User customizable workflow preferences for remote patient management

1. A method for remote patient management associated with a medical device, comprising:

generating customized workflow instructions, including types and order of remote patient management operations in a central programmer;

selecting a set of workflow instructions by the central programmer from the generated customized workflow instructions in response to data transmitted from a remote medical device to the central programmer;

prioritizing the selected set of workflow instructions; and

executing the selected set of workflow instructions by the central programmer in response to the prioritizing.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prioritizing is in response to one of device status, patient status, time of the data transmission, time since a previous data transmission, and source of the data transmission.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prioritizing is in response to one of patient identity, patient group and medical device identity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating workflow instructions comprises automatically storing workflow instructions corresponding to frequently used workflow operations requested manually in response to transmitted remote medical device data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the set of workflow instructions comprises selecting data distribution operations.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein selecting data distribution operations is based on a patient location and a transmission type or data included in a transmission.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the set of workflow instructions comprises selecting data presentation operations.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the set of workflow instructions comprises selecting automatic scheduling operations.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the set of workflow instructions comprises selecting data analysis operations.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the set of workflow instructions comprises selecting communication operations.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the set of workflow instructions comprises selecting remote medical device programming operations.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prioritizing is responsive to information included in the transmitted data.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the central programmer receives data transmission from one of an implantable medical device or an external medical device.

14. A system for remote patient management, comprising:

a remote medical device adapted to transmit data via a communication network;

a central programmer coupled to the communication network for receiving data from the remote medical device, the central programmer comprising a processor for selecting workflow instructions associated with controlling remote patient management operations, wherein the workflow instructions are stored in a programmable memory according to a predetermined priority in response to receiving data from the remote medical device; and

a user interface coupled to the central programmer to enable a user to generate the workflow instructions.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined priority corresponds to one of device status, patient status, time of the data transmission, time since a previous data transmission, and source of the data transmission.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the workflow instructions correspond to one of data distribution operations, data presentation operations, automatic scheduling operations, data analysis operations, communication operations, and remote medical device programming operations.

17. A method for remote patient management associated with a medical device, comprising:

generating workflow instructions including remote medical device programming operations in a central programmer;

selecting a set of remote medical device programming operations by the central programmer from the workflow instructions to send to a remote medical device, in response to data transmitted from the remote medical device to the central programmer;

prioritizing the selected set of remote medical device programming operations according to workflow instructions; and

executing the selected set of remote medical device programming operations in response to the prioritizing.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the prioritizing is responsive to information included in the transmitted data.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the prioritizing is in response to one of device status, patient status, time of the data transmission, time since a previous data transmission, and source of the data transmission.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the prioritizing is in response to one of patient identity, patient group and medical device identity.

21. The method of claim 17 , comprising:

wherein executing the selected set of remote medical device programming operations includes sending the selected set of remote medical device programming operations to the remote medical device.

22. A system for remote patient management, comprising:

a central programmer coupled to a communication network for receiving data from a remote medical device, the central programmer comprising a processor for selecting workflow instructions including remote medical device programming operations stored in a programmable memory according to a predetermined priority, in response to receiving data from the remote medical device; and

wherein the central programmer is configured to send the selected workflow instructions to the remote medical device for execution.

23. The system of claim 22 , further comprising the remote medical device, configured to transmit data via the communication network.

24. The system of claim 22 , further comprising:

a user interface coupled to the central programmer to enable a user to generate the workflow instructions.