Networked Inbox

Abstract

A computer-implemented electronic messaging method and system, the method comprising the steps of receiving an electronic message at a first system, the electronic message comprising a healthcare provider type, obtaining contextual information associated with the electronic message at the first system, using the healthcare provider type and the contextual information to identify an intended recipient address for an intended healthcare provider recipient for the electronic message and providing the intended recipient address to facilitate delivery of the electronic message to the intended healthcare provider recipient.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented electronic messaging method comprising the steps of:
 receiving an electronic message at a first system, the electronic message comprising a general recipient descriptor indicating a healthcare provider type of an intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message, the general descriptor being different from an intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient, and the electronic message, as received, not including the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient;   obtaining contextual information associated with the electronic message at the first system,   identifying the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message, based upon the healthcare provider type and the contextual information; and   after identifying the intended recipient address, delivering the electronic message to the intended healthcare provider recipient at the intended recipient address;   wherein the healthcare provider type includes one or more of a primary care physician, a nurse, a specialist, a medical assistant, a pediatrician, a radiologist, a pharmacist, a surgeon and an emergency room physician.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the step of obtaining contextual information associated with the electronic message includes obtaining a patient identifier identifying a patient associated with the electronic message. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 2  wherein the step of obtaining a patient identifier includes obtaining the patient identifier from a patient chart. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 3  wherein the step of obtaining the patient identifier from a patient chart includes obtaining the patient identifier from a patient chart most recently accessed by a healthcare provider composing the electronic message. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 2  wherein the step of obtaining a patient identifier includes gleaning the identifier from information in the electronic message. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the step of using the healthcare provider type and the contextual information to identify the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message includes the steps of associating a patient chart with the electronic message, identifying a healthcare provider of the healthcare provider type indicated in the patient chart and identifying an electronic address for the identified healthcare provider. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 6  wherein the step of receiving an electronic message at a first system includes composing the electronic message at a second system where the electronic message specifies the healthcare provider type and includes the contextual information, and transmitting the electronic message to the first system. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 6  wherein the step of receiving an electronic message at a first system includes receiving the electronic message as the message is entered and prior to transmission of the electronic message. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the electronic message is composed using the first system. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the electronic message is composed using a second system separate from the first system and wherein the step of receiving the electronic message includes receiving the electronic message from the second system at the first system. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the specialist includes one or more of a cardiac specialist, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, a pulmonary specialist, an endocrinology specialist, an anesthesiology specialist, and a podiatry specialist. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the general recipient descriptor further indicates a healthcare location associated with the intended healthcare provider recipient, wherein the healthcare location includes one or more of a hospital, a healthcare cooperative, an emergency room, a surgery department, a pharmacy, and a laboratory; and
 wherein the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message is identified based upon the healthcare location as well as the healthcare provider type and the contextual information. 
 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  further including the step of providing the intended recipient address to facilitate delivery of the electronic message to the intended healthcare provider recipient. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 13  wherein the step of providing the intended recipient address includes automatically inserting the intended recipient address in an address field in the electronic message. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 13  wherein the step of providing the intended recipient address includes presenting the intended recipient address for selection as a target address for the electronic message. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the step of using the healthcare provider type and the contextual information to identify the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message includes using the healthcare provider type and the contextual information to identify at least two intended recipient addresses for intended healthcare provider recipients of the electronic message. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 1  wherein the contextual information is geographic information associated with the location of the first system. 
     
     
         18 . A networked messaging system comprising: a first medical record system comprising patient records and caregiver records; and
 a first computer system communicatively linked to the first medical record system, the first computer system programmed to perform the steps of:
 receiving an electronic message, the electronic message comprising a general recipient descriptor indicating a healthcare provider type of an intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message and a healthcare location associated with the intended healthcare provider recipient, the general descriptor being different from an intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient, and the electronic message, as received, not including the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient; 
 obtaining contextual information associated with the electronic message; 
 identifying the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message, based upon the healthcare provider type, the healthcare location, and the contextual information; and 
 after identifying the intended recipient address, delivering the electronic message to the intended healthcare provider recipient at the intended recipient address. 
   
     
     
         19 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the system is programmed to perform the step of obtaining contextual information associated with the electronic message by obtaining a patient identifier identifying a patient associated with the electronic message. 
     
