Secure identification of dependants

Abstract

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.

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.