Method for providing electronic medical records utilizing portable computing and communications equipment

Abstract

Mobile clinicians conduct in-home patient visits utilizing on-site diagnostic and treatment equipment, where service is enhanced by the use of portable computing and communications equipment. A mobile care entity provides mobile clinicians preprogrammed portable computers. Each portable computer updates patient data in the local storage utilizing a wireless communications device to download updates from a central storage facility. The entity selects a mobile clinician and dispatches him/her to the patient's premises. The clinician visits the patient's premises accompanied by an assortment of electronic diagnostic and treatment devices. The mobile clinician utilizes various diagnostic devices to prepare machine-readable reports of related aspects of the patient's condition. The clinician directs the portable computer to perform follow-up tasks including: (1) electronically collecting the prepared reports and graphically presenting them in human-readable form, (2) storing a machine-readable medical record, and (3) utilizing the wireless device to transmit the reports and records.

1 . A method for communicating patient information from a patient, comprising:
 providing a patient computer located generally in the proximity of the patient;   providing at least one medical care device located generally in the proximity of the patient for monitoring ongoing patient information;   transmitting wirelessly the ongoing patient information from the medical care device to the patient computer; and   transmitting wirelessly the ongoing patient information from the patient computer to a remotely located service provider computer.   
     
     
         2 . A system for communicating patient information from a patient, comprising:
 a patient computer located generally in the proximity of the patient;   at least one medical care device located generally in the proximity of the patient for monitoring ongoing patient information;   a first wireless interface coupled to the medical care device for transmitting wirelessly the ongoing patient information from the medical care device to the patient computer; and   a second wireless interface coupled to the patient computer for transmitting wirelessly the ongoing patient information from the patient computer to a remotely located service provider computer.