Patent Publication Number: US-2018047120-A1

Title: System and Method for Locating Healthcare Providers

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/373,398 filed on Aug. 11, 2016. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to methods for locating affordable healthcare providers. More specifically, the present invention provides a method for identifying affordable healthcare providers based on a series of criteria and directing users to a selected healthcare provider location. 
     Regular and emergency health costs can be expensive and burdensome for many individuals. Patients may delay scheduling appointments or seeking medical opinions due to the costs associated with such visits. Ignoring a medical issue can lead to complications that may become even more expensive and potentially life threatening. Because of this, many people will consider medical treatment if they can find an affordable option. However, when searching for a healthcare provider, it can be difficult to easily view and compare costs from comparable providers located within a specific area. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of easily identifying medical providers and their costs within a specific area. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of healthcare provider location methods now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new system and method for locating healthcare providers wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when searching for affordable medical care. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for identifying affordable healthcare providers and directing users to the healthcare provider location that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide the ability for users to wirelessly transmit the current location of a client computer, insurance carrier information, and budget constraints to a database via a communications network. 
     More objectives of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a diagram of the computer system. 
         FIG. 2  shows a flowchart of an embodiment of the method of the computer system. 
         FIG. 3  shows a graphical user interface on a display of the client computer displaying healthcare provide information. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the present method. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used in conjunction with a mobile device. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     As used herein, “logic” refers to (i) logic implemented as computer instructions and/or data within one or more computer processes and/or (ii) logic implemented in electronic circuitry. 
     As used herein, “computer-readable medium” excludes any transitory signals, but includes any non-transitory data storage circuitry, e.g., buffers, cache, and queues, within transceivers of transitory signals. 
     The present invention provides a method of remotely conveying the location of healthcare providers based on accepted health insurance carrier information, price constraints, and proximity to the location of a user. The present method may be implemented via software stored on a device capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving information. The method allows users to send their current location to a database having healthcare provider location information stored thereon. The database then transmits a ranked list of healthcare providers to the user based on a series of criteria determined by the user. The method also provides for directing the user to a chosen healthcare provider. The method further provides healthcare tips and diagnoses based on a user profile and symptom information. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , there is shown a diagram of the computer system and a flowchart of an embodiment of the method of the computer system, respectively. The computer system  10  comprises a client electronic device  11  configured to communicate with a server  21  to identify relative locations of healthcare providers based on selected criteria that is variably input by a user or preselected. In the shown diagram, the client computer  11  includes user controls  12  operatively connected to a power source  13 . The client computer  11  comprises a computer readable medium, which is shown here as a memory  17 . The client computer  11  further comprises a processor  14 , and a logic  15  stored on the memory  17 . When the logic  15  is executed, the processor  14  causes the client computer  11  to perform a method according to the present invention  10 . 
     The client computer  11  further comprises a wireless transceiver  18  that is configured to send and receive information over a network  20 , e.g. a telecommunications network, and a GPS system  16  that is configured to monitor the physical location of the client computer  11  via one or more GPS satellites in operative communication therewith. The client computer  11  also includes a display  19 . The display  19  is configured to display healthcare provider information and geographic healthcare provider location information. Each of the processor  14 , memory  17 , wireless transceiver  18 , and display  19  are in operative communication with one another and with the power source  13 . The client computer  11  may be embodied in a mobile device, such as a smart phone, laptop, or tablet. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, upon selective actuation, the client computer  11  of the computer system  10  transmits  23  its current location information, which is determined by the GPS system  16 , over a wireless network  21  via the wireless transceiver  18 . The wireless network  21  may be a cellular network, wireless internet network, or similar. 
     The logic  15  causes location information of the client computer  11  and a series of criteria entered by a user into a client computer application to be transmitted  23  to a server  21  having a database  22  of healthcare provider information stored on non-transitory memory. The series of criteria  24  entered by the user comprises criteria, such as, health insurance information, proximity restrictions for a healthcare provider within a designated geographic radius of the user&#39;s location, and pricing restrictions for medical treatment services. The database  22  includes a listing of healthcare providers, wherein the list further comprises categorical information including the location of each healthcare provider, accepted health insurance at each healthcare provider location, a rating for each healthcare provider, and pricing of medical services per healthcare provider location. In alternative embodiments, the categorical information can include additional categories, such as, doctor reviews and doctor specialty information regarding services performed. 
     The server  21  compiles a list of healthcare providers and ranks  28  the list of healthcare providers based on the series of criteria provided by the user and the current location  24  of the client computer  11 . The ranked list of healthcare providers is transmitted  29  by the server  21  to the client computer  11 . In one embodiment, the ranked list of healthcare providers contains only providers that accept the user&#39;s health insurance coverage, fall within the chosen geographic radius of the user&#39;s location, meet a rating threshold, and offer desired medical treatment options within a designated price range. 
