Patent ID: 7929465

Claim:
A method of operating a communications and database delivery service within an internetwork wherein communications and database delivery services are provided to a medical caregiver and its requestor patients, wherein said medical caregiver and each requestor patient operates a respective workstation with a respective video camera and coupled to said internetwork, said method comprising the steps of: maintaining a server for storing patient identifiers and medical caregiver identifiers; maintaining a medical records database storing records of digital medical information supporting provision of a service to patients of said medical caregiver in accordance with said patient identifiers; receiving an initiation message from a patient over said internetwork, said initiation message identifying said patient and including a medical caregiver identifier for a corresponding medical caregiver; sending a notification of a requested two-way video session to an IP address corresponding to said medical caregiver; receiving an acceptance from said medical caregiver; providing signals over said internetwork to enable said two-way video session between respective workstations of said patient and said medical caregiver for exchanging video images from said video cameras; retrieving a respective medical record from said medical records database corresponding to said patient; forwarding said respective medical record to said IP address corresponding to said medical caregiver; and displaying at least a portion of said respective medical record at said medical caregiver workstation.