Patent Document

FIELD 
       [0001]    This invention relates to medical services and more particularly to a system for managing services such as home healthcare and assisted transportation services. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    As the national population ages, more and more people are seeking in-home services and/or assisted transportation to/from appointments, shopping, etc. Many in this population have what is known as advocates such as a family member (child, sibling, etc.) who is concerned about the care being delivered. It is not always possible for these advocates to be at the patient&#39;s (loved one) location during the time when the caregiver is present. Therefore, the advocate may not know if the caregiver arrived, if the caregiver provided the requisite services, or how long the caregiver was present. This is often frustrating for advocates as in some patients/loved-ones, there is a medical reason why the patient does not remember or know if and when the caregiver visited the patient. Many such patients have Alzheimer&#39;s, dementia, or other afflictions that makes it a waste of time to even ask the patient if the caregiver was there, let alone when and for how long. 
         [0003]    Equally frustrating is managing a mobile workforce, especially when those being served don&#39;t know or understand the expectations on the caregivers. There is little or no feedback from the patients as to whether care was provided, whether the caregiver arrived at the specified time, and whether the caregiver remained for the expected amount of time. Feedback from certain patients is provided in some circumstances when poor care, missed appointments, or tardiness occurs. Without such feedback, it is difficult for managers to know how well the caregivers are performing and to know if the caregivers are providing services at the agreed time and duration. 
         [0004]    Using current tools, generally, caregivers fill out paper time sheets indicating when they arrived and departed each patient&#39;s home. Too often there are some caregivers who take liberties, are lax in completing the paperwork, and/or simply forget to complete paperwork in a timely manner and have to estimate later. 
         [0005]    What is needed is a system that will manage such a mobile workforce and provide details of interactions to both the patient&#39;s advocate and the caregiver&#39;s management. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A system for managing a mobile workforce provides tools for directing and tracking the progress of mobile caregivers, while providing tools and information to managers of the mobile caregivers as well as information on status to advocates of patients of the caregivers. 
         [0007]    Utilizing Global Positioning Service (GPS) technology in portable devices, the location of the caregiver in relationship to the patients is tracked and logged to provide accurate time accounting and billing. In addition, the same data is used to notify an advocate of the arrival and departure of a caregiver at the home of the advocate&#39;s loved one (patient). This provides enhanced comfort to the advocate, knowing that their loved one is being visited when expected. In some embodiments, the location of the caregiver is reported to the advocate between the arrival and the departure. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment, a system for mobile workforce management includes a device for accessing the system by a caregiver. The device has a global positioning subsystem. Also included in the system is a server that has a set of appointments for the caregiver. Each appointment includes a location, a patient name, and a link for contacting an advocate. An application running on the portable device retrieves the set of appointments from the server and presents one of the appointments on a display of the device along with a directive indicating arrival at the one of the appointments. Upon execution of the directive indicating arrival, the application running on the device for accessing sends a transaction to the server indicating arrival at the location. Responsive to the transaction, the server informs the advocate through the link for contacting the advocate that care is being provided for the patient of the one of the appointments (e.g., the server sends a text message to the advocate of this patient). 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, a method of managing a mobile workforce includes sending at least one appointment from a server to an application running on a portable device. Each of the at least one appointments includes a location, a patient name, and a link for contacting an advocate. The application running on the portable device presents one of the at least one appointment on a display of the portable device along with an icon indicating arrival. Upon selection of the icon indicating arrival, a message is sent to the link for contacting the advocate, the message for informing the advocate that care is being provided for the patient of the one of the appointments. 
         [0010]    In another embodiment, program instructions tangibly embodied in a non-transitory storage medium comprising at least one instruction configured to implement a method of managing a mobile workforce. The at least one instruction includes computer-readable instructions for sending at least one appointment from a server to computer-readable instructions running on a portable device. Each of the at least one appointments includes a location, a patient name, and a link for contacting an advocate. There are computer-readable instructions running on the portable device that present one of the at least one appointments on a display of the portable device along with an icon indicating arrival. Upon selection of the icon indicating arrival, computer-readable instructions running on the portable device transact with a server and computer-readable instructions running on the server inform the advocate that care is being provided for the patient by way of the link for contacting the advocate (e.g., by sending a text message). 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a data connection diagram of the system for a mobile workforce. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic view of a typical cell phone. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic view of a typical computer system such as a server or personal computer. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates a first cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing a text message with appointments. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates a second cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing an application with appointments. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates a third cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing details regarding an appointment. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  illustrates a fourth cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing details of an appointment to which the caregiver is late. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  illustrates a fifth cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing that the caregiver is at the appointment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  illustrates a sixth cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing that the caregiver has finished and checked out of the appointment. 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  illustrates a cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing the advocate the location of the caregiver with respect to the place of care. 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  illustrates a cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing a message to an advocate indicating that the caregiver has arrived at the place of care. 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  illustrates a cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce informing the advocate of the location of the caregiver. 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  illustrates a cell phone user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing a message to an advocate indicating that the caregiver has departed from the place of care. 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  illustrates an employee data user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing a list of caregivers. 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  illustrates a patient data user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing a list of patients. 