     Once received, the logic  15  of the client computer  11  is configured to display  31  the ranked list of healthcare providers sent by the server  21 . The ranked list is displayed  31  on a graphical user interface (hereinafter “GUI”), wherein the GUI provides a map of an area surrounding the client computer  11  as determined by the GPS system  16  and the ranked list of healthcare providers. Each healthcare provider location is integrated with the map. The GUI shows an approximate distance of each healthcare provider to the current location of the client computer  11 . The ranked list can be categorized by provider, distance, and price range. The price associated with a desired medical treatment can be listed from lowest to highest or highest to lowest, depending on the preference of a user. In this way, the user can easily select the most affordable treatment option associated with a healthcare provider that accepts the health insurance of the user. 
     A user selects a healthcare provider from the ranked list based on their preference. Once the selection is made, the logic  15  of the client computer  11  is configured to display an optimal route of travel to the selected healthcare provider, which is displayed on the display screen  19 . The logic  15  may also be configured to display the route of travel on a map or as driving directions in a list format. 
     In further steps of the method, a user may create a user profile to receive information from the database  22  corresponding to the user profile, such as health tips based on the dietary habits of a user. The user profile is configured to be accessible only by entering a username and password. The user profile is also linked to an email address wherein information can be received. In the illustrated embodiment, the user profile includes medical information  25  such as height, weight, medical symptoms, previous diagnoses, and dietary information. This information is stored within the user profile and transmitted  23  to the server  21  by the transceiver  18  which is directed by the logic  15  of the client computer  11 . 
     The server  21  receives the user profile and compiles  28  the information stored within the profile by comparing it to medical information stored on the database  22 . The server  23  then ranks  28  the list of healthcare tips retrieved from the database  22  that correspond to the medical information entered in the user profile. The ranking lists the healthcare tips in order that correlates the best to the user profile, such that a highest ranked tip is most appropriate for a category listed in the user profile. The ranked list of healthcare tips is then transmitted  29  from the server  21  to the client computer  11 . The client computer  11  receives and displays  32  the healthcare tips. The logic  15  is configured to store the healthcare tips within the memory  17  of the client computer  11  based on preference of the user. The health tips provide a reminder to the user to continue a certain prescribed plan to maintain a healthier lifestyle, such as, performing a certain exercise or eating a certain type of food to help the rehabilitation process from a previous medical treatment. The health tips are configured to be transmitted  29  from the server  21  to the client computer  11  on a timed basis, such as, daily or weekly, depending on the preference of the user. 
     In additional steps of the method, a user enters a description of a health symptom  26  on the client computer  11  and transmits  23  the description of the health symptom  26  to the server  21 . The server  21  receives the description of the health symptom, then compiles a list of diagnoses from the database  22  that corresponds to the description of the health symptom entered by the user. The server  21  then determines a diagnosis or diagnoses that match the description of the health symptom. In some instances, multiple diagnoses may match the description of the health symptom. In this instance, a ranked list of diagnoses is transmitted  29  to the client computer  11 , wherein a first diagnosis in the ranked list is the closet match to the description health symptom. The client computer  11  receives and displays  33  the ranked list of diagnoses so the user can read the result. The illustrated embodiment of the present method allows a user suffering from an illness to type in the symptoms they are experiencing into the client computer application. The resulting diagnosis received allows the user to determine what type of healthcare provider is necessary. 
     In further steps of the method, a description of medical treatment with an assigned monetary value  27  is transmitted  23  to the server  21  and updated on the database  22 . In the illustrated embodiment, a user enters a description of a medical treatment  27  they recently received from a healthcare provider into the client computer  11 . The user further enters a monetary value corresponding to the price the user paid for the medical treatment. The logic  15  of the client computer  11  transmits  23  the description of the medical treatment with the accompanying monetary value  27  to the server  21 . The server  21  receives the description and monetary value for the medical treatment and updates  30  the database  22 , such that the corresponding medical treatment provided by the healthcare provider is updated with the most recent price paid by the user. 
     This embodiment allows other users of the present method to continually update the database  22  containing the healthcare provider pricing information, such that when a request for a list of healthcare providers by pricing restrictions is sought, the resulting list transmitted contains the most up to date pricing information for each medical treatment. The pricing of medical treatment, maintained on the database, can be updated by both the associated healthcare provider that sets the price of treatment, or another user that recently received and paid for the medical treatment. This allows the database  22  to maintain real time pricing for each medical treatment. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a graphical user interface on a display of the client computer displaying healthcare provide information. In the illustrated embodiment, the logic causes the GUI and display  19  of the client computer  11  to show a map  36  indicating the location of nearby healthcare providers  37  on the display  19 . Further, the GUI includes a list of healthcare providers  38  at the bottom of the display  19 . The list  38  is categorized by price, such that the lowest amount is listed at the top of the column and the highest amount is listed at the bottom. The location of the mobile device  35  is displayed on the map  36 . The list  38  can further be categorized by distance to show the closet provider  37  relative to the mobile device&#39;s location  35 . The user selects a desired healthcare provider  39  based on proximity or price. Once selected, the client computer  11  will display an optimal route of travel to the selected healthcare provider  39 . The logic may be configured to display the route of travel on a map or as driving directions in a list format. The illustrated embodiment, allows a user to select the most affordable healthcare provider and further provides a travel route to the location of that healthcare provider. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.