Abstract:
A system and method of issuing patient identification devices to patients in a self service fashion at a provider facility. The system includes a processor for obtaining first patient identification information from a patient, for retrieving second patient identification information from patient records, for positively identifying the patient by comparing the first identification information to the second identification information, for initiating a patient identification device with a code unique to the patient, for issuing the identification device to the patient, and for storing an indication that the identification device has been initiated and issued.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Patients go to health care providers for treatment of health problems. Health care providers include physicians, technicians, and other healthcare personnel and the offices they work in, including offices, clinics, and hospitals. A patient visit to a provider is known as an encounter. 
     Patients typically check in at a reception or front desk. Front desk personnel issue devices or tokens that identify the patients for the duration of their encounters. Patients may become dissatisfied with long lines at the front desk, especially those who are sick or uncomfortable. 
     It would be desirable to provide a system and method of issuing patient identification devices that overcomes these problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     A system and method of issuing patient identification devices is provided. 
     The system includes a processor for obtaining first patient identification information from a patient, for retrieving second patient identification information from patient records, for positively identifying the patient by comparing the first identification information to the second identification information, for initiating a patient identification device with a code unique to the patient, for issuing the identification device to the patient, and for storing an indication that the identification device has been initiated and issued. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a healthcare system. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating a method of issuing a patient identification device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , healthcare system  10  includes healthcare information system  12 , customer value management (CVM) system  14 , and one or more kiosks  16 . Healthcare information system  12 , CVM system  14 , and kiosk  16  include computers with processors and memory for executing programs and storing data. Healthcare information system  12  and CVM system  14  may be combined into a single computer. One or more of the systems may be combined with other information systems or may be absent based on specific circumstances. 
     Healthcare system  10  may be located at a healthcare provider office. The healthcare provider office may include a front desk, a lounge, and examination rooms. 
     Kiosk  16  may be located in the lounge, or near an entrance to the healthcare provider office, for completing patient check-in. CVM system  14  may also be located at the healthcare provider office. Healthcare information system  12  may be located at the healthcare provider office or may be external to the healthcare provider office. Healthcare system  10  may include office computers  18  at the front desk and in examination rooms. 
     Healthcare information system  12 , customer value management CVM system  14 , kiosk  16 , and office computers  18  may all be connected via a network  50 . If healthcare information system  12  is located externally, CVM system  14  may alternatively access healthcare information system  12  using several methods, including one or more network protocols, and optionally higher level protocols for messaging and file transfer. A common standard for exchanging healthcare data between health care information systems is HL7. CVM system  14  can receive patient information and schedule information via messages formatted in HL7 from health care information system  12 . Alternatively, it can receive patient information via a flat file in a comma separated value (CSV) format. 
     The healthcare provider office may impose various security measures in and around healthcare information system  12 , CVM system  14 , kiosk  16 , office computers  18 , and network connections between healthcare information system  12 , CVM system  14 , kiosk  16 , and office computers  18 . For example, healthcare system  10  may rely on role based access control in conjunction with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol for secure data transmission. Role based access control ensures that a user is associated with a role or a plurality of roles and only the authorized information for the role(s) is displayed to the specific user. The SSL protocol encrypts network packets of information during transport to deter eavesdropping. People or applications listening to packets in transmission get encrypted data which is hard to decipher. The combination of role based access control and information encryption typically provides secure access to data. 
     Healthcare information system  12  stores patient information. Healthcare information system  12  may include admission, discharge, and transfer (ADT) system  20  and scheduling system  22 . ADT system  20  and scheduling system  22  may include one or more servers. 
     ADT system  20  includes patient records  21 , which include patient identification information, such as name, phone number, date of birth. Patient records  21  may further include a photograph and biometric information. ADT system  20  provides patient identification information to kiosk  16  during patient check-in. 
     ADT system  20  also records initiation and issuance of patient identification devices  58  to patients during check-in. ADT system  20  further logs use of patient identification devices  58 , including areas visited in a healthcare facility. ADT system  20  may initiate patient identification devices  58  with security privileges which limit patient access to certain areas of the healthcare facility. Finally, ADT system  20  may initiate patient identification devices  58  with purchasing power and track patient spending. 
     Patient identification devices  58  may include identification tokens, identification badges, patient held appliances, such as patient cell phones or pagers, and other identification devices. 
     Scheduling system  22  includes patient appointment schedules  23 . 