           [0027]      FIG. 16  illustrates a schedule user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing a visit schedule for one caregiver. 
           [0028]      FIG. 17  illustrates a caregiver status user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing historical data regarding a particular caregiver. 
           [0029]      FIG. 18  illustrates a time report user interface of the system for a mobile workforce. 
           [0030]      FIG. 19  illustrates a patient report user interface of the system for a mobile workforce showing dates, times, and durations of visits. 
           [0031]      FIG. 20  illustrates an exemplary program flow of the system for a mobile workforce. 
           [0032]      FIG. 21  illustrates a second exemplary program flow of the system for a mobile workforce. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures. 
         [0034]    In general, the workforce management system provides capabilities to manage caregivers and provide information to managers and advocates when the caregiver is providing care to a patient. In the following description, an example of a home healthcare provider is used to describe the operation of the healthcare system, though the system is anticipated for use in other mobile workforce environments such as workforce environments for assisted transportation, etc. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIG. 1  illustrates a data connection diagram of the exemplary mobile workforce management system. In this example, one or more cell phones  10  communicate through the cellular network  68  and/or through a wide area network  506  (e.g. the Internet) to a server computer  500 . In some embodiments, user computer systems  10 A also communicate through the cellular network  68  and/or through a wide area network  506  (e.g. the Internet) to the server computer  500 . 
         [0036]    The server computer  500  has access to data storage  502 . Although one path between the cell phones  10  and the server  500  is through the cellular network  68  and the wide area network  506  as shown, any known data path is anticipated. For example, the Wi-Fi transceiver  96  (see  FIG. 2 ) of the cell phone  10  is used to communicate directly with the wide area network  506 , which includes the Internet, and, consequently, with the server computer  500 . 
         [0037]    The server computer  500  transacts with the cell phones  10  through the network(s)  68 / 506  to present menus to/on the cell phones  10 , provide data to the cell phones  10 , and to communicate information such as caregiver location, etc. In some embodiments, login credentials (e.g., passwords, pins, secret codes) are stored local to the cell phone  10 ; while in other embodiments, login credentials are stored in a data storage  502  (preferably in a secured area) requiring a connection to login. 
         [0038]    The server computer  500  transacts with applications running on the cell phones  10  and/or with applications (e.g., browsers) running on the user computers  10 A. 
         [0039]    In some embodiments, when the mobile workforce application begins running on the cell phone  10 , the geographic area of the cell phone  10  is determined by reading the GPS subsystem  91  (see  FIG. 2 ) of the cell phone  10  or by manual entry by a user. Manual entry by a user is made by, for example, entering a street address or by selecting a location on a map. 
         [0040]    The location from the GPS subsystem  91  is forwarded to the server  500  periodically for caregiver tracking and/or the location is logged locally (e.g., at the cell phone  10 ) and forwarded to the server  500  at a later time. 
         [0041]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a schematic view of a typical cell phone  10  is shown. The example cell phone  10  represents a typical phone system used for accessing user interfaces (see  FIGS. 4-13 ) of the system for mobile workforce management. This exemplary cell phone  10  is shown in its simplest form. Different architectures are known that accomplish similar results in a similar fashion and the present invention is not limited in any way to any particular cell phone  10  system architecture or implementation. In this exemplary cell phone  10 , a processor  70  executes or runs programs in a random access memory  75 . The programs are generally stored within a persistent memory  74  and loaded into the random access memory  75  when needed. Also accessible by the processor  70  is a SIM (subscriber information module) card  88  having a subscriber identification and often persistent storage. The processor  70  is any processor, typically a processor designed for phones. The persistent memory  74 , random access memory  75 , and SIM card are connected to the processor by, for example, a memory bus  72 . The random access memory  75  is any memory suitable for connection and operation with the selected processor  70 , such as SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM, RDRAM, DDR, DDR-2, etc. The persistent memory  74  is any type, configuration, capacity of memory suitable for persistently storing data, for example, flash memory, read only memory, battery-backed memory, magnetic memory, etc. In some exemplary cell phones  10 , the persistent memory  74  is removable, in the form of a memory card of appropriate format such as SD (secure digital) cards, micro SD cards, compact flash, etc. 
         [0042]    Also connected to the processor  70  is a system bus  82  for connecting to peripheral subsystems such as a cellular network interface  80 , a graphics adapter  84  and a touch screen interface  92 . The graphics adapter  84  receives commands from the processor  70  and controls what is depicted on a display image on the display  86 . The touch screen interface  92  provides navigation and selection features. 
