Healthcare verification system and method
The present disclosure describes a system, method and computer readable medium capable of verifying healthcare encounters. In one embodiment, an electronic verification process is described which may utilize geographical information to determine the proximity of a health care worker to the patient during a scheduled healthcare visit. The proximity information may then be compared to a threshold value and an electronic signature screen may be presented to the patient based upon the results of the comparison. In one embodiment, a time stamp may be generated and stored to provide confirmation as to the time that the patient's electronic signature was obtained via the electronic signature screen. Verification information stored by the system may be used to simplify the verification process, hasten payments to healthcare organizations and protect against healthcare fraud.
1. A computer implemented method for verifying a healthcare encounter comprising:
one or more computer processors for:
determining a home address of a patient for a healthcare visit;
determining a geographical location of an electronic device associated with a healthcare worker assigned to provide healthcare to the patient at the patient's home address at a given time;
enabling an electronic signature screen upon the healthcare worker's electronic device if the geographical location of the healthcare worker's electronic device is within a threshold distance of the patient's home address at the given time; and
receiving the patient's electronic signature upon the electronic signature screen in order to verify that the healthcare visit took place; wherein the electronic signature screen is disabled if the geographical location of the healthcare worker's electronic device is not within a threshold distance of the patient's home address at the given time such that the healthcare visit cannot be verified.
2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic signature further comprises a time stamp indicating the time of the electronic signature.
3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising verifying the healthcare encounter if the electronic signature is obtained during a threshold time range.
4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising capturing audio or video information relating to the electronic signature.
5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising generating one or more verification reports.
6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising capturing a picture of the patient or capturing a video of the patient when the electronic signature is received.
7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the device used to collect the electronic signature is a GPS enabled phone or tablet.
8. A computer system for verifying a healthcare encounter comprising:
a computer processor operative to:
determine a home address of a patient for a healthcare visit;
determine a geographical location of an electronic device associated with a healthcare worker assigned to provide healthcare to the patient at the patient's home address at a given time;
enable an electronic signature screen upon the healthcare worker's electronic device if the geographical location of the healthcare worker's electronic device is within a threshold distance of the patient's home address at the given time; and
receive the patient's electronic signature upon the electronic signature screen in order to verify that the healthcare visit took place; wherein the electronic signature screen is disabled if the geographical location of the healthcare worker's electronic device is not within a threshold distance of the patient's home address at the given time such that the healthcare visit cannot be verified.
9. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the electronic signature further comprises a time stamp indicating the time of the electronic signature.
10. The computer system of claim 9 , further comprising verifying the healthcare encounter if the electronic signature is obtained during a threshold time range.
11. The computer system of claim 8 , further comprising capturing audio or video information relating to the electronic signature.
12. The computer system of claim 8 , further comprising generating one or more verification reports.
13. The computer system of claim 8 , further comprising capturing a picture of the patient or capturing a video of the patient when the electronic signature is received.
14. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the device used to collect the electronic signature is a GPS enabled phone or tablet.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for verifying a healthcare encounter comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a computing device to:
determine a home address of a patient for a healthcare visit;
determine a geographical location of an electronic device associated with a healthcare worker assigned to provide healthcare to the patient at the patient's home address at a given time;
enable an electronic signature screen upon the healthcare worker's electronic device if the geographical location of the healthcare worker's electronic device is within a threshold distance of the patient's home address at the given time; and
receive the patient's electronic signature upon the electronic signature screen in order to verify that the healthcare visit took place; wherein the electronic signature screen is disabled if the geographical location of the healthcare worker's electronic device is not within a threshold distance of the patient's home address at the given time such that the healthcare visit cannot be verified.
16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the electronic signature further comprises a time stamp indicating the time of the electronic signature.
17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computer device to verify the healthcare encounter if the electronic signature is obtained during a threshold time range.
18. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computer device to capture audio or video information relating to the electronic signature.
19. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computer device to generate one or more verification reports.
20. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the device used to collect the electronic signature is a GPS enabled phone or tablet.