     CVM system  14  executes record identifying software  24  which attempts to match patient records  21  to patient identifying information presented by patients during checking in. Record identifying software  24  performs the matching process in a way that is compliant with a local security policy. 
     The local security policy typically complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). It addresses security issues associated with authentication of patients, authorization to access patient information, and auditing of access to information. The local security policy may require that certain types of identifying information be presented by a patient during a visit to a healthcare provider office, and that a potential match between the information presented by the patient and information in patient records in healthcare information system  20  satisfy a minimum confidence level. The security policy can be defined at any level, including specific documents, forms, specific elements of a document/form, and can be specialized for the type of access, including viewing, creating, updating, deleting, and versioning. 
     In an example local security policy, a patient may be required to provide his/her name, phone number, and date of birth. Record identifying software  24  uses this information to find a corresponding patient record  21  in CVM system  14 . For example, record identifying software  24  may complete the following procedure:
         1. Obtain a name and telephone number from the patient at kiosk  16 .   2. Compare the name and phone number presented in step 1 to patient information stored in ADT system  20  to produce a list of potential matches between the presented name and telephone number and the patient information stored in records  21 .   3. Obtain the patient&#39;s date of birth at kiosk  16 .   4. For each potential match on the list of step 2, eliminating those potential matches not having the same date of birth entered in step 3 in records  21  and not having an appointment during the current time period of interest. (The interval of tolerance for the match can be custom defined, for example it can be one day).       

     Other techniques for matching patient records  21 , as well as other combinations of these same techniques, are also envisioned. For example, further identification credentials, such as an identity number, identity card, or a biometric, such as a fingerprint, can be added to the process above as additional identification credentials. They can be used in addition to, or in place of, other identification credentials, as dictated by the local security policy. They can be added based on specific security policies or specific needs of health care providers such as surgical procedures. For example, a cataract surgery may require three factors of identification and in addition may ask the patient to identify whether they are present for a cataract operation in the left eye or the right eye. 
     CVM system  14  additionally executes workflow identifying software  26  which examines the appointment schedule  23  of the patient in scheduling system  22 . Workflow  28  may present the patient with requests for information and present questions or guidance based upon the answers. For a walk-in, workflow identifying software  26  examines the purpose of the visit entered by the patient and identifies a workflow  28  based on the purpose. 
     Kiosk  16  includes touch screen  32 . Kiosk  16  may include additional peripherals for recording patient identifying information in order to satisfy the local security policy, such as card reader  34  for reading patient identification cards and a biometric reader  36 , such as a fingerprint reader, for capturing biometric information. 
     Kiosk  16  executes patient check-in software  30  which displays prompts instructing patients to enter their identifying information, in accordance with the local security policy, and which passes the identifying information to record identifying software  24  for analysis and authentication. 
     If record identifying software  24  cannot reduce the list of potential matches to a unique match (i.e., if the list contains more than one potential match or no potential matches, or if the confidence level associated with a potential unique match does not meet the local security policy in effect, or if the patient is unable to provide sufficient identification information), kiosk  16  displays a message instructing the patient to seek manual processing at the front desk. Office employees at the front desk may access patient records  21  in healthcare information system  12  through any of office computers  18 . They can utilize the patient identification information obtained at the kiosk thus far or may start afresh. 
     If record identifying software  24  is able to produce a unique match, patient check-in software  30  engages workflow identifying software  26  to find a workflow  28  related to the reason for the patient&#39;s visit. If workflow identifying software  26  identifies a workflow  28 , patient check-in software  30  executes that workflow  28 . Workflow  28  presents the patient with forms, guidance and questions, and processes answers to the questions. 
     Patient check-in software  30  may be a web application. The patient accesses and enters information through a web browser executed by kiosk  16  or a home computer  56 . Patients may update their information, i.e., read and write information, securely through patient check-in software  30 . Patient information may be encrypted to make it secure for sending over the network  50 . 
     Patient check-in software  30  additionally initiates patient identification devices  58 . Patient check-in software  30  retrieves identifying information to be included in identification device  58  from ADT system  21  and registers identification device  58  in patient records  21 . Patient check-in software  30  may additionally initiate patient identification devices  58  with other information, such as arrival time, wait time, or monetary stored value information as a purchasing device. 
     For example, kiosk  16  may include printer  40  for printed patient identification papers, device dispenser  42  for patient identification cards, or communication circuitry  44  for wired or wireless patient identification devices  58 . 
