Virtual Clinic for Medical Practice

This patent portfolio discloses techniques for providing medical services through a virtual clinic, for example at a retail store. Typically, minor complaints such as a sore throat or changes in blood pressure, require limited examination. Clinic visits are expensive to both the patient and the medical services provider, and in many cases they are not necessary and may even exacerbate the patient's condition. Telemedicine systems are available, where patients and doctors visit their respective telemedicine sites to communicate with each other. However, telemedicine systems are both costly and generally limited to facilities owned and operated by government and off shore sites. A comprehensive system is needed to allow patients to receive good medical services from remote qualified physicians at convenient locations, and also to facilitate payment services between doctors and insurance companies.

 

Value Proposition:  This patent portfolio discloses a business model in which a retail store or other similar entity establishes a place like a kiosk which has a computer and telemedicine apparatus which can connect a patient to a physician at a remote location via the Internet. Such system permits patients to visit a doctor for most of their routine visits (i.e. those not requiring any surgical type of procedure), without traveling to a doctor’s office. The physician does not have to be on the premises, they could be anywhere in the world as long as they are licensed to practice in the State where the patient is. This technology benefits patients by giving them access to a larger network of physicians without leaving their neighborhood; it benefits physicians by reducing overhead and increasing patient base; and it exposes the retail entity housing the virtual clinic to more potential customers of products other than the telemedicine service.

This patent portfolio addresses market limitations by disclosing, in particular:

-    The virtual clinic includes, at a minimum, a computer with a digital camera and Internet connection. When patients need medical attention, they can either walk-in or make an appointment at a virtual clinic in their neighborhood.   The clinic chooses a particular doctor based on factors such as availability of the patient's regular physician or availability of a doctor licensed to practice medicine in the patient's current location, type of medical condition, etc. Once the doctor-patient connection is established, the doctor can use textual, image, audio or visual examination to diagnose the problem and recommend appropriate treatment.