provided for use by a first container that is adapted to store a first medicine. The method includes storing information regarding the first medicine and wirelessly communicating a signal between the first container and a second container adapted to store a second medicine. In a second embodiment, a method is provided that includes determining if a first container for storing a first medicine is positioned so as to wirelessly communicate with a second container for storing a second medicine. The method further includes generating data based at least in part on whether the first container is positioned so as to wirelessly communicate with the second container.

Abstract: A process is described for evaluating the decision-making confidence of a process and system for at least a partial underwriting of insurance policies where placement of an insurance application to an underwriting category is based on its similarity to previous insurance applications. The confidence factor computed is a measure of the correctness of the decision for a given application for insurance.

Abstract: A system for providing expert care to a basic care medical facility (BCMF) from a remote location. The system facilitates real-time, continuous assessment of patients receiving care in a BCMF that is not generally equipped to provide expert medical care on a twenty-four basis. Patient monitoring equipment acquires monitored data elements from a patient monitoring station and transmits the monitoring data over a network to a remote command center. The remote command center also receives other patient data to the extent available from the BCMF. Alternatively, the patient monitored data is sent to a remote command center along with patient data at a pre-established time or when requested by remote command center. The delivery of stored monitoring data and patient data may be expedited if an urgent consultation is warranted.

Abstract: The method of creating at least one standard protocol or pattern about the operator, the patient, the examination and/or the machine being used. Monitoring, creating and recording data about at least one of them during the actual performance of the examination. Next, compare this data to a standard protocol to produce certain results or findings about either the revenues and expenses surrounding the exam, the operators performance and skill levels during the exam, the productivity of the machine and operator, etc. Networking the data from more then one machine to a central computer and performing various analyzes, computations and/or calculations on the data from the various machines. The results will provide individual as well as combined totals for all of the machines in a department that download data to the computer.

Abstract: A process of allowing a patient to have limited input access to their electronic medical record including the steps of forming a basic patient medical record in a computer through entry of information using a keyboard, providing the patient with a machine readable medical questionnaire concerning their history, environment, symptoms, and other pertinent information for answering by the patient, interfacing the machine readable medical questionnaire with a scanner to send the data stream to a microprocessor and converting the patient's answers to a protocol simulating the protocol from a party having authority to export data to the patient's medical record, and transferring the protocol-arranged data into the patient's medical record housed in a database through use of an interface engine.

Abstract: A pharmacy benefits management system and method. A processor server has claim information relating to pharmacy benefits claims, and information relating to a claims processing formularly stored therein. A provider server has pharmacy benefits plan structure information stored therein. A management server has price information relating drugs in various classes and a processing module for correlating the claim information with the benefits plan structure information and the formularly information to identify drugs dispensed to patients, expenses associated with the drugs in accordance with the pharmacy benefits plan structure information, alternative drugs in the same class as the drugs and expenses associated with the alternative drugs.

Abstract: Techniques are described for recruiting a patient into a clinical trial, including receiving patient-specific data from a remote network device at a server, accessing criteria of more than one clinical trial at the server, and determining one or more clinical trials having criteria satisfied by the patient-specific data.

Abstract: A method and system for allowing a user to select a healthcare services package is disclosed where a central server generally receives personal information data from the user over the Internet regarding the user's preferences with respect to healthcare service providers and the user's sponsor, i.e., the party responsible for paying for all or part of the user's healthcare costs (such as an employer, an insurance company or the user himself). The server thereafter provides a list comprising a plurality of healthcare service providers and information regarding the healthcare service providers (e.g., specialty, rate, location, hospital affiliation, etc.) to the user for selection by the user of a healthcare services panel.

Abstract: A method of improving the loss ratio on a book of insurance including the use of a computer data base with a user interface display including questions for insured entities making up the book of insurance. Spaces are provided on the display for the input of answers from an insured. A survey is used to question the insured entity, the survey eliciting answers to the questions posed. Data is input from the answers received into the computer data base at the spaces provided for. The answers that are collected are compared with answers contained in written documents having information that was supplied by a third party insurance underwriter. Inconsistent answers are identified and the information obtained is reported to the underwriter who can determine whether or not the insurance premium of the insured should be adjusted.