Recordation Systems and Methods to Track Patient Treatment Progress Toward Identified Goals

Abstract

A process for tracking skilled-service rendered a patient by a provider at a treatment location including: generating, at the treatment location, at least one record of progress made toward each treatment goal identified for the patient and addressed by the provider during a session; receiving an input comprising each record of progress so generated, for storage as treatment record data at a host location. Data is stored in searchable data fields for access and retrieval upon command. Using the treatment record data and a host processor, a patient report is automatically generated for submitting to an entity selected from the group consisting of a health care facility, a health care provider, an insurer, the patient, an entity authorized to receive records of the patient, and a record-keeping entity for the provider. Each treatment goal identified is preferably based upon an evaluation of the patient's condition. The evaluation may take place prior to, or during, the current treatment session, by the same or another provider. A system and computer executable program code are also included.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10 / 086,779, filed Feb. 28, 2002, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 272,075 “Method and System for Documenting Patient Treatment & Evaluation by Goal or Outcome / Progress” filed by the applicant on Feb. 28, 2001, each hereby incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention [0002] In general, the present invention relates to conventions for documenting patient evaluation, treatment, and progress (including follow-up) for purposes of creating and maintaining a patient record thereof and seeking payment or reimbursement from a medical insurance carrier, government-backed payor, contracting health maintenance or managed-care organization, or other payor. More particularly, the invention is directed to a novel automated documentation technique and associated computerized system for tracking, on a regular basis, by recording patient treatment rendere...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] (A) Simplicity of design and use—A computerized apparatus of the invention with which a user can interface to enter data at the treatment location, host location, or some other convenient location, can be sized for portability or anchored if necessary. Furthermore, a user of the apparatus has at her / his fingertips through a user-friendly interactive interface, a panoply of information input displays to enter information concerning a treatment session according to the invention. The specific steps taken to carry out patient evaluation, goal identification, generation of patient plans, the rendering of services (preferably according to accepted tests using associated skilled-intervention / tools), and recording patient progress associated with then-active goals, are straightforward allowing for continuity of care. Control of computer operation and maintenance can be centralized by use of a main, or host, location for the server / host computer.

[0022] (B) Speed and accuracy—Eliminating the need for manual, labor-intensive generation of various reports seeking authorization of payment from payors, saves time and can substantially decrease human error in payment processing; furthermore, a more-unified series of reports can be generated, transmitted, and / or printed to include a variety of different types of information concerning patient treatment over a selected period of time.

Problems solved by technology

The digital CPU is not the only computing processor suitable for use, however.

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