Clinical management system for chronic illnesses using telecommunication

Abstract

Patients with chronic illnesses resist using conventional automated healthcare management systems to supply necessary clinical data because such systems feel impersonal, preferring to actually visit a clinic where the patient interacts with various healthcare practitioners. In this invention, the patient interacts with a clinical management system via a series of initial GUI screens that replicate the experience of actually visiting the clinic. Additional screens allow the patient to submit clinical information, to communicate with that patient's healthcare practitioner and other healthcare practitioners, to access management information that aids the patient in managing that patient's chronic illness, and to access educational information regarding that chronic illness. The clinical management system may be used to manage a plurality of different chronic illnesses while providing a consistent look and feel to the screens. At least one appearance characteristic can be altered to indicate the particular chronic illness to which a screen applies.

1 - 64 . (canceled) 
     
     
         65 . A method for simulating, for a user having at least one chronic illness, a visit to a chronic illness management clinic, comprising:
 displaying a first set of a plurality of graphical user interface screens, comprising at least one of:
 displaying a first subset of at least one graphical user interface screen usable by the user to input or review clinical data obtained from the user usable to manage at least one of the user's at least one chronic illness, the clinical data being stored in the database, and 
 displaying a second subset of at least one graphical user interface screen usable by the user to access management information usable to manage at least one of the user's at least one chronic illness, the management information derived from the clinical data obtained from the user and stored in the database; and 
   displaying a second set of graphical user interface screens that graphically depict a clinic that the user would visit to manage, supply or review the management information and the clinical data for at least one of the at least one chronic illness, the second set of graphical user interface screens simulating an interaction of the user with the clinic, wherein the first set of graphical user interface screens are accessible through the second set of graphical user interface screens.   
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 65 , wherein displaying the first set of graphical user interface screens comprises:
 displaying, in each of the first set of graphical user interface screens, a frame portion that includes a plurality of selectable icons; and   displaying, in each of the first set of graphical user interface screens, at least one of at least data and information in a central data area that is bracketed by the frame portion.   
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 66 , wherein displaying the frame portion comprises displaying at least some of at least a messages icon, a clinical data icon, an educational information icon, a contacts icon, a logout icon, a sponsor icon, and a patient information icon in the frame portion. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 67 , further comprising selecting the messages icon, wherein displaying at least one of at least data and information in the central data area comprises displaying a messages screen in the central data area in response to the messages icon being selected. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 68 , wherein displaying the messages screen in the central data area comprises at least some of:
 displaying an alerts portion that includes a first set of information derived from the clinical data to the user;   displaying a messages portion that includes a second set of information derived from the clinical data to the user; and   displaying a reminders portion that includes reminder information regarding management of at least one of the user's at least one chronic illness.   
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 69 , further comprising:
 retrieving, as at least a portion of the first set of information, critical information regarding management of one of the user's at least one chronic illness derived from the clinical data stored in the database; and   displaying, as at least a portion of the first set of information, the critical information in the alerts portion.   
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 70 , wherein displaying at least the critical information in the alerts portion comprises at least some of at least:
 displaying information regarding missing critical data; and   displaying information regarding clinical data parameters that have values outside of defined ranges for the user.   
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 69 , further comprising:
 displaying at least one selectable icon embedded in the first set of information displayed in the alerts portion, each at least one selectable icon being associated with a portion of the first set of information; and   displaying to the user, in response to one of the at least one selectable icon embedded in the first set of information being selected, additional information associated with the associated portion of the first set of information for that selected embedded selectable icon.   
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 72 , wherein displaying the additional information to the user comprises displaying the additional information in the central data area in place of the messages screen. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 72 , wherein displaying the additional information comprises displaying the additional information in a separate window displayed over the messages screen. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 69 , further comprising:
 retrieving, as at least a portion of the second set of information, non-critical information regarding management of one of the user's at least one chronic illness derived from the clinical data stored in the database; and   displaying, as at least a portion of the second set of information, the non-critical information in the messages portion.   
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75 , wherein displaying the non-critical information comprises at least some of at least:
 displaying information regarding values of clinical data parameters of clinical data supplied by the user;   displaying information regarding values of clinical data parameters of other clinical data; and   displaying indications of quality of management of the displayed clinical data parameters based on the displayed values.   
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 69 , further comprising:
 displaying at least one selectable icon embedded in the second set of information displayed in the messages portion, each at least one selectable icon being associated with a portion of the second set of information; and   displaying to the user, in response to one of the at least one selectable icon embedded in the second set of information being selected, additional information associated with the associated portion of the second set of information for that selected embedded selectable icon.   
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 77 , wherein displaying the additional information associated with the associated portion of the second set of information for that selected embedded selectable icon comprises displaying the additional information in the central data area in place of the messages screen. 
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 77 , wherein displaying the additional information associated with the associated portion of the second set of information for that selected embedded selectable icon comprises displaying the additional information in a separate window displayed over the messages screen. 
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 69 , wherein displaying the reminder information in the reminders portion comprises at least some of:
 displaying at least one upcoming office visit appointment;   displaying at least one upcoming examination appointment;   displaying at least one overdue office visit appointment; and   displaying at least one overdue examination appointment.   
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 68 , wherein displaying the messages screen in the central data area in response to the messages icon being selected comprises displaying the messages screen in place of a currently-displayed graphical user interface screen of the first set of graphical user interface screens. 
     
     
         82 . The method of  claim 67 , further comprising selecting the clinical data icon, wherein displaying at least one of at least data and information in the central data area comprises displaying the first subset of at least one graphical user interfaces in response to the clinical data icon being selected. 
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein:
 the first subset of graphical user interfaces comprises at least some of at least one user supplied clinical data display screen, a laboratory test clinical data display screen, a medications data display screen, a blood pressure data display screen, an exercise data display screen, a data summary screen, and a messages list display screen; and   displaying the first subset of graphical user interface screens comprises displaying, in each of the first subset of graphical user interface screens displayed in the central data portion, a second plurality of selectable icons, each selectable icon of the second plurality of selectable icons associated with one of the first subset of graphical user interface screens.   
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 83 , wherein displaying the first subset of at least one graphical user interfaces in response to the clinical data icon being selected comprises displaying, in response to the clinical data icon being selected, a predetermined one of the at least one user supplied clinical data display screen, the laboratory test clinical data display screen, the medications data display screen, the blood pressure data display screen, the exercise data display screen, a data summary screen, and a messages list display screen in the central data area. 
     
     
         85 - 129 . (canceled)