SECURE IDENTIFICATION OF DEPENDANTS
The present invention provides a method for identifying patients using common forms of identification, and specifically readable personal identifiers such as credit cards, and for identifying dependents through a guardian's personal identification. The guardian registers the account with a health care database, and associates the dependent patients with the account. Thereafter, the guardian can process healthcare services for the guardian by providing a readable identifier identifying the account. As a result, the guardian can register the dependent patient for an appointment through a kiosk or other publicly accessible terminal, and can also access scheduling or other services.
In recent years, kiosks and other types of automated registration and check-in devices have become commonplace for registering for flights at airports. In these automated check-in devices, a credit card or other personal identification card, such as a driver's license, is typically inserted into a card reading device. A computer reads the personal data provided on the magnetic strip, and compares the data to data stored in a database of, for example, flights and associated passengers. If the personal data matches the passenger data, the passenger is automatically checked in, thereby limiting the need to stand in long lines to register for flights. Similar systems have been developed for hotel check-in, registration at trade shows, accessing tickets for athletic events and theaters, and elsewhere where check-in or registration for a limited number of seats or times is necessary. More recently, this technology has also been expanded to include registration or check-in services in hospitals and health care facilities.
While many such systems exist, however, these systems have somewhat limited functionality because registration can be limited to those who have the appropriate form of identification, typically a credit card. Therefore, families with children, for example, typically cannot register using automatic check-in services, because the children do not have credit card forms of identification. Furthermore, these systems typically do not require any verification of the identity of the user. These problems are particularly acute in the health care industry, where it is important to accurately identify the patient, and to quickly and easily process the registration of a sick child. The present invention addresses this problem.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a secure system and a method for correlating the records of one or more dependents with a personal identifier of a guardian. In this method, at least one dependent, such as a child or another dependent person, is associated with the personal identifier of a guardian, such as a parent or other care-giver, in a database. The personal identifier can be a common form of identification such as a credit card, driver's license, insurance card or other form of identification, or a token generated specifically for use in this application. Except for purposes of supplying the personal identifier, the guardian is not required to be otherwise associated with the health care or database system. Based on the personal identifier, the guardian is granted certain access to the associated dependent's records. Such access may include permitting the guardian to check the dependent in for an appointment, schedule or reschedule an appointment for the dependent, or to view or modify the dependent's personal information.
In one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for correlating dependent patients with a personal identifier of a guardian in a health care system for checking into an appointment or accessing health care records. The method comprises the steps of obtaining a readable personal identifier from a guardian of a dependent patient, registering the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in a healthcare database, and prompting a user to present the readable personal identifier to a reader at a health care facility. When the user presents the readable identifier at the healthcare facility, the guardian is provided access to process health care or related services for the dependent patient.
In another aspect of the invention, the readable personal identifier comprises a credit card, a driver's license, a health insurance card, or a personal identification card. In another aspect of the invention, a unique identifier can be provided as a combination of information, such as an account number associated with the credit card and a cardholder name, and a first and a second cardholder can be associated with a first and second unique identifier. A first dependent, moreover, can be associated with the first unique identifier and a second dependent patient with the second unique identifier. Therefore, by way of example, two individuals who share a credit card account can have access rights for different individuals or sets of individuals.
In another aspect of the invention, a kiosk including a reader capable of reading the personal identifier is provided, and is programmed to compare the personal identifier to the data in the healthcare database and to display at least one dependent associated with the personal identifier at check-in.
In another aspect of the invention, the personal identifier comprises at least one of a biometric identifier, an active memory storage device and a passive memory storage device. Alternatively, the personal identifier can comprise any of a number of different types of readable tokens.
In still another aspect of the invention, a data access system is provided for use in a health care facility. The data access system includes a health care computer network, a health care database including a patient database, and a data structure associating a readable personal identifier of a guardian with at least one dependent patient. A reader device is connected to the computer network for reading the readable personal identifier when presented. When the identifier is read, the computer network is programmed to correlate the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in the database and to provide the guardian access to at least a portion of the health care database to process health care services for the patient.
In another aspect of the invention, the data access system provides the guardian access to check the dependent patient in for an appointment or to schedule an appointment for the patient.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the readable personal identifier comprises at least one of a credit card, a driver's license, a health insurance card, an active memory storage device, a passive memory storage device, and a biometric identifier.
In still another aspect of the invention, the reader is provided in a kiosk connected to the computer network and providing a display for interacting with the guardian and the dependent patient.
