Gathering information from a healthcare consumer using context-based questions, and progressively presenting information associated with a ranked list of suggested healthcare providers

1. A computer-implemented method for presenting information to a healthcare consumer on a handheld mobile device, including a display device, by progressively presenting context-based questions and presenting information associated with a ranked list of suggested healthcare providers on a graphical user interface on said display device, said method comprising:

receiving, from a database, a healthcare provider information associated with a healthcare provider of a plurality of healthcare providers;

causing said handheld mobile device to generate said graphical user interface on said display device, said graphical user interface comprising a number of a plurality of context-based questions as an overlapping sequence of a stack of cards,

wherein each card is associated with a single question such that a number of said stack of cards corresponds to said number of said plurality of context-based questions,

wherein an indication of a remaining number of said plurality of context-based questions is displayed on said display device as a remaining number of said stack of cards that are partially visible on said graphical user interface,

wherein said number of said plurality of context-based questions is formulated based on information required to calculate said ranked list of suggested healthcare providers, and

wherein said remaining number of said plurality of context-based questions depends on answers input by said healthcare consumer via said handheld mobile device to respond to said plurality of context-based questions;

receiving, from said handheld mobile device, a first answer to a first context-based question of said plurality of context-based questions, said first context-based question regarding a health issue associated with said healthcare consumer;

receiving, from said handheld mobile device, a second answer to a second context-based question of said plurality of context-based questions,

wherein said second context-based question is formulated based on said healthcare provider information and said first answer, and

wherein each subsequent context-based question and a current quantity of said stack of cards is formulated dynamically based on previously received answers;

calculating said ranked list of suggested healthcare providers based on at least said first answer, said second answer, and said healthcare provider information;

sending, to said handheld mobile device, said ranked list of suggested healthcare providers,

wherein said ranked list comprises a plurality of items representing a first information tier associated with said healthcare provider and a first display element configured to receive a first consumer selection, and

wherein said first information tier comprises a graphic representing a match strength between said consumer and said healthcare provider and a text representing a number of similar consumers that said healthcare provider has treated;

upon receiving said first consumer selection:

sending, to said handheld mobile device, a second information tier associated with said healthcare provider, and

causing display, on said display device, of a second display element configured to receive a second consumer selection,

wherein said second information tier comprises a graphic comparison between a number of similar healthcare consumers said healthcare provider has treated and an average number of similar healthcare consumers other healthcare providers have treated; and

upon receiving said second consumer selection:

sending, to said handheld mobile device, a third information tier associated with said healthcare provider, and

causing display, on said display device, a third display element configured to receive a third consumer selection, said third information tier comprising a graphical representation of a percentage breakdown of different health issues said healthcare provider has treated.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending, to said handheld mobile device, a list of suggested answers to said first question based on said healthcare provider information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first information tier further comprises a graphic comparison between a frequency associated with a relevant procedure performed by said healthcare provider and an average frequency associated with said relevant procedure performed by other healthcare providers, and wherein said relevant procedure comprises a procedure associated with said health issue.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said healthcare provider information comprises a number of similar healthcare consumers that said healthcare provider has treated, wherein said similar healthcare consumers comprise healthcare consumers of similar age as said healthcare consumer and a health issue related to said healthcare consumer.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing said first answer and said second answer in a profile associated with said healthcare consumer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first context-based question and said second context-based question belong to a category of comprising a health issue associated with said healthcare consumer, an age associated with said healthcare consumer, a gender associated with said healthcare consumer, an insurance associated with said healthcare consumer, a location associated with said healthcare consumer, a distance said healthcare consumer is willing to travel, and a preference for a gender of a healthcare provider.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said healthcare provider information comprises a percentage breakdown of different health issues that said healthcare provider has treated and an average distance that healthcare consumers associated with said healthcare provider travel to meet with said healthcare provider.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

along with said first context-based question and said second context-based question, sending to said handheld mobile device a visual guide indicating said remaining number of said plurality of context-based questions.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

upon receiving a third healthcare consumer selection, sending to said handheld mobile device a fourth information tier associated with said healthcare provider and a fourth display element configured to receive a fourth healthcare consumer selection, said fourth information tier comprising a graphic comparison between a frequency associated with a procedure performed by said healthcare provider and an average frequency associated with said procedure performed by other healthcare providers.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first information tier further comprises:

a graphic badge indicating that said healthcare provider treats more healthcare consumers than 99% of other healthcare providers associated in a common specialty, and

