# US 2021/0280286 A1 · Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for administering pain management solutions remotely > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0280286 A1 - Document ID: US20210280286A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/807,674 - Filed: 2020-03-03 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-03 - Assignees: Optum, Inc. - Inventors: Rama S. RAVINDRANATHAN; Marilyn Lisa GORDON; Gregory J. BOSS - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210280286A1 ## CPC - G16H 20/10: relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - A61M 35/00: Devices for applying media, e.g. remedies, on the human body (devices for handling toiletry or cosmetic substances A45D; absorbent pads, e.g. swabs, A61F13/15) - A61N 1/36021: {for treatment of pain} - A61N 1/36031: {using physiological parameters for adjustment} - G16H 20/30: relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising - G16H 80/00: ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring - A61M 2205/3303: Using a biosensor - A61M 2230/00: Measuring parameters of the user - A61M 2230/06: Heartbeat rate only - A61M 2230/30: Blood pressure (A61M2230/04 takes precedence) - A61M 2230/42: Rate - A61M 2230/50: Temperature - A61M 2230/62: Posture - A61M 2230/63: Motion, e.g. physical activity - A61N 1/0492: {Patch electrodes (A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence)} - A61N 1/0529: {Electrodes for brain stimulation} - A61N 1/0551: {Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes} - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) ## Abstract Certain embodiments provide systems, methods, and computer program products that administer pain management treatments remotely, according to a dynamic prescription. In some embodiments, the dynamic prescription provides for changes in a dosage of a medication or electrical stimulation, based for instance upon changes in the patient's pain tolerance level, biological indicators, or behavioral characteristics. In some embodiments, if it is determined that a dosage change is needed, the dosage change can be compared against the dynamic prescription to determine whether the dosage change is permitted within the scope of the dynamic prescription. In some embodiments, if the dosage change is determined to be outside what is permitted by the scope of the dynamic prescription, the updated dosage information can be provided to the patient's physician for authorization of the updated dosage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for dynamic pain management, the apparatus comprising: an epidermal treatment device configured to be placed in operable contact with a patient's epidermis and provide an initial dosage of a pain management treatment to the patient's epidermis according to an initial prescription, wherein the apparatus is configured to: receive patient behavior information, determine, based at least upon the patient behavior information, the patient's current pain tolerance, and determine, based on at least the patient's current pain tolerance, an updated dosage different from the initial dosage, according to an updated prescription, for pain management treatment. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: provide, via the epidermal treatment device, an updated dosage different from the initial dosage of the pain management treatment to the patient's epidermis according to the updated prescription. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus if further configured to receive the patient behavior information from a patient monitoring unit configured to monitor one or more biometric characteristics of the patient and generate the patient behavior information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more biometric characteristics are selected from among posture, gait, speech patterns, eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, core temperature, epidermal temperature, respiration rate, epidermal perspiration rate, facial expressions, changes in facial expressions, and Prkachin and Solomon Pain Intensity (PSPI) indicators. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the patient behavior information is generated based at least upon the one or more biometric characteristics and at least one of: manual inputs from the patient regarding the patient's current pain level, the patient's medical records, the dosage information from the initial prescription, and the patient's historical prescription information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: communicate wirelessly, to a prescription authorization unit, at least one of the patient behavior information, the patient's pain tolerance, the updated prescription, and the updated dosage information for pain management treatment. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: receive, from the prescription authorization unit, one or more of a message confirming receipt of the updated prescription, a message approving the updated prescription, a message amending the updated prescription, a message replacing the updated prescription with a further updated prescription, and a message rejecting the updated prescription. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the epidermal treatment device comprises one or more of a transdermal patch, a single-layer drug-in-adhesive patch, a multi-layer drug-in-adhesive patch, a reservoir transdermal patch, a matrix adhesive patch, a vapor patch, a neuromodulation device, a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation device, a transcranial pulsed electromagnetic fields device a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device, an electroconvulsive therapy device, and a intrathecal drug delivery device. ### Claim 9 A system for dynamic pain management, the system comprising: an epidermal treatment device configured to be placed in operable contact with a patient's epidermis and provide an initial dosage of a pain management treatment to the patient's epidermis according to an initial prescription; and a prescription management unit in wireless communication with the transdermal patch, the prescription management unit configured to: receive patient behavior information, determine, based at least upon the patient behavior information, the patient's current pain tolerance, and determine, based on at least the patient's current pain tolerance, an updated prescription comprising updated dosage information for pain management treatment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the prescription management unit is further configured to provide the updated prescription to the epidermal treatment device, and wherein the epidermal treatment device is further configured, upon receiving the updated prescription from the prescription management unit, to provide an updated dosage different from the initial dosage of the pain management treatment to the patient's epidermis according to the updated prescription. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, further comprising: a patient monitoring unit configured to monitor one or more biometric characteristics of the patient, generate the patient behavior information, and provide the patient behavior information to the prescription management unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more biometric characteristics are selected from among posture, gait, speech patterns, eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, core temperature, epidermal temperature, respiration rate, epidermal perspiration rate, facial expressions, changes in facial expressions, and Prkachin and Solomon Pain Intensity (PSPI) indicators. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the patient behavior information is generated based at least upon the one or more biometric characteristics and at least one of: manual inputs from the patient regarding the patient's current pain level, the patient's medical records, the dosage information from the initial prescription, and the patient's historical prescription information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising: a prescription authorization unit in wireless communication with the prescription management unit, the prescription management unit being further configured to communicate wirelessly to the prescription authorization unit at least one of: the patient behavior information, the patient's pain tolerance, the updated prescription, and the updated dosage information for pain management treatment. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the prescription authorization unit is configured to: compare the updated prescription to a dynamic prescription comprising a dynamic preauthorized dosage range, and determine whether the updated dosage is within the dynamic preauthorized dosage range. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the prescription authorization unit is further configured to: in an instance in which the updated dosage information is within the dynamic preauthorized range, provide to the prescription management unit a message authorizing the updated prescription, in an instance in which the updated dosage information is not within the dynamic preauthorized range and the prescription authorization unit has instructions to solicit manual authorization from a medical provider, display for the medical provider the updated prescription, receive from the medical provider a response regarding the updated prescription, and provide to the prescription management unit one of a message confirming receipt of the updated prescription, a message authorizing the updated prescription, a message amending the updated prescription, a message replacing the updated prescription with a further updated prescription, and a message rejecting the updated prescription, or in an instance in which the updated dosage information is not within the dynamic preauthorized range and the prescription authorization unit does not have instructions to solicit manual authorization from the medical provider, provide to the prescription management unit a message rejecting the updated prescription. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the epidermal treatment device comprises one or more of a transdermal patch, a single-layer drug-in-adhesive patch, a multi-layer drug-in-adhesive patch, a reservoir transdermal patch, a matrix adhesive patch, a vapor patch, a neuromodulation device, a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation device, a transcranial pulsed electromagnetic fields device a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device, an electroconvulsive therapy device, and a intrathecal drug delivery device. ### Claim 18 A method comprising: disposing a pain management device onto a portion of a patient's epidermis, the pain management device configured to provide an initial dosage of a pain management treatment, according to an initial prescription, via the patient's epidermis; monitoring patient behavior to determine a current pain tolerance for the patient; and determining, based at least on the current pain tolerance, an updated prescription for an updated dosage different from the initial dosage of the pain management treatment. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: communicating with a prescription authorization unit regarding at least one of: the patient behavior, the patient's current pain tolerance, the updated prescription, and the updated dosage information for pain management treatment, wherein the prescription authorization unit is configured to compare the updated prescription to a dynamic prescription comprising a dynamic preauthorized dosage range and determine whether the updated dosage is within the dynamic preauthorized dosage range. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising: in an instance in which the updated dosage information is within the dynamic preauthorized range, providing to the prescription management unit a message authorizing the updated prescription, in an instance in which the updated dosage information is not within the dynamic preauthorized range and the prescription authorization unit has instructions to solicit manual authorization from a medical provider, displaying for the medical provider the updated prescription, receiving from the medical provider a response regarding the updated prescription, and providing to the prescription management unit one of a message confirming receipt of the updated prescription, a message authorizing the updated prescription, a message amending the updated prescription, a message replacing the updated prescription with a further updated prescription, and a message rejecting the updated prescription, or in an instance in which the updated dosage information is not within the dynamic preauthorized range and the prescription authorization unit does not have instructions to solicit manual authorization from the medical provider, providing to the prescription management unit a message rejecting the updated prescription.