     
         20 . The networked messaging system of  claim 19  wherein the system is programmed to perform the step of obtaining a patient identifier by obtaining the patient identifier from a patient chart. 
     
     
         21 . The networked messaging system of  claim 20  wherein the system is programmed to perform the step of obtaining the patient identifier from a patient chart by one or more of obtaining the patient identifier from a patient chart most recently accessed by a healthcare provider composing the electronic message and gleaning the identifier from information in the electronic message. 
     
     
         22 . The networked messaging system of  claim 19  wherein the healthcare location includes one or more of a hospital, a healthcare cooperative, an emergency room, a surgery department, a pharmacy, and a laboratory. 
     
     
         23 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the system is programmed to perform the step of using the healthcare provider type, the healthcare location, and the contextual information to identify the intended recipient address for the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message by associating a patient chart with the electronic message, identifying a healthcare provider of the healthcare provider type indicated in the patient chart and identifying an electronic address for the identified healthcare provider. 
     
     
         24 . The networked messaging system of  claim 23  wherein the system is programmed to perform the step of receiving an electronic message at a first system by receiving the electronic message from a second system used to compose the electronic message where the electronic message specifies the healthcare provider type and includes the contextual information. 
     
     
         25 . The networked messaging system of  claim 23  wherein the system is programmed to perform the step of receiving an electronic message at a first system by receiving the electronic message as the message is entered and prior to transmission of the electronic message. 
     
     
         26 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the electronic message is composed using the first system. 
     
     
         27 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the electronic message is composed using a second system separate from the first system and wherein the step of receiving the electronic message includes receiving the electronic message from the second system at the first system. 
     
     
         28 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the healthcare provider type includes one or more of a primary care physician, a nurse, a specialist, a medical assistant, a pediatrician, a radiologist, a pharmacist, a surgeon and an emergency room physician. 
     
     
         29 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the computer is further programmed to perform the step of providing the intended recipient address to facilitate delivery of the electronic message to the intended healthcare provider recipient. 
     
     
         30 . The networked messaging system of  claim 29  wherein the step of providing the intended recipient address includes automatically inserting the intended recipient address in an address field in the electronic message. 
     
     
         31 . The networked messaging system of  claim 29  wherein the step of providing the intended recipient address includes presenting the intended recipient address for selection as a target address for the electronic message. 
     
     
         32 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the contextual information is geographic information associated with the location of the first system. 
     
     
         33 . The networked messaging system of  claim 18  wherein the step of using the healthcare provider type, the healthcare location, and the contextual information to identify the intended recipient address for the intended healthcare provider recipient of the electronic message includes using the healthcare provider type and the contextual information to identify at least two intended recipient addresses for intended healthcare provider recipients of the electronic message. 
     
     
         34 . A computer-implemented electronic messaging method, the method comprising the steps of:
 receiving a general recipient descriptor at a first system where the general recipient descriptor is associated with an electronic message and the general recipient descriptor is descriptive of one or more healthcare provider types associated with a plurality of different possible intended healthcare provider recipients of the electronic message and is descriptive of one or more healthcare locations associated, respectively, with the plurality of different possible intended healthcare provider recipients of the electronic message, the electronic message not including an intended recipient address for at least one of the plurality of different possible intended healthcare provider recipients;   obtaining contextual information associated with the electronic message;   identifying the intended message recipient address for the electronic message, based upon the general recipient descriptor and the contextual information; and   after identifying the intended recipient address, delivering the electronic message to the at least one of the plurality of different possible intended healthcare provider recipients at the intended recipient address;   wherein the one or more healthcare provider types include one or more of a primary care physician, a nurse, a specialist, a medical assistant, a pediatrician, a radiologist, a pharmacist, a surgeon and an emergency room physician.   
     
     
         35 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 34  further including the step of providing the intended recipient address to facilitate delivery of the electronic message to the at least one of the plurality of different possible intended healthcare provider recipients recipient. 
     
     
         36 . The computer-implemented electronic messaging method of  claim 34  wherein the step of using the general recipient descriptor and the contextual information to identify the intended recipient address for the at least one of the plurality of different possible intended healthcare provider recipients recipient for of the electronic message includes using the one or more healthcare provider types and the contextual information to identify at least two intended recipient addresses for intended healthcare provider recipients for the electronic message.