Systems and methods for triaging patients

1 . A method, comprising:

delivering a neuromodulation therapy to a patient to treat a condition of the patient using a neuromodulation system, the neuromodulation system including a therapy-delivering device and a patient device having a user interface configured to enable patient interaction with the neuromodulation system;

determining the condition of the patient by using the neuromodulation system to analyze healthcare-related data, the healthcare-related data including at least one of patient-reported data or sensor-based data, the patient-reported data being derived from patient inputs on the user interface of the patient device, and the sensor-based data including at least one patient parameter sensed by a sensor of the neuromodulation system;

determining, using the neuromodulation system, patient interaction data, the patient interaction data being indicative of patient engagement with the neuromodulation system via the user interface of the patient device, the patient interaction data including at least one of: usage of the patient device to change a parameter of the neuromodulation therapy, usage of the patient device to change programs used to deliver the neuromodulation therapy, or usage of the patient device to turn the neuromodulation therapy ON or OFF;

using both the determined condition of the patient and the determined patient interaction data jointly to triage the patient into one of a set of two or more triage tiers indicative of a priority ranking for patient intervention, wherein the triage tier is determined based on a combination of the determined condition and the determined patient interaction data such that neither the determined condition alone nor the determined patient interaction data alone determines the triage tier; and

automatically assisting the patient based on the triage tier by accessing a data store storing patient assistance data corresponding to each of a plurality of stored patient issues associated with operation of the neuromodulation system, automatically identifying, from the plurality of stored patient issues, at least one issue adversely affecting patient satisfaction with the neuromodulation system based on the determined patient interaction data and the determined condition of the patient, and automatically transmitting therapy adjustments to the therapy-delivering device based on the identified issue and the triage tier.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising using a patient monitoring system configured to determine the condition of the patient.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising using a remote system to provide the patient intervention to improve the condition of the patient, wherein the patient intervention includes at least one of reprogramming, a phone call, or an in-app patient message.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising using a classification of the condition of the patient and a classification of the patient interaction to select the triage tier.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein:

the classification of the condition includes a good condition and a poor condition;

the classification of the patient interaction includes a good interaction and a poor interaction; and

the two or more triage tiers available for selection include at least four tiers, including:

a first tier corresponding to the poor condition and the poor patient interaction;

a second tier corresponding to the poor condition and the good patient interaction;

a third tier corresponding to the good condition and the poor interaction; and

a fourth tier corresponding to the good condition and the good patient interaction.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the classification of the condition includes a mediocre condition between the good condition and the poor condition, and the at least four tiers include a tier corresponding to the mediocre condition and the good patient interaction.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient condition is determined by receiving the patient inputs on the user interface, the patient inputs including, for the patient, at least one of a pain state, a satisfaction score, a pain score, or duration in pain state.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient condition is determined by receiving the patient inputs on the user interface, the patient inputs including, for the patient, at least one of a sleep score, a mood score, or an activity score.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient condition is determined using the sensor-based data by receiving, for the patient, sensed patient parameters, and determining the patient condition from the sensed patient parameters.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient condition is determined by receiving the patient inputs on the user interface, the patient inputs including, for the patient, free text, and determining the patient condition from the free text.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient condition is determined by receiving the patient inputs on the user interface, the patient inputs including, for the patient, a remote control rating log, whether the patient would recommend the neuromodulation therapy to another person, or the use of a communication channel with medical device reps.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the patient condition by tracking web portal activity for patients by a clinician or a rep, or determining factors other than the neuromodulation therapy that may be influencing a pain state.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the patient interaction by determining how often the patient changes a parameter of the neuromodulation therapy.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the patient interaction by determining how often the patient changes programs used to deliver the neuromodulation therapy.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the patient interaction by determining how long the patient has left the neuromodulation therapy OFF or how long the patient has left the neuromodulation therapy ON.

16 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

delivering a neuromodulation therapy to a patient to treat a condition of the patient using a neuromodulation system, the neuromodulation system including a therapy-delivering device and a patient device having a user interface configured to enable patient interaction with the neuromodulation system;

determining the condition of the patient by using the neuromodulation system to analyze healthcare-related data, the healthcare-related data including at least one of patient-reported data or sensor-based data, the patient-reported data being derived from patient inputs on the user interface of the patient device, and the sensor-based data including at least one patient parameter sensed by a sensor of the neuromodulation system;

determining, using the neuromodulation system, patient interaction data, the patient interaction data being indicative of patient engagement with the neuromodulation system via the user interface of the patient device, the patient interaction data including at least one of: usage of the patient device to change a parameter of the neuromodulation therapy, usage of the patient device to change programs used to deliver the neuromodulation therapy, or usage of the patient device to turn the neuromodulation therapy ON or OFF;

using both the determined condition of the patient and the determined patient interaction data jointly to triage the patient into one of a set of two or more triage tiers indicative of a priority ranking for patient intervention, wherein the triage tier is determined based on a combination of the determined condition and the determined patient interaction data such that neither the determined condition alone nor the determined patient interaction data alone determines the triage tier; and

automatically assisting the patient based on the triage tier by accessing a data store storing patient assistance data corresponding to each of a plurality of stored patient issues associated with operation of the neuromodulation system, automatically identifying, from the plurality of stored patient issues, at least one issue adversely affecting patient satisfaction with the neuromodulation system based on the determined patient interaction data and the determined condition of the patient, and automatically transmitting therapy adjustments to the therapy-delivering device based on the identified issue and the triage tier.

17 . A medical system, comprising:

a neuromodulation system including a patient device configured to determine a condition of a patient and a therapy-delivering device configured to deliver a neuromodulation therapy, wherein the patient device has a user interface configured to enable patient interaction by the patient with the neuromodulation system, wherein the condition of the patient is determined by analyzing healthcare-related data, the healthcare-related data including at least one of patient-reported data or sensor-based data, the patient-reported data being derived from patient inputs on the user interface of the patient device, and the sensor-based data including at least one patient parameter sensed by a sensor of the neuromodulation system, the neuromodulation system being configured to determine patient interaction data indicative of patient engagement with the neuromodulation system via the user interface of the patient device, the patient interaction data including at least one of: usage of the patient device to change a parameter of the neuromodulation therapy, usage of the patient device to change programs used to deliver the neuromodulation therapy, or usage of the patient device to turn the neuromodulation therapy ON or OFF; and

a triage system configured to select a triage tier from two or more triage tiers available for selection and indicative of a priority ranking for patient intervention, wherein the triage system is configured to use both the determined patient interaction data and the determined condition jointly to select the triage tier, wherein the triage tier is determined based on a combination of the determined condition and the determined patient interaction data such that neither the determined condition alone nor the determined patient interaction data alone determines the triage tier,

wherein the triage system is configured to access a data store storing patient assistance data corresponding to each of a plurality of stored patient issues associated with operation of the neuromodulation system, automatically identify, from the plurality of stored patient issues, at least one issue adversely affecting patient satisfaction with the neuromodulation system based on the determined patient interaction data and the determined condition of the patient, and automatically transmit therapy adjustments to the therapy-delivering device based on the identified issue and the triage tier.

18 . The medical system according to claim 17 , wherein the neuromodulation system includes a patient monitoring system configured to determine the condition of the patient.

19 . The medical system according to claim 17 , wherein the triage system includes a remote system configured for use in providing the patient intervention to improve the condition of the patient, wherein the patient intervention includes at least one of reprogramming, a phone call, or an in-app patient message.

20 . The medical system according to claim 17 , wherein the triage system is configured to use a classification of the condition of the patient and a classification of the patient interaction to select the triage tier.