Connecting consumers with service providers

Abstract

A request to generate a medical service team for a particular consumer of medical services is received and records including names of one or more medical service providers associated with providing a medical service to the consumer of medical services are retrieved from a data repository. An electronic invitation to join the medical service team associated with providing medical services to the consumer of medical services is sent and responses to the invitation are received. A listing of medical service team members is generated from the responses and the records.

1 - 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A computer-implemented method comprises:
 receiving, by a computer, a request to view information representing one or more medical service providers who are associated with one or more attributes that specify that the one or more medical service providers are associated with a medical service team that provides medical services to a consumer;   accessing, by the computer, a data repository that stores information pertaining to medical service providers, with at least a portion of the information indicative of provider availability for participating in a consultation;   identifying, by the computer and from the stored information, which of the medical service providers are available;   identifying, by the computer, an available medical service provider associated with one or more attributes that specify that the available medical service provider is associated with the medical service team of the consumer; and   producing information indicative of the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         33 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 32 , wherein producing comprises:
 transmitting, to a device that sent the request, the information indicative of the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         34 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 32 , wherein the request is a first request, and wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving, from a device that sent the first request, a second request for a communication with the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         35 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 32 , further comprising:
 causing establishment of a communication channel between a device used by available medical service provider identified and a device used by the consumer.   
     
     
         36 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 32 , further comprising:
 establishing a communication channel between a device used by available medical service provider identified and a device used by the consumer.   
     
     
         37 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 32 , wherein receiving the request comprises at least one of:
 receiving, by the computer from a device associated with the consumer, the request; and   receiving, by the computer from a device associated with a service provider, the request.   
     
     
         38 . A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage device, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a request to view information representing one or more medical service providers who are associated with one or more attributes that specify that the one or more medical service providers are associated with a medical service team that provides medical services to a consumer;   accessing a data repository that stores information pertaining to medical service providers, with at least a portion of the information indicative of provider availability for participating in a consultation;   identifying, from the stored information, which of the medical service providers are available;   identifying an available medical service provider associated with one or more attributes that specify that the available medical service provider is associated with the medical service team of the consumer; and   producing information indicative of the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         39 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein producing comprises:
 transmitting, to a device that sent the request, the information indicative of the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         40 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein the request is a first request, and wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, from a device that sent the first request, a second request for a communication with the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         41 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 causing establishment of a communication channel between a device used by available medical service provider identified and a device used by the consumer.   
     
     
         42 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 establishing a communication channel between a device used by available medical service provider identified and a device used by the consumer.   
     
     
         43 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein receiving the request comprises at least one of:
 receiving, by the computer from a device associated with the consumer, the request; and   receiving, by the computer from a device associated with a service provider, the request.   
     
     
         44 . An apparatus comprising:
 a processor; and   a computer program product residing on a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing the processor to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a request to view information representing one or more medical service providers who are associated with one or more attributes that specify that the one or more medical service providers are associated with a medical service team that provides medical services to a consumer; 
 accessing a data repository that stores information pertaining to medical service providers, with at least a portion of the information indicative of provider availability for participating in a consultation; 
 identifying, from the stored information, which of the medical service providers are available; 
 identifying an available medical service provider associated with one or more attributes that specify that the available medical service provider is associated with the medical service team of the consumer; and 
 producing information indicative of the available medical service provider identified. 
   
     
     
         45 . The apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein producing comprises:
 transmitting, to a device that sent the request, the information indicative of the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         46 . The apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein the request is a first request, and wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, from a device that sent the first request, a second request for a communication with the available medical service provider identified.   
     
     
         47 . The apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 causing establishment of a communication channel between a device used by available medical service provider identified and a device used by the consumer.   
     
     
         48 . The apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 establishing a communication channel between a device used by available medical service provider identified and a device used by the consumer.   
     
     
         49 . The apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein receiving the request comprises at least one of:
 receiving, by the computer from a device associated with the consumer, the request; and   receiving, by the computer from a device associated with a service provider, the request.