     If the healthcare facility uses printed patient identification papers, patient check-in software  30  at kiosk  16  or home computer  56  may print patient identification papers in a variety of formats using printer  40 . For example, patient identification papers may include one or more characters of text, a patient photograph, and a patient barcode containing a unique code linked to patient identification information in ADT system  21 . 
     If the healthcare facility uses patient identification cards, patient check-in software  30  may produce patient identification cards or badges in a variety of formats using device dispenser  42 . For example, identification device  58  may include a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a barcode, a magnetic stripe, contact or contactless memory chip, near field communication (NFC) capable device, or other type of data storage containing patient identification information or a unique code. Identification device  58  may additionally include identifying text information and/or photographic information. 
     If the healthcare facility uses a wireless communication device, such as a patient cell phone, patient check-in software  30  may store a unique code in the cell phone memory via communication circuitry  44 . Alternately or in addition to this, patient check-in software  30  may register the unique identification code of the cell phone, such as phone number or subscriber identity module (SIM) card identification number or a near field communication (NFC) identification number or a combination there of, in its database or in other back end systems. 
     A healthcare provider may identify patients from their identification devices  58 . Office computers  18  and entrances to secure areas include corresponding readers  46 , which may include RFID tag readers, barcode readers, magnetic stripe reader, contact or contactless memory chip reader, or NFC readers. Office computers  18  and entrances to secure areas may optionally include biometric readers  48  as well. Further patient identification during the visit can utilize the patient identification device issued in addition to or in lieu of other patient identification credentials such as patient name, finger print, photo, drivers license, etc. 
     Patient check-in software  30  may register patient identification device  58  for multiple visits. Patient check-in software  30  may in addition be customized to deprovision the patient identification device  58  from patient records  21  at the end of the encounter. A healthcare provider may optionally choose to deprovision, collect or destroy identification devices  58  when patients leave the healthcare provider&#39;s facility. 
     In an example encounter, a patient visiting a healthcare provider office has an appointment. The patient walks up to kiosk  16 . Kiosk  16  executes patient check-in software  30  to obtain patient identifying information. Patient check-in software  30  interacts with record identifying software  24  of CVM system  14  to complete the patient record identification procedure. Record identifying software  24  positively identifies the patient record in healthcare information system  12  and returns information to be included in patient identification device  58 . Patient check-in software  30  initiates patient identification device  58 , by printing, dispensing, communicating or by other means with patient identification device  58 . 
     Patient check-in software  30  interacts with workflow identifying software  26  to look up the details of the patient&#39;s appointment in the patient&#39;s record. For example, workflow identifying software  26  may determine that the appointment is for a blood sugar test and determine a corresponding workflow  28  for the blood sugar test. Patient check-in software  30  then executes the workflow  28 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , an example method of initiating and issuing a patient identification device  58  is illustrated beginning with START  60 . 
     In step  62 , patient check-in software  30  identifies and assigns a unique code to a patient identification device  58 . Patient check-in software  30  may additionally display helpful information explaining the purpose of identification device  58 , how to use it, and how to return it. 
     In step  64 , patient check-in software  30  optionally determines patient access limitations. Patient check-in software  30  may display these limitations to the patient. ADT system  20  monitors patient movements and permits or denies access to secured areas based upon the access limitations assigned to the patient&#39;s code. 
     In step  66 , patient check-in software  30  optionally retrieves patient identification information from ADT system  21 . 
     In step  68 , patient check-in software  30  formats the code and sends the formatted information for printing and/or storage in patient identification device  58 . 
     For example, patient check-in software  30  may send the formatted information to printer  40  and cause printer  40  to print an identification paper with a barcode containing the issued patient identification code for the encounter. 
     As another example, patient check-in software  30  may send the formatted information to badge dispenser  42  and cause badge dispenser  42  to print and/or store the formatted information in or on an identification card or badge. The code may be contained with a printed barcode or stored within an RFID tag, magnetic stripe, or other storage mechanism within the card. 
     As another example, patient check-in software  30  may send the formatted information to a patient held device, such as a cell phone. 
     In step  70 , patient check-in software  30  registers patient identification device  58  with ADT system  21 . When a patient leaves, patient check-in software  30  may unregister patient identification device  58  using any of office computers  18 . The healthcare provider may require that patients return issued patient identification devices  58  at kiosk  16  or a drop off point near an exit. A patient held device such as a cell phone may be deprovisioned for identification capability a the end of an encounter. 
     Operation ends at step  72 , when the identification device is issued to the patient. 
     Although particular reference has been made to certain embodiments, variations and modifications are also envisioned within the spirit and scope of the following claims.