In a further aspect of the invention, a method is providing for associating dependent patients with first and second holders of a single account. In this method, a first account holder is prompted to register account data in a healthcare database, the account data including at least one of an account number and an identifier of the first account holder. A second account holder is also prompted to register account data in the healthcare database, the account data including at least one of the account number and an identifier of the second account holder. A dependent of the first accountholder is then associated with the first accountholder in a database; and a dependent of the second accountholder is associated in a database with the second accountholder, wherein when the first accountholder uses the account as identification, the first accountholder is provided access to process health care services for the first dependent and when the second accountholder provides a credit card associated with the account as identification, the second accountholder is provided access to process health care services for the second dependent. In another aspect of the invention, the system can produce a first unique identifier as a combination of the account number and identification of the first accountholder. A second unique identifier can be produced as a combination of the account number and identification of the second accountholder. Additionally, an individual can be associated with both account holders so that either the first or second account holder is provided access to process health care services for the individual.
These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention and reference is made therefore, to the claims herein for interpreting the scope of the invention.
Referring now to the figures, and more particularly to
Each of the kiosks 26, 26b, etc., is similarly constructed and operates in a similar fashion and therefore, in the interest of simplifying this explanation, only kiosk 26a will be described here in any detail. Kiosk 26a includes a flat panel display 21, an input device 27, a card reader 19 and a printer 17. Input device 27 is shown as a keyboard but may include other input devices such as a mouse device, a track ball type device, etc., and, is generally provided for, as the label implies, entering information into system 10a for use by server 22a. In the present case it will be assumed that the input device(s) 27 includes a keyboard for entering text type information and a mouse type device (not illustrated) for moving a mouse controlled cursor (see 351 in
Card reader 19 includes a slot for receiving identification cards from patients for identification purposes. In this regard, the identification card may be a credit card, a driver's license, a dedicated insurance card, a healthcare card, etc., from which information can be read to uniquely identify a cardholder. The cardholder can be either a patient, a guardian of a patient, or both, and is not required to have any other relationship with the database system except with regards to the personal identifier. When the cardholder is a guardian, the cardholder can access the kiosk system to check in an associated dependent for an appointment, as described below. In addition, through use of the associated patient identifier, the cardholder can access records associated with the dependent. To this end, prior to using one of the kiosks to check-in for an appointment it is contemplated that patient identities will be associated with patient unique cards in one or more database in memory storage 72a, as described more thoroughly below.
Memory storage 72a is linked to server 22a and stores programs 13 performed by server 22a and various data arranged in data structures and databases (also referred to as “databases” hereinafter) that may be used by the server software to perform inventive methods. To this end, memory 72a includes an electronic medical records database 15 that, as the label implies, stores electronic medical records (EMRs) for facility patients While EMRs often are extremely detailed, for the purposes of this disclosure portions of the EMR are particularly important. To this end, as shown in
The present invention provides methods for identifying patients using common forms of identification, and, in a specific example, readable personal identifiers such as credit cards, and for identifying dependents through a guardian's personal identification. By way of example, the system will be described with reference to an exemplary family, headed by Bruce Johnson and his wife Helen Smith. Bruce and Helen are the parents of Bradley Johnson. Bruce has a daughter, Elizabeth Johnson, from a previous marriage, and Helen has a daughter, Sally Smith, from a previous marriage. Bruce, Bradley and Elizabeth Johnson are all patients at St. Daniel's clinic, as is Sally Smith. Helen Smith is not a patient, and is not identified in the associated databases in memory 72a. Registration of the extended Johnson family using registered personal identifiers and particularly through a patient check-in system 10a is described below. Registration is shown through a series of exemplary screen shots. It will be apparent, however, that the form of data entry can be varied and that these screen shots are provided by way of illustration only. Moreover, as the present invention is shown for a kiosk system, it will be apparent that the invention can also be used with other systems that use personal identifiers and identification cards to identify users.
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The relationship between Helen and Sally Smith can also be stored in the guardian/dependent database 71, as shown here in
Although the correlation of identification cards to patients can be performed by a receptionist at reception desk 950, in alternate embodiments of the invention, a cardholder guardian can establish a secure means for identification of a dependent through the kiosk 26a as well, as will now be described as Bruce Johnson registers his dependents through the kiosk 26a. Referring again to
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After the user Bruce Johnson has accessed the system, in screenshot 190 of
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Based on data retrieved from the database 71, screen shot 210 (
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Selecting the no icon 234 takes the patient to screen 190 of
When the check in for appointments icon 194 icon is selected, screenshot 270 of
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As described above, in the preferred embodiment, the personal information is read from the magnetic strip of a credit card and stored in the database system as a database key. The personal information from the magnetic strip can be used to create a unique token, or can be compared to the stored data when entered. Although a credit card account number has been described above for simplicity, the token may also be a hash or other encrypted version of the account number of the credit card. In some applications, as in the situation described above where multiple users use the same credit card to identify different sets of patients, the database key requires more than the encrypted or hashed account number and might include any other identifying information available, such as the guardian's personal name, card id, the CV2 data, etc. thereby forming the identifier 92.