         [0043]    In general, some portion of the persistent memory  74  and/or the SIM card  88  is used to store programs, executable code, phone numbers, contacts, and data, etc. In some embodiments, other data is stored in the persistent memory  74  such as audio files, video files, text messages, etc. 
         [0044]    The peripherals are examples and other devices are known in the industry such as Global Positioning Subsystem  91 , speakers, microphones, USB interfaces, Bluetooth transceiver  94 , Wi-Fi transceiver  96 , camera  93 , microphone  95 , image sensors, temperature sensors, etc., the details of which are not shown for brevity and clarity reasons. 
         [0045]    The cellular network interface  80  connects the cell phone  10  to the cellular network  68  through any cellular band and cellular protocol such as GSM, TDMA, LTE, etc., through a wireless medium  78 . There is no limitation on the type of cellular connection used. The cellular network interface  80  provides voice call, data, and messaging services to the cell phone  10  through the cellular network. 
         [0046]    For local communications, many cell phones  10  include a Bluetooth transceiver  94 , a Wi-Fi transceiver  96 , or both. Such features of cell phones  10  provide data communications between the cell phones  10  and data access points and/or other computers such as a personal computer (not shown). 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a schematic view of a typical computer system (e.g., server  500  or user computer  10 A) is shown. The example computer system  500  represents a typical computer system used for back-end processing, generating reports, displaying data, etc. This exemplary computer system is shown in its simplest form. Different architectures are known that accomplish similar results in a similar fashion and the present invention is not limited in any way to any particular computer system architecture or implementation. In this exemplary computer system, a processor  570  executes or runs programs in a random access memory  575 . The programs are generally stored within a persistent memory  574  and loaded into the random access memory  575  when needed. The processor  570  is any processor, typically a processor designed for computer systems with any number of core processing elements, etc. The random access memory  575  is connected to the processor by, for example, a memory bus  572 . The random access memory  575  is any memory suitable for connection and operation with the selected processor  570 , such as SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM, RDRAM, DDR, DDR-2, etc. The persistent memory  574  is any type, configuration, capacity of memory suitable for persistently storing data, for example, magnetic storage, flash memory, read only memory, battery-backed memory, magnetic memory, etc. The persistent memory  574  is typically interfaced to the processor  570  through a system bus  582 , or any other interface as known in the industry. 
         [0048]    Also shown connected to the processor  570  through the system bus  582  is a network interface  580  (e.g., for connecting to a data network  506 ), a graphics adapter  584  and a keyboard interface  592  (e.g., Universal Serial Bus—USB). The graphics adapter  584  receives commands from the processor  570  and controls what is depicted on a display image on the display  586 . The keyboard interface  592  provides navigation, data entry, and selection features. 
         [0049]    In general, some portion of the persistent memory  574  is used to store programs, executable code, data, contacts, and other data, etc. 
         [0050]    The peripherals are examples and other devices are known in the industry such as speakers, microphones, USB interfaces, Bluetooth transceivers, Wi-Fi transceivers, image sensors, temperature sensors, etc., the details of which are not shown for brevity and clarity reasons. 
         [0051]    Referring to  FIGS. 4-13 , exemplary cell phone user interfaces of the system for mobile workforce management are shown. Although many user interfaces are anticipated, one example user interface is a text message interface  400  that is used to inform a caregiver of the upcoming caregiver&#39;s scheduled stops. The scheduling user interface  400  runs on a cellular phone  10  or other portable device. When the messaging application runs, for example, on the user&#39;s cell phone  10 , the messaging application communicates with the server  500 , receiving messages that include patients to be visited, along with times and locations. In this example, each appointment  401 / 402 / 403  includes a patient name, appointment time, and address, etc. In the example shown, the first appointment  401  is at a patient location for John Doe from 7 AM to 8 AM at 8404 Hawbuck Road in Trinity, Fla. The patient&#39;s phone number is also presented should the caregiver need to contact the patient. Two other patient appointments  402 / 403  are shown, although any number of appointments are anticipated, including one appointment. Other directives are anticipated, such as a “Back” directive  406  to navigate to a previous interface (not shown for clarity reasons). 
         [0052]    By selecting an appointment  401 / 402 / 403 , an appointment user interface is presented as in  FIG. 6 . In many text-messaging applications, there is a field  404  for entering a response message, shown for completeness. 
         [0053]    In an alternate embodiment, the appointment notices are interchanged between the server  500  and an application running on the cellular phone  10  and the appointment schedule  405  is displayed from the application as shown in  FIG. 5 . This example is similar to that of  FIG. 4 , showing the first appointment  401  is at a patient location for John Doe from 7 AM to 8 AM at 8404 Hawbuck Road in Trinity, Fla. The patient&#39;s phone number is also presented in case the caregiver needs to call the patient. Two other patient appointments  402 / 403  are shown, although any number of appointments are anticipated, including one appointment. 
         [0054]    Again, by selecting an appointment  401 / 402 / 403  on the user interface  405 , an appointment user interface  410  is displayed as shown as in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0055]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , a detail appointment user interface  410  of the system for a mobile workforce shows details regarding an appointment  401 . In this, the caregiver has selected one of the appointments  401 / 402 / 403  from the appointment list user interface  405 , for example the first appointment  401 . In the detail appointment user interface  410 , the first appointment  401  is shown along with the current time  423  and the amount of time until the appointment  401  begins  426  (note, this number is anticipated to be negative as represented as a negative number or a different color, indicating that the caregiver is late for the appointment  401 ). The detail appointment user interface  410  includes an “arrival” directive  412 . When the caregiver arrives at the appointment  401 , the caregiver invokes the “arrival” directive  412  to signal to the system that the caregiver is present at the appointment  401 . Once the caregiver invokes the “arrival” directive  412 , an advocate is notified (if an advocate is associated with the patient) as in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . Note that once the “arrival” directive  412  is selected, the advocate is able to view the location of the caregiver (e.g., as in  FIG. 12 ) up until the caregiver invokes the “depart” directive  436  (see  FIG. 8 ). 
         [0056]    Should the caregiver not be able to make it to the appointment  401 , the caregiver contacts a manager (e.g., by voice call or by text message) and, responsive to such, the manager invokes a “reach out” directive  644  to find another caregiver that can cover for this caregiver, as will be described with  FIG. 14 . 
         [0057]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , a late arrival user interface  420  of the system for a mobile workforce shows details of an appointment to which the caregiver is late. The late arrival user interface  420  is similar to the detail appointment user interface  410 , except it shows the fact that the caregiver is late  422  to the appointment  401  and indicates the current time  423 , but also shows the start time of the appointment  424  and the number of minutes that the caregiver is late  425 . The late arrival user interface  420  also includes the same directives as the detail appointment user interface  410 ; an “arrival” directive  412 . 
         [0058]    Should the caregiver not invoke the “arrival” directive  412  within a preset interval of the time of that caregiver&#39;s next appointment (e.g., the caregiver is late by the preset interval), the manager is sent a notice (e.g., from the server  500 ) indicating such, allowing the manager knowledge for use in contacting the caregiver to make sure they are alright, finding alternate caregivers (see “reach out” directive  644  in  FIG. 14 ), and for feedback and improvement purposes. By such notification to the manager, the manager is able to prepare, should the advocate for this particular patient call and query as to why the caregiver has not arrived. This set interval, or tolerance threshold, defaults to a specific number of minutes (e.g., five minutes) and is changeable by the manager(s). 
         [0059]    Should the caregiver invoke the “arrival” directive  412  before arriving at the patient&#39;s place of residence and the caregiver is further than a pre-set distance from the patient&#39;s place of residence, another message is sent to the manager indicating that the caregiver has signaled arrival early. For example, if the pre-set distance is one-half mile and the caregiver invokes the “arrival” directive  412  when the caregiver is one mile from the patient&#39;s place of residence, the manager is informed, enabling corrective action and feedback to the caregiver and providing data for the manager to edit billing records to discount for the time that was not actually spent with the patient. In some embodiments, the message includes an identification of the caregiver (e.g., name), the patient name, and/or the actual distance that the caregiver is from the residence of the patient. In any case, the advocate receives a message indicating that the caregiver has arrived at the residence of the patient as explained in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0060]    In some embodiments, once the “arrival” directive  412  is invoked, a camera  93  and/or microphone  95  of the caregiver&#39;s cell phone  10  is activated to record audio and/or video transcripts of the interaction between the caregiver and the patient. In some embodiments, during the interval between when the caregiver invokes the “arrival” directive  412  and when the caregiver invokes the “departed” directive  436 , a video and/or audio stream will be available to the advocate so that the advocate sees and/or hears the interactions between the caregiver and the patient. In some embodiments in which the video and/or audio stream is available, the advocate will have a function to initiate viewing and/or listening such as the “stream” directive  479  of  FIG. 12  either only during the period between when the caregiver invokes the “arrival” directive  412  and when the caregiver invokes the “departed” directive  436  while in other embodiments, the advocate will have a function to initiate viewing and/or listening such as the “stream” directive  479  of  FIG. 12 , even after the caregiver invokes the “departed” directive  436 , retrieving stored video and/or audio from the data storage  502 . The manager will always have access to each video and/or audio stream for employee improvement programs and responses to client questions, etc. 
