Method and system aiding medical diagnosis and treatment

A method for improving and facilitating diagnosis and treatment of patients having medical conditions requiring long-term profiles of specific variables, said method including the steps of

• using at least one measuring device, periodically measuring at least one medically important variable that has been identified for each of said patients from a body of said each of said patients;
• ensuring said patient is separated from said at least one measuring device after taking each said measurement;
• inputting said at least one medically important variable as raw data into a primary computer after said step of ensuring said patient is separated and recording said at least one medically important variable in a mass storage device integrated with said primary computer system, said step of inputting including one of inputting into a remote computer and transmitting said raw data to said primary computer and inputting said raw data into a telephone interface connected to said primary computer through a telephone and a telephone network, said step of inputting data into a telephone interface includes one of speaking said raw data into said telephone and dialing said raw data into a touch-tone key-pad integrated with said telephone;
• compiling said raw data as data for each patient using the primary computer system, said data representing a history of values for said at least one medically important variable for each of said patients;
• receiving a request for data of one of said patients by a medical practitioner that is treating said one of said patients;
• and
• outputting requested data for said one of said patients in the form of at least one of a chart and a graph to said medical practitioner,
• said step of inputting comprising one of
• transferring said raw data to a remote computer comprising an ordinary general purpose personal computer, then transferring said raw data to said primary computer;
• telephoning an automatic telephone interface and employing one of speech recognition and touch-tone recognition software to input said raw data into said primary computer;
• and
• telephoning a live receptionist. speaking the raw data to said live receptionist for entry into said primary computer,
• said steps of receiving a request and outputting further include one of
• connecting said remote computer to said primary computer using a connection that enables communication between said remote computer and said primary computer, entering said request into said remote computer, transmitting said request from said remote computer to said primary computer system, transmitting said requested data from said primary computer system to said remote computer in response to said request, said requested data representing at least one of said chart and graph and interpretable by said remote computer, said remote computer outputting said at least one chart and graph through output means and
• calling a telephone interface using an ordinary voice telephone and a telephone network, transmitting said request for data from said telephone, receiving said request for data using said telephone interface, and passing said request for data to said primary computer system from said telephone interface, forming an image of said requested data in the form of an image of said at least one of a chart and graph and automatically transmitting said image by facsimile machine to said medical practitioner.

A system for improving and facilitating diagnosis and treatment of patients having medical conditions requiring long-term profiles of at least one predetermined medically important variable, comprising

• means for measure said at least one predetenmined medically important variable;
• means for inputting said at least one predetermined medically important variable as raw data into a primary computer comprising software and hardware enabling said primary computer system to operate as at least one of a web server, a dial-up host, a network server, and a telephone answering and data collection device whereby raw data can be communicated from a remote computer proximate a patient comprising an ordinary general purpose personal computer and from an ordinary telephone wherein data is transmitted as one of spoken data and touch-tone data;
• software for coming said raw data as data for each patient, wherein said data for each patient represents a history of said at least one medically important variable,
• means for receiving a request for data of one of said patients from a medical practitioner that is treating said one of said patients comprising software and hardware enabling said primary computer to operate as at least one of a web server, dial-up host, network server, and a telephone answering and data collection device wherein data is transmitted as one of spoken data and touch-tone data;
• and
• means for automatically outputting requested data in response to receiving said request for data comprising means to transmit said requested data in the form of at least one of a chart and graph generated from said data from said primary computer to a remote computer proximate said practitioner whereby said primary computer is one of a web server, a dial-up host, and a network server and means to transmit said requested data by facsimile through a fax-modem integrated with said primary computer,
• wherein said means for measuring and said means for inputting are operable independently from each other, such that, after obtaining a measurement, a patient may be separated from said means for measuring during an inputting operation by said means for imputing.