System and Methods for Improved Diabetes Data Management and Use Employing Wireless Connectivity Between Patients and Healthcare Providers and Repository of Diabetes Management Information

Abstract

Methods, devices and a system for disease management are provided that employ diagnostic testing devices (e.g., blood glucose meters) and medication delivery devices (e.g., insulin delivery devices) for providing data to a repository in real-time and automatically. Repository data can be analyzed to determine such information as actual test strip use, patient health parameters outside prescribed ranges, testing and medication delivery compliance, patient profiles or stakeholders to receive promotional items or incentives, and so on. Connected meters and medication delivery devices and repository data analysis are also employed to associate a diagnostic test to a mealtime based on timing of a therapeutic intervention performed by an individual.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A disease management system comprising:
 a blood glucose monitoring device configured to detect blood glucose via a blood glucose sensor, and comprising a first communications interface circuit configured to transmit blood glucose data to another device via at least one of a local area network and a near field communication network;   the other device comprising a second communications interface circuit configured to receive the blood glucose data from the blood glucose monitoring device and a third communications interface circuit configured to wirelessly connect via at least one of a cellular network and a wireless internet network to a repository that stores disease management information, and to transmit the blood glucose data to the repository;   wherein the other device is configured to automatically, without user involvement, transmit the blood glucose data to the repository.   
     
     
         2 . The disease management system of  claim 1 , wherein the other device is a cellular telephone, and is configured to automatically, without user involvement, transmit the blood glucose data to the repository in response to detection of cellular telephone activation and selected motion activation of the cellular telephone. 
     
     
         3 . The disease management system of  claim 2 , further comprising a medication delivery pump configured to control delivery of medication and having a fourth communications interface circuit configured to transmit medication delivery information to the other device via at least one of a local area network and a near field communication network, the medication delivery information selected from the group consisting of a medication type, medication amount delivered, time stamp for medication delivery. 
     
     
         4 . The disease management system of  claim 3 , the other device is a cellular telephone, and is configured to automatically, without user involvement, transmit the medication delivery information to the repository in response to detection of cellular telephone activation and selected motion activation of the cellular telephone. 
     
     
         5 . The disease management system of  claim 3 , wherein the medication delivery information relates to insulin doses performed by the pump and the other device configured to automatically, without user involvement, transmit the medication delivery information to the repository in response to detection of an event wherein the blood glucose data is transmitted from the other device to the repository. 
     
     
         6 . The disease management system of  claim 1 , further comprising a medication delivery pen comprising a medication delivery mechanism, a memory to store medication delivery information relating to operation of the medication delivery mechanism, and a fourth communications interface circuit configured to transmit the medication delivery information to the other device via at least one of a local area network and a near field communication network. 
     
     
         7 . The disease management system of  claim 6 , wherein the medication delivery information relates to operation of the medication delivery mechanism to deliver medication and is selected from the group consisting of a medication type, medication amount delivered, time stamp for medication delivery for one or multiple doses. 
     
     
         8 . A method of disease management comprising:
 determining blood glucose data of a patient via a blood glucose sensor;   transmitting the blood glucose data from a blood glucose monitoring device to another device via a first communication circuit and a second communications interface circuit configured, respectively, to transmit and receive the blood glucose data via one of a local area network and a near field communication network;   wirelessly connecting the other device to a repository of disease management information via a third communications interface circuit in the other device, the third communications interface circuit being configured to wirelessly connect to the repository via at least one of a cellular network and a wireless internet network; and   automatically, without user involvement, transmitting the blood glucose data to the repository from the other device.   
     
     
         9 . The disease management method of  claim 8 , wherein the other device is a cellular telephone, and further comprising automatically, without user involvement, transmitting the blood glucose data from the cellular telephone to the repository in response to detection of cellular telephone activation and selected motion activation of the cellