Systems, methods, and computer program products for facilitating communications, workflow, and task assignments in medical practices and clinics

A handheld device that facilitates patient examinations in a medical office, comprising:

• means for identifying an examination location of a patient;
• means for identifying one or more procedures to be performed, wherein the one or more procedures are selected from the group consisting of:
• laboratory analysis of biological samples obtained from the patient, diagnostic tests on the patient, patient vaccinations and/or injections, and preparing a medical prescription;
• means for displaying a patient examination summary, wherein the displayed summary includes patient identification information, patient location information, patient health status information, and a list of identified medical procedures to be performed;
• and
• means for communicating the patient examination summary to a nurse station computer within the medical office.

A medical office system that facilitates patient examinations, comprising:

• a nurse station computer;
• and
• one or more handheld devices, wherein each handheld device communicates wirelessly with the nurse station computer, and wherein each handheld device comprises:
• means for identifying an examination location of a patient;
• means for identifying one or more procedures to be performed on the patient, wherein the one or more procedures are selected from the group consisting of:
• laboratory analysis of biological samples obtained from the patient, diagnostic tests on the patient, patient vaccinations and/or injections, and preparing a medical prescription;
• means for displaying a patient examination summary, wherein the displayed summary includes patient identification information, patient location information, patient health status information, and a list of identified procedures to be performed on the patient;
• and
• means for communicating the patient examination summary wirelessly to the nurse station computer.