Although the system has been described above for simplicity as using a credit card for accessing data in the system, the personal identifier can be any type of readable personal identifier or token capable of storing unique identifying information and/or of being read by a machine. The personal identifier may, therefore, be a driver's license, insurance card, or health care identification card or a combination of such forms of identification, or any other form of identification that includes personal information such as account number, full name, address, date of birth, and telephone number stored in a machine readable format. The identifier may include active or passive memory storage, be an RFID tag, a barcode or other type of optical encoding device, or a biometric identifier.
As used herein, a dependent is a person that either does not have a useable personal identifier, or is not capable of using the personal identifier, such as a child or a dependent adult. The guardian can be any individual with a useable personal identifier, such as a parent or care-giver. The guardian, moreover, is not required to be otherwise associated in anyway with the health care facility or the database system. In the database system, the database record for the guardian's personal identifier can be associated with one or more database records of the dependents, with or without identifying the guardian.
Although specific database records are used by way of example above, it would be understood to one skilled in the art that the dependent's database record in the database system can take many forms, and may contain personal information of the dependent including without limitation name, address, date of birth, social security number, and sex. In addition, the method further contemplates one or more guardians each with their own personal identifier being associated with one or more identical dependents. In this situation, one or more guardians may responsibility for the dependent, such as the case of parents. Further, the method contemplates a guardian with more than one personal identifier identifying the same or different dependents.
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In process block 406, the process 400 calculates the distribution of unique patients associated with each acceptable answer. Using the limited example above of
Subsequently, in step 410, the process 400 selects the question with the largest number of “good answers”, where a good answer is an answer that has fewer than a defined threshold number of patients associated with it. By way of example, a question may have ten acceptable answers, as determined in step 404. In step 406, it is determined that three of the ten acceptable answers have ten or more patients associated with the answer. Five have six or more patients, and two have three or fewer patients associated with each answer. In this example, there are two good answers, because these answers filter the field to three or fewer patients, thereby limiting the number of additional questions that would be required to identify the patient. In step 412, the question with the largest number of good answers is selected, and in process block 414, that question is displayed to the user. Subsequently, the process 400 determines whether a patient is uniquely identified in block 416. If the patient is not uniquely identified by the response to the question, the process 400 returns to step 404. The process continues until a specific patient is identified, or until it becomes clear that the patient cannot be identified. At this point, the patient can be directed to a receptionist.
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Although described above for purposes of identifying a patient, as noted above, it will be apparent that the patient look-up system described above can also be used to identify a guardian, who can then be given access to the associated records of dependents, as shown, for example, in the database of
Although the system has been described above as including data entry blocks, in alternative embodiments of the invention, a touch screen could be used and the data for entry provided on screen. Thus, for example, in the screen shot 280 of
Furthermore, although the system has been described above with reference to an automated patient check-in system, and specifically a kiosk system, it will be apparent that the identification methods described above can also be applied in other applications, and that the inventive concepts of the present invention are not limited to use in kiosks. Additionally, communications between a patient and the patient check-in system 10a can be provided using wireless personal communication devices 743 (
Additionally, although specific screen shots are described above both for a receptionist computer 950 and a kiosk 26a, it will be apparent that the screen shots are exemplary only, and that the icons, data entry screens, and informational screens shown are not intended to limit the invention. The data accessible through these systems is limited only by what is available in the associated databases, and access rights associated with the user accessing the database.
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
Thus, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims. To apprise the public of the scope of this invention, the following claims are made:
Claims
1. A method for correlating dependent patients with a personal identifier of a guardian in a health care system for checking into an appointment or accessing health care records, the method comprising the following steps:
- obtaining a readable personal identifier from a guardian of a dependent patient;
- registering the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in a healthcare database;
- prompting a user to present the readable personal identifier to a reader at a health care facility; and
- wherein the readable personal identifier identifies the dependent patient and provides access for the guardian to process health care services for the dependent patient.
2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the readable personal identifier comprises a credit card.
3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the readable personal identifier comprises at least one of a driver's license, a health insurance card, or a personal identification card.
4. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of producing a unique identifier as a combination of an account number associated with the credit card and another cardholder identifier, wherein a first and a second cardholder are associated with a first and second unique identifier.
5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising the step of associating a first dependent with the first unique identifier and a second dependent patient with the second unique identifier.
6. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of associating an indicator of whether the credit card is to be used as a form of payment with the dependent patient in the healthcare database.