         [0061]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , a user interface  430  showing the caregiver is at the appointment is shown. The user interface  430  showing the caregiver is at the appointment is a result of the caregiver invoking the “arrival” directive  412  (see above), showing the time that the caregiver checked in  431 , the current time  423 , and the number of minutes until the caregiver is expected to depart  433  from the appointment. 
         [0062]    The user interface  430  showing the caregiver is at the appointment has a “depart” directive  436  and a “get help” directive  438 . The “depart” directive  436  informs the system for a mobile workforce that the caregiver has departed from the current appointment  401 . In some embodiments, a “get help” directive  438  is provided to provide fast access to a network of first responders. Invoking the “get help” directive  438  initiates processes that, for example, issue a call to 911 for emergency response, signals management so that management can direct other caregivers to the location of the appointment, etc. Once the caregiver invokes the “depart” directive  436 , the location of the caregiver is no longer visible to the advocate (e.g., the location of the caregiver as in  FIG. 12  is disabled or replaced with a message). The location of the caregiver is still discoverable by a manager as long as the caregiver remains active in the application. 
         [0063]    Should the caregiver leave the residence of the patient without invoking the “depart” directive  436 , notices are sent to the caregiver (and optionally to the manager). The notices inform the caregiver to the fact that they may have forgotten to invoke the “depart” directive  436  as a reminder and, generally have an “override” feature to inform the system that the caregiver is still providing care to the patient, for example, transporting the patient. In some embodiments, the missed departure notices are sent once the caregiver reaches a specific distance from the residence of the patient (e.g., one-half mile from the residence of the patient). The specific distance has a default value and there is a mechanism for a manager to change the warning distance. Once the caregiver reaches the specific distance from the residence of the patient, a first message is sent. As an example, if the caregiver is still at least the specific distance from the residence of the patient after a period of time, a second message is sent (e.g. 10 minutes after the first message) and after a greater period of time, a third message is sent (e.g.  30  minutes after the second message), and so on. 
         [0064]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , an in-route user interface  440  of the system for a mobile workforce shows that the caregiver has finished and checked-out of the first appointment  401  and is in-route to the next appointment  402 . For informational use, there is a display of the time that the caregiver checked out  441 . In some embodiments, the distance traveled in-route is recorded and stored in the data storage  502 . 
         [0065]    In the in-route user interface  440 , the next appointment from the appointments  401 / 402 / 403  is displayed, in this example the second appointment  402 . In the in-route user interface  440 , the appointment  402  is shown along with the current time  423  and the amount of time until the next appointment  402  begins  435  (note, this number is anticipated to be negative as represented as a negative number or a different color, indicating that the caregiver is late for the appointment  402 ). The in-route user interface  440  includes an “arrival” directive  412 . When the caregiver arrives at the appointment  401 , the caregiver invokes the “arrival” directive  412  to signal to the system that the caregiver is present at the appointment  402 . 
         [0066]    Should the caregiver not be able to make it to the appointment  402 , the caregiver contacts a manager as described previously. 
         [0067]    Referring to  FIG. 10  illustrates request-for-coverage user interface  460  of the system for a mobile workforce shows the location from where the caregiver requests help. In this, the caregiver has contacted a manager (see  FIG. 14 ) and the manager has invoked the “reach out” function  644  (see  FIG. 14 ) requesting that some other caregiver cover for the next appointment  402 . By using knowledge of the locations of each caregiver, the server  500  sends the request-for-coverage user interface  460  to all qualified caregivers in a specific radius or distance (e.g., measured in miles, or time). For example, if two qualified caregivers are within a five-minute drive of the next appointment  402  and all other qualified caregivers are further away, the request-for-coverage user interface  460  is sent to the two caregivers that are within a five-minute drive of the next appointment  402 . If any of the caregivers that receive the request-for-coverage user interface  460  are able to cover, that caregiver responds by invoking the “yes” directive  466 . Otherwise, that caregiver responds by invoking the “no” directive  468 . A qualified caregiver is a caregiver that has the skills and/or certifications required to care for the patient of the next appointment  402 . 
         [0068]    In some embodiments, the server  500  determines an initial set of other caregivers based upon distance/travel-time from the next appointment  402  and sends the request-for-coverage user interface  460  to each in that set. If multiple other caregivers in the initial set respond by invoking the “yes” directive  466 , the server  500  selects one and sends the selected caregiver an appointment user interface  410 . The server  500  sends the other caregivers in the initial set a “thank-you, but no need” message. 
         [0069]    In some embodiments, if all other caregivers respond by invoking the “no” directive  468 , the server  500  determines another set of qualified caregivers by increasing the threshold of distance/travel-time from the next appointment  402  and sends the request-for-coverage user interface  460  to each in this new set, and so forth until the server  500  either finds another caregiver that can cover for the next appointment  402  or the server determines that the appointment cannot be covered and the server informs management and optionally the advocate that the appointment will have to be canceled or other action be taken. 
         [0070]    Referring to  FIG. 11 , an advocate user interface  470  of the system for a mobile workforce is shown. Although any user interface is anticipated, the advocate user interface  470  shown is a text message interface for informing an advocate (e.g., a parent, doctor, sibling, child who advocates for the patient) with a message  471  indicating that the caregiver has arrived at the place of care. The advocate user interface  470  provides peace of mind to the advocate that their loved one is receiving care at the anticipated time. Should the advocate want to see the location of the caregiver, the advocate selects the “show” icon  472  and a map as in  FIG. 12  is displayed showing the location of the patient&#39;s residence  478  and the location of the caregiver  476 , both being coincidental in the example shown. Note that, for some services, it is anticipated that the caregiver transports the patient, for example, for a doctor&#39;s visit, to a pharmacy, etc. In that case, it is anticipated that the location of the caregiver  476  will be distal from the patient&#39;s residence  478  until the caregiver (and patient) return to the patient&#39;s residence  478 . Once the caregiver invokes the “depart” directive  436 , the advocate no longer receives location information and the interface of  FIG. 12  is replaced with an “inactive” message or a message as that shown in  FIG. 13  is displayed. 
         [0071]    In embodiments in which the caregiver captures video and/or audio of the interactions between the caregiver and the patient, the advocate has access to the video and/or audio through the “stream” directive  479 . In such, invoking the “stream” directive  479  (e.g., after the caregiver invoked the “arrival” directive  412 ) results in a display of the video and/or reproduction of the audio at the device of the advocate. Once the caregiver invokes the “depart” directive  436 , the advocate no longer has access to the video and/or audio stream. In some embodiments, the video and/or audio is saved in the data storage  502  for later access by the manager and/or the advocate. 
         [0072]    Referring to  FIG. 13 , another advocate user interface  480  of the system for a mobile workforce is shown. Although any user interface is anticipated, this advocate user interface  480  is a text message interface for informing an advocate (e.g., a parent, doctor, sibling, child who advocates for the patient) with a message  481  indicating that the caregiver has departed from the place of care. The second advocate user interface  480  provides an indication of fulfilling the anticipated duration of the patient care as the message  481  is typically time/date stamped. 
         [0073]    Referring to  FIG. 14 , an employee data user interface  640  of the system for a mobile workforce showing a list of caregivers is shown. For example, one caregiver  646  is Steven Jacobs. If this caregiver  646  is actively providing care (e.g., has notified of arrival and not yet departed), the patient and location being visited is shown. There are directives  642  for managers to edit or delete that caregiver. There are global directives for reaching out  644 , designations, and adding a new caregiver. 
         [0074]    The “reach out” directive  644  provides for on-the-fly staffing situations. For example, if a caregiver has a flat tire in route to an appointment, that caregiver involves the manager who invokes the “reach out” directive  644  to reach out to other caregivers (any caregiver that is logged in to the application) to try and substitute for the caregiver with the car trouble (as communicated by, for example, voice or text). To do this, the manager clicks on the “reach out” directive  644  and enters the address of the patient (e.g., selects one of the patients or a specific scheduled appointment). In some embodiments, the server  500  determines which other caregivers will receive the request-for-coverage user interface  460  (see description of  FIG. 10  above), or alternately, the manager selects a desired radius/distance from which the other caregivers are from the subject location (e.g., from how far the manager wants to draw) and the designation of caregivers required to fill the patient&#39;s needs (e.g. the skills required such as that of a registered nurse, etc.). Once the distance and designations are entered, the manager issues the reach out. Those caregivers that meet the criteria (distance and skills) show up on the user interface for selection by the manager. The reach-out user interface  460  of the system for a mobile workforce is sent to each caregiver that meets the criteria, requesting a substitute caregiver at an appointment and requesting confirmation if they are able to substitute. 
         [0075]    In some embodiments, once the caregivers who meet the criteria are identified, the manager then enters in a brief message. This message, along with details of the appointment, is sent to the caregiver who agreed to cover, e.g. by a text message or user interface similar to that of  FIG. 6 . 
         [0076]    Referring to  FIG. 15 , a patient data user interface  650  of the system for a mobile workforce displaying a list of patients is shown. In this, data regarding each patient is listed, including the patient names  656 , addresses, etc. Global directives  654  are provided to access followers for each of the patient (e.g. an advocate or a loved one of each patient), messaging, and adding of new patients and/or advocates. Each entry has directives  652  for editing or deleting the patient record. 
         [0077]    Referring to  FIG. 16 , a schedule user interface  660  of the system for providing care showing a visit schedule for one caregiver is shown. In this example, the schedule for one caregiver  662  (Steven Jacobs) is shown, having three patient visits  401 / 402 / 403  scheduled along with data regarding each visit. Global directives  664  are provided to change this view between a month-at-a-time, a week-at-a-time, and a day-at-a-time. The schedule is created both manually by a manager and/or automatically under program control. In automatic mode, a scheduler process running on the server  500  takes into account the needs of each patient that must be visited, the capabilities of each of the caregivers, and the distance/time between patients to suggest or propose a schedule for each caregiver as, for example, shown in  FIG. 16 . For example, the scheduler found three patients  401 / 402 / 403  that have need of services that match the skills of the selected employee (caregiver)  662  and that are close enough to each other as to provide ample time for the caregiver to drive from each appointment to the next. The scheduler allows for a manager to override the scheduler&#39;s suggestions, for example, changing the allotted drive time to a lower delta-time or a higher delta-time, etc., or to insert other patients in the schedule as needed. A manager also has the ability to assign different patients to specific caregivers, etc. The scheduler has heuristics that determine the schedule, taking into account the needs of each patient that must be visited, the capabilities of each of the caregivers, and the distance/time between patients, and the heuristics are tuned by, for example, parameters such as minimum delta-time, maximum patients per day, maximum drive time between patients, and blacklists (e.g., lists of caregiver-patient combinations to avoid, possibly due to previous conflicts or mistrust). 
         [0078]    Referring to  FIG. 17 , a caregiver review user interface  670  of the system for a mobile workforce showing the prior activities of a particular caregiver is shown. In this example, one caregiver is selected (John Doe) along with a date range  672  and results for that caregiver are displayed. By selecting the flag icon  676  on one of the entries in the results  675 , the route taken by the caregiver is displayed on a map  678 . 
         [0079]    Note that whenever a caregiver has activated the caregiver application on their cell phone  10 , the manager has access to the location of the caregiver (e.g., as shown if  FIG. 17 ). Once the caregiver is finished for the day, the caregiver exits the application and the manager no longer has access to the caregiver&#39;s location, for privacy of the caregiver. Historical data is maintained regarding the route taken by the caregiver for future reviews, as shown in  FIG. 17 . 
         [0080]    In embodiments in which video and/or audio was captured by the caregiver during the appointment, the manager has access to the video and/or audio through a directive, e.g., as a “video” directive  677  in this example. 
         [0081]    Referring to  FIG. 18 , a time report user interface  680  of the system for a mobile workforce is shown. The time report user interface  680  shows past visit records for one caregiver  684  (e.g., John Doe) for a specific date range  682 . For example, this caregiver visited Jane Doe on 10/09/2015 arriving at 07:11 and departing at 08:07, for duration of 00:56 as shown in the first record  686 . As another example, this caregiver visited Jane Doe on 10/22/2015 arriving at 14:19 and departing at 14:20, for a duration of 00:01 as shown in the second record  688 . 
         [0082]    Referring to  FIG. 19 , a patient report user interface  690  of the system for a mobile workforce is shown having dates, times, and durations of visits. In this, a date range  692  is entered and a report generated showing prior visits to a particular patient  694  (Jane Doe in this example), along with visit arrival times, departure times, and durations  696 . 
         [0083]    All interactions between the caregivers and the patients are tracked and logged (e.g., the data in  FIG. 19 ). For example, each completed appointment&#39;s start time, caregiver, end time, travel time, and mileage (e.g., mileage between appointments) is logged and stored in the patient care data  502 . These records are later exported to other applications for time reporting and compensation of the caregivers and to other applications for billing of the patients or insurance companies. 
         [0084]    In embodiments in which video and/or audio are captured, access to the video and/or audio is provided, for example, by selecting any one of the interactions of  FIG. 19 . 
         [0085]    In some embodiments, data masking is provided to improve privacy. Data masking includes any redaction of information regarding the patient and/or advocate to improve privacy should an unauthorized person see any of the above data screens. For example, in notices to the advocate, the last name and address of the patient is redacted so anyone having access to the advocate&#39;s device will only know that a caregiver is visiting with a patient having a specific first name and, if the infiltrator does not know the advocate or patient, the infiltrator will not be able to determine the full name and address of the patient. Likewise, in some embodiments, date provided to the caregiver is also redacted so that the caregiver only knows the address and first name of the patient, etc. In some embodiments, the last name is redacted completely or it is truncated (e.g., “Jane Do” or “Jane D.” for “Jane Doe”). 
         [0086]    The system has fallback operations using text messages for caregivers who do not have smart cell phones  10  that are capable of running the application. In such, the server receives and sends text messages to such advocate&#39;s non-smart cell phones  10 . In this, the caregiver receives formatted messages and responds with specific words or phrases in text messages such as “arrived,” “departed,” etc. The server recognizes these words and takes similar actions as with the user interfaces above. It is anticipated that some cell phones  10  do not have location tracking systems and, in such cases, the only tracking available is when the caregiver sends a message saying where they are located (e.g., “arrived a Jane D&#39;s residence”). 
         [0087]    Referring to  FIGS. 20 and 21 , exemplary program flows of the system for a mobile workforce are shown. 
         [0088]    It is anticipated that portions of the exemplary program flow execute on a user device such as a cell phone  10  and/or a personal computer  10 A (e.g., using a browser or application running on the personal computer  10 A) while portions of the exemplary program flow execute on the server  500 . 
         [0089]    In this example, the flow starts retrieving and displaying  200  the list of appointments. This is, for example, receiving a text message as in the text message interface  400  of  FIG. 4  or by downloading the list of appointments into an application running on the cell phone  10  as in the appointment schedule  405  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0090]    For brevity reasons, the selection of the first appointment is anticipated and the first appointment is loaded and displayed  201 . 
         [0091]    Each time through the loop A, the GPS subsystem  91  of the cell phone  10  is used to determine the location of the caregiver (assuming the cell phone  10  is in the locale of the caregiver). If the location of the cell phone is at the address of the appointment and the “arrival”  412  directive is invoked  210 , patient care is underway (see  FIG. 21 ). If the location of the cell phone is at the address of the appointment and the “arrival”  412  directive has not been invoked  210 , the above is repeated at loop A, reading the location of the caregiver  202 . In some embodiments, a delay is made between iterations as known in the industry. 
         [0092]    If the location of the cell phone is not at the address of the appointment and the “arrival”  412  directive is invoked  210  (e.g., the caregiver is trying to indicate that he/she arrived but is not at the requisite location), steps are taken to provide feedback to the caregiver such as logging the issue  220  and notifying a manager  222  (e.g., sending a text message to the manager) before patient care begins (see  FIG. 21 ). 
         [0093]    Note that “at the address” is considered to be within a programmable distance of the address of the patient. For example, within 300 feet of the address of the patient or ½ mile of the patient, allowing for the caregiver to invoke the “arrival”  412  directive while remaining in a vehicle. 
         [0094]    Once patient care commences, a message is sent  250  to the advocate, as for example, in the text message  470  of  FIG. 12 . During patient care a loop (B) begins with reading  252  the GPS subsystem  91  of the cell phone  10  to determine the location of the caregiver. If the caregiver in not at the location  254  and the type of care being provided is not transportation  260 , a warning  262  is issued and the loop A continues. If the caregiver in not at the location  254  and the type of care being provided is transportation  260 , the loop A continues. 
         [0095]    If the caregiver is still at the location  254  and the caregiver has invoked the “depart” directive  436 , in some embodiments, another message is sent  264  to the advocate indicating departure. The next appointment is loaded  265  and the loop A repeats (see  FIG. 20 ) operating on the next appointment. 
         [0096]    If the caregiver is still at the location  254  and the caregiver has not invoked the “depart” directive  436 , but has invoked the “get help” directive  428  (see  FIG. 8 ), any of various steps are taken such as using the cell phone  10  dialer subsystem to call for emergency services  267  (e.g., call 911), sending a text message to a manager to summon help, broadcasting an alert to nearby caregivers, etc. If the caregiver is still at the location  254 , the caregiver has not invoked the “depart” directive, and the caregiver has not invoked the “get help” directive  428 , the loop B repeats. Again, it is anticipated that there be a delay taken each time through the loop B. 
         [0097]    In some embodiments, while the caregiver is with the patient (e.g., the caregiver has invoked the “arrival” directive  412  and has not invoked the “depart” directive  436 ), the advocate has the ability to see the location of the caregiver. This is anticipated for use in, for example, patient transportation. For example, once the caregiver has invoked the “arrival” directive  412  (e.g., is with a patient), the patient&#39;s advocate receives a message  471  indicating such. This patient&#39;s advocate has the ability to run an advocate user interface (not shown) similar to the user interface of  FIG. 11 , showing the location of the caregiver, and likewise, the location of the patient, assuming the patient is with the caregiver. Note that for privacy reasons, once the “depart” directive  436  is invoked, the patient&#39;s advocate is prevented from detecting the location of the caregiver and, likewise, no other advocates are allowed to view the location of the caregiver until the caregiver invokes the “arrival” directive  412  at the location of that advocate&#39;s loved one (patient). In this way, other advocates are not permitted to see/determine other patients that are being visited for privacy reasons. 
         [0098]    In some embodiments in which the caregiver captures video and/or audio during the appointment, once the “arrival” directive  412  has been invoked and until the “departed” directive  436  is invoked, the advocate has access to view and/or listen to the video and/or audio. In some other embodiments in which the caregiver captures video and/or audio during the appointment, the advocate has access to view and/or listen to the video and/or audio even after the “departed” directive  436  is invoked, retrieving a stored copy from the data storage  502 . 
         [0099]    Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result. 
         [0100]    It is believed that the system and method as described and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.

Technology Category: g