Medical Registration System

Abstract

Patient identification is transmitted to a health care provider prior to the patient arriving at the health care provider. The patient identification may be a driver's license, health insurance card, or other identification, and may be used to pre-register the patient. The transmission may include other information, such as health status, purpose of visit, intended procedures, symptoms, or other information. The transmission may be made via a device, such as a cellular telephone, where the information may be encrypted and transmitted using a secure mechanism. The system may be used by ambulance personnel, paramedics, or other emergency responders to notify a hospital, for example, of an inbound patient, as well as by patients prior to an appointment. The system may also be used by clinicians or other health care providers to prepare for emergent or non-emergent patients prior to arrival.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 a first device for capturing patient information, said first device comprising:
 a data capture mechanism; 
 an encryption mechanism; 
 a second communications mechanism; 
 said first device configured to:
 capture said patient information from said data capture mechanism; 
 establish a communications pathway with a remote service; 
 transmit said patient information to said remote service in a first encrypted form; 
 
   said remote service comprising:
 a second communications mechanism; 
 a storage mechanism; 
 said remote service configured to:
 receive said patient information in a first encrypted form; and 
 transmit said encrypted patient information to a second device in a second encrypted form; 
 
   said second device comprising:
 a third communications mechanism; 
 a decryption mechanism; 
 said second device configured to:
 receive said patient information in said second encrypted form; 
 decrypt said encrypted patient information to generate said patient information; and 
 display said patient information. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , said first encrypted form being the same as said second encrypted form. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , said first device further configured to:
 create said first encrypted form being an encrypted package, said encrypted package being decrypted by said second device.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , said remote service further configured to:
 store said encrypted package.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , said first encrypted form being different from said second encrypted form. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , said communications pathway being an encrypted communications pathway. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , said remote service further configured to:
 decrypt said first encrypted form to generate said patient information; and   store said patient information in an unencrypted form.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , said first device being configured to disable local storage of said patient information. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , said first device further comprising:
 a screen capture mechanism, said screen capture mechanism being disabled.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , said patient information comprising an image of a patient identification document. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , said patient identification document being at least one of a group composed of:
 a driver's license;   a government issued identification;   an insurance card;   an employee identification; and   a photo identification.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , said second device further configured to:
 perform an optical character recognition of said patient identification document.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , said remote service further configured to:
 perform an optical character recognition of said patient identification document.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , said first device further configured to:
 authenticate with said remote service.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , said first device further configured to:
 receive user credentials from a first user; and   use said user credentials to authenticate with said remote service.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , said first user is a third party and not a patient. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , said first device further configured to:
 determine a device identifier for said first device; and   use said device identifier to authenticate with said remote service.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , said remote service further configured to:
 transmit said patient information to a third device, said third device being an accounting system.   
     
     
         19 . A stored computer software program comprising a method, said method comprising:
 authenticating a first user;   establishing a communications pathway to a remote server;   receiving an image comprising identification for a patient, said first user not being said patient;   causing an encrypted form of said patient information to be created; and   transmitting said encrypted form to said remote server.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , said method further comprising:
 disabling local storage of said image.