7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a kiosk including a reader capable of reading the personal identifier, and wherein the kiosk is programmed to compare the personal identifier to the data in the healthcare database and to display at least one dependent associated with the personal identifier at check-in.
8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the personal identifier comprises at least one of a biometric identifier, an active memory storage device and a passive memory storage device.
9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the personal identifier comprises a readable token.
10. The method as recited in claim 1, The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a kiosk including a reader capable of reading the personal identifier wherein the step of registering the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in the healthcare database comprises prompting the guardian to select a dependent patient to associate with the personal identifier in the database at the kiosk.
11. A data access system for use in a health care facility, the data access system comprising:
- a health care computer network;
- a health care database including a patient database, and a data structure associating a readable personal identifier of a guardian with at least one dependent patient; and
- a reader device connected to the computer network for reading the readable personal identifier when presented, wherein the computer network is programmed to correlate the readable personal identifier with the dependent patient in the database and to provide the guardian access to at least a portion of the health care database to process health care services for the patient.
12. The data access system as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of providing access to at least a portion of the healthcare database comprises providing the guardian access to check the dependent patient in for an appointment.
13. The data access system as recited in claim 12, wherein the step of providing access to at least a portion of the healthcare database comprises providing the guardian access to schedule an appointment for the patient.
14. The data access system as recited in claim 11, wherein the readable personal identifier comprises at least one of a credit card, a driver's license, a health insurance card, an active memory storage device, a passive memory storage device, and a biometric identifier.
15. The data access system as recited in claim 11, wherein the database correlates a plurality of dependents with a personal identifier.
16. The data access system as recited in claim 11, wherein the reader is provided in a kiosk connected to the computer network and providing a display for interacting with at least one of the guardian and the dependent patient.
17. A method for associating dependent patients with a first and a second accountholder of a single account, the method comprising the following steps:
- prompting the first accountholder to register account data in a healthcare database, the account data including at least one of an account number and an identifier of the first accountholder;
- prompting the second accountholder to register account data in the healthcare database, the account data including at least one of the account number and an identifier of the second accountholder; and
- associating a dependent of the first accountholder in a database with the account number and the identifier of the first accountholder; and
- associating a dependent of the second accountholder in a database with the with the account number and the identifier of the second accountholder, wherein when the first accountholder uses the account as identification, the first accountholder is provided access to process health care services for the dependent of the first accountholder and when the second accountholder uses the account as identification, the second accountholder is provided access to process health care services for the dependent of the second accountholder.
18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the account is a credit account.
19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the account is a health insurance account.
20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the account is identified by a readable identifier including at least one of an active memory storage, a passive memory storage device, or an optical encoding device.
21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising the step of providing the readable identifier to a reader to allow access to process health care services.
22. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the step of associating at least one of the dependent of the first accountholder with the second unique identifier and the dependent of the second accountholder with the first unique identifier when the corresponding one of the dependents is also a dependent of the other of the first and second accountholders.
23. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the first and second accountholders is a patient registered in the healthcare database.
24. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the steps of producing a first unique identifier as a combination of the account number and the identifier of the first accountholder and second unique identifier as a combination of the account number and the identifier of the second accountholder.
25. A method of identifying a user associated with a health care database at a computerized entry point, the method comprising the following steps:
- (a) prompting the user to input at least one of the following types of identification data at the computerized entry point: (i) at least a portion of the user's first name, (ii) at least a portion of the user's last name, (iii) at least a portion of the series of digits in an identification number, (iv) at least a portion of a birth date;
- (b) accessing the health care database to identify a target subset of users including, the target subset including at least one user that correlates to the input data;
- (c) evaluating data correlating to the types of identification data associated with the target subset of users in the healthcare database to determine at least one of the types of identification data that is most likely to reduce the target subset to a single user and prompting the user to input the determined type of identification;
- (d) repeating step (a) to acquire another of the types of identification data, step (b) accessing the database, and step (c) until a single user is identified in the database; and
- (d) allowing the single user to process health care services when the single user is identified.
26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein step (a)(iii) comprises the step of prompting the user to input at least a portion of a series of digits in at least one of a social security number, a telephone number, a personal identification number, a health insurance account number, a zip code, and a personal identification number associated with the account of the user.
27. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the user is a guardian of at least one dependent in the health care database and step (d) comprises allowing the single user to process health care services for the dependent.
28. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein step (c) further comprises the step of notifying the user when the user cannot be identified by the input data and prompting the user to talk to a receptionist.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 12, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 16, 2008
Inventor: Steven Larsen (Cross Plains, WI)
Application Number: 11/734,601
International Classification: G11B 5/80 (20060101);