a graphic comparison between a frequency associated with a relevant procedure performed by said healthcare provider and an average frequency associated with said relevant procedure performed by other healthcare providers, wherein said relevant procedure comprises a procedure associated with said health issue.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said ranked list further comprises a visual representation associated with said healthcare provider.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first display element comprises said item associated with said ranked list.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said third information tier further comprises success rates associated with treatments.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying, on said display device, a display element configured to make an appointment with a selected healthcare provider.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from said handheld mobile device, a geolocation information associated with said handheld mobile device;

based on said geolocation information and said healthcare provider information, sending to said handheld mobile device a list of suggested answers to said first context-based question.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said ranked list comprising a plurality of items representing a summary of information associated with a particular healthcare provider, wherein each item represents a summary of information comprises a graphic representing a match strength between said healthcare consumer and said particular healthcare provider, and a text representing a number of similar healthcare consumers that said healthcare provider has treated.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said similar healthcare consumers comprise healthcare consumers of similar age as said healthcare consumer, similar health issue as said healthcare consumer, and same gender as said healthcare consumer.

18. A computer-implemented method for enabling a handheld mobile device, including a display device, associated with a healthcare consumer to control and interface with a remote healthcare database and a remote healthcare server while preserving healthcare consumer privacy, said method comprising:

maintaining said healthcare database comprising a healthcare provider information associated with a healthcare provider of a plurality of healthcare providers;

instantiating a healthcare provider discovery process on said healthcare server;

causing instantiation of a healthcare consumer discovery graphical user interface on said display device;

establishing a connection between said handheld mobile device and said healthcare server;

enabling said healthcare consumer to interact with said healthcare database by using said graphical user interface on said display device, said enabling including:

causing display, on said display device, of a sequence of a plurality of context-based questions in an overlapping sequence of a stack of cards,

wherein each of said stack of cards is associated with a single one of said plurality of context-based questions such that a number of said stack of cards corresponds to a number of said plurality of context-based questions,

wherein an indication of a remaining number of said plurality of context-based questions is displayed as a remaining number of said stack of cards that are partially visible on said graphical user interface on said display device,

wherein said number of said plurality of context-based questions is formulated based on information required to calculate a ranked list of suggested healthcare providers, and

wherein said remaining number of said plurality of context-based questions depends on responses by said healthcare consumer to said plurality of context-based questions;

upon receiving an answer to a displayed context-based question from said handheld mobile device, causing said display device to present a next context-based question received from a server,

wherein said next context-based question is formulated based on answers received in response to previous context-based questions, and

wherein a current number of said stack of cards is dynamically formulated based on answers received in responses to previous questions;

displaying, on said display device, information associated with said ranked list of suggested healthcare providers,

wherein said ranked list comprises a plurality of items representing a summary of information associated with a healthcare provider,

wherein each item represents a summary of information comprises a graphic representing a match strength between said healthcare consumer and said healthcare provider, and

wherein a text represents a number of similar healthcare consumers that said healthcare provider has treated; and

based on healthcare consumer input, causing display, on said display device, of additional detailed information associated with a selected healthcare provider.

19. A computer-implemented method for gathering information from a healthcare consumer by using a sequence of context-based questions, and progressively presenting information associated with a ranked list of suggested healthcare providers, said method comprising:

displaying, on a display device of a handheld mobile device, a sequence of a plurality of context-based questions in a sequence of a stack of cards,

wherein each of said stack of cards is associated with a single question such that a number of said stack of cards corresponds to a number of said plurality of context-based questions,

wherein an indication of a remaining number of said plurality of context-based questions is displayed as a remaining number of said stack of cards that are partially visible on a graphical user interface on said display device, and

wherein said number of said plurality of context-based questions is formulated to gather information to calculate said ranked list of suggested healthcare providers, and

wherein said remaining number of said plurality of context-based questions depends on responses by said healthcare consumer to said plurality of context-based questions;

upon receiving an answer to a displayed question from said handheld mobile device associated with said healthcare consumer, receiving a next context-based question from a server,

wherein said next context-based question is formulated based on answers received in response to previous questions,

wherein each subsequent context-based question and a current number of said stack of cards is formulated based on answers received in responses to previous context-based questions;

causing display, on said display device, information associated with a ranked list of suggested healthcare providers,

wherein said ranked list comprising a plurality of items representing a summary of information associated with a healthcare provider,

wherein each item representing a summary of information comprises a graphic representing a match strength between said healthcare consumer and said healthcare provider, and

wherein a text representing a number of similar healthcare consumers said healthcare provider has treated; and

based on healthcare consumer input, displaying, on said display device, additional detailed information associated with a selected healthcare provider.