Apparatus and method for directing internet users to health care information

Abstract

A method of directing a patient to a source of health care information. The method comprises placing on a prescription sheet an address for the Internet web site, identifying an ailment of the patient and ascertaining an ICD or CPT code associated with the ailment. A key word or an ICD or CPT code associated with the ailment is placed on the prescription sheet and the sheet is given to the patient. The patient is instructed to input the key word or ICD or CPT code into a computer communicating with an Internet web site to obtain information about the ailment. The Internet web site and computer are configured in such a manner that the input of the key word or ICD or CPT code into the computer results in retrieval via the Internet web site of information about the ailment. Further navigation of the information within the database by the patient is made specific for that particular disease at that particular stage in its course through assigning a hierarchical system of priorities based upon the makeup of the ICD and or CPT codes contained within each segment of information.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of using a prescription pad to facilitate providing health care information to a patient, the prescription pad having a plurality of prescription sheets, the method comprising: 
 performing a diagnostic procedure on a patient to identify an ailment of the patient;    placing on at least one of the prescription sheets of the prescription pad an address for an Internet web site, information about the ailment being accessible via the Internet web site; and    giving the one prescription sheet to the patient.    
     
     
         2 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the step of placing the address for the Internet web site on the at least one of the prescription sheets precedes the step of performing the diagnostic procedure on the patient.  
     
     
         3 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the prescription pad is preprinted with a listing of a plurality of ailments, and wherein the method further comprises instructing the patient to initiate a search via the Internet web site about one of the plurality of listed ailments.  
     
     
         4 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the prescription pad is preprinted with a listing of names of a plurality of ailments and wherein the Internet web site is adapted to retrieve information about any one of the plurality of ailments upon initiation of a signal associated with said any one of the plurality of ailments, and wherein the method further comprises instructing the patient to perform an action which initiates via the web site a signal associated with one of the plurality of listed ailments in a manner to retrieve information about said one of the plurality of listed ailments.  
     
     
         5 . A method as set forth in  claim 4  wherein the step of instructing the patient to perform an action comprises instructing the patient to input into a computer communicating with the web site the name of said one of the plurality of listed ailments.  
     
     
         6 . A method as set forth in  claim 4  wherein the step of instructing the patient to perform an action comprises instructing the patient to input into a computer communicating with the web site an ICD or CPT code associated with said one of the plurality of listed ailments.  
     
     
         7 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising instructing the patient to input into a computer communicating with the web site an ICD or CPT code associated with the ailment of which the patient was diagnosed as having, wherein the Internet web site and computer are configured in such a manner that the input of the ICD or CPT code results in retrieval via the Internet web site of information about the ailment.  
     
     
         8 . A method of directing a patient to a source of health care information comprising: 
 identifying an ailment of the patient;    ascertaining an ICD or CPT code associated with the ailment;    instructing the patient to input the ICD or CPT code into a computer communicating with an Internet web site to obtain information about the ailment, the Internet web site and computer being configured in such a manner that the input of the ICD or CPT code into the computer results in retrieval via the Internet web site of information about the ailment.    
     
     
         9 . A method as set forth in  claim 8  wherein instructing the patient to input the ICD or CPT code into a computer includes: 
 placing on a prescription sheet an address for the Internet web site;  
 placing on the prescription sheet the ICD or CPT code; and  
 giving the prescription sheet to the patient.  
 
     
     
         10 . A method as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the step of placing the address on the prescription sheet occurs before the step of identifying an ailment of the patient.  
     
     
         11 . A method of providing health care information to a user comprising: 
 storing descriptive information about a plurality of ailments in a computer database;    providing a retrieval system accessible by an Internet user using the Internet, the retrieval system being adapted to retrieve the stored descriptive information for an ailment of the plurality of ailments upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to the ailment;    furnishing prescription pads to health care providers, each of the prescription pads including a plurality of prescription sheets, the prescription sheets having placed thereon an address for the Internet web site.    
     
     
         12 . A method as set forth in  claim 11  wherein the descriptive information for each ailment comprises one or more of the following: physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and potential complications.  
     
     
         13 . A method as set forth in  claim 11  further comprising directing the health care providers to give the prescription sheets to patients diagnosed as having ailments.  
     
     
         14 . A method as set forth in  claim 13  wherein the descriptive information about each of the plurality of ailments is associated with at least one ICD or CPT code for said each of the plurality of ailments, wherein the retrieval system is adapted to retrieve the stored descriptive information for an ailment of the plurality of ailments upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to the at least one ICD or CPT code for the ailment, and further comprising the step of directing the health care providers to write on the prescription sheets the ICD or CPT codes associated with the diagnosed ailments.  
     
     
         15 . A method of providing health care information to a user comprising: 
 storing descriptive information about a plurality of ailments in a computer database, the descriptive information about each of the plurality of ailments being associated with at least one ICD or CPT code for said each of the plurality of ailments;    providing a retrieval system accessible by an Internet user using the Internet, the retrieval system being adapted to retrieve the stored descriptive information for an ailment of the plurality of ailments upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to the ICD or CPT code for the ailment.    
     
     
         16 . A method as set forth in  claim 15  wherein the descriptive information for each ailment comprises one or more of the following: physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and potential complications.  
     
     
         17 . An Internet navigational system for providing health care information to a user comprising: 
 a computer database having stored therein descriptive information about a plurality of ailments, each ailment being associated with at least one ICD or CPT code; and    a retrieval system accessible by an Internet user using the Internet, the retrieval system being adapted to retrieve the stored descriptive information corresponding to one of the ailments upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to the at least one ICD or CPT code associated with such ailment.    
     
     
         18 . An Internet navigational system as set forth in  claim 17  wherein the descriptive information stored in the computer database comprises one or more of the following: physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and potential complications.  
     
     
         19 . A prescription pad for facilitating the providing of health care information to a patient, the prescription pad comprising a plurality of prescription sheets, at least one of the prescription sheets including a surface having an address for an Internet web site placed thereon, the surface further having placed thereon an ICD or CPT code associated with an ailment, the Internet web site containing information about the ailment.  
     
     
         20 . A method as set forth in  claim 15  further comprising prompting the Internet user to input an ICD or CPT code.  
     
     
         21 . A method as set forth in  claim 15  further comprising retrieving from the computer database the descriptive information for one of the ailments upon the Internet user initiating a signal corresponding to the ICD or CPT code for said one of the ailments.  
     
     
         22 . A method as set forth in  claim 21  wherein the step of initiating a signal corresponding to the ICD or CPT code comprises inputting the ICD or CPT code.  
     
     
         23 . A method as set forth in  claim 22  further comprising providing the retrieved information to the Internet user via the Internet.  
     
     
         24 . A method as set forth in  claim 21  further comprising providing the retrieved information to the Internet user.  
     
     
         25 . A method comprising: 
 storing healthcare information in a computer database, the healthcare information comprising a plurality of healthcare components;    associating each of at least some of the healthcare components with at least one of a plurality of ICD or CPT codes; and    providing a retrieval system accessible by a user using the Internet, the retrieval system being adapted to retrieve the healthcare components associated with any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes upon receiving a signal sent by the user, the signal corresponding to said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes.    
     
     
         26 . A method as set forth in  claim 25  further comprising the step of sending to the user the healthcare components associated with said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes upon receiving the signal.  
     
     
         27 . A method of searching for healthcare information stored in a computer database, the healthcare information comprising a plurality of healthcare components, each of at least some of the healthcare components being associated with at least one of a plurality of ICD or CPT codes, the method comprising: 
 accessing via the Internet a retrieval system, the retrieval system being adapted to retrieve the healthcare components associated with any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes upon receiving a signal, the signal corresponding to said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes;    inputting the signal in a manner such that the retrieval system retrieves the healthcare components associated with said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes.    
     
     
         28 . A method as set forth in  claim 27  wherein the step of inputting the signal comprises inputting said any one of the plurality of ICD or CPT codes.  
     
     
         29 . An Internet navigational system for providing health care information to a user, the Internet navigational system being adapted for use with a computer database having stored therein descriptive information about a plurality of ailments, each ailment being associated with at least one ICD or CPT code, the Internet navigational system comprising: 
 a retrieval system accessible by an Internet user using the Internet, the retrieval system being configured and adapted to retrieve the stored descriptive information corresponding to one of the ailments upon the user initiating a signal corresponding to the at least one ICD or CPT code associated with such ailment.    
     
     
         30 . An Internet navigational system as set forth in  claim 29  wherein the descriptive information stored in the computer database comprises one or more of the following: physiological aspects of the ailment, pathological aspects of the ailment, information as to whether the ailment is treatable, information about expected clinical course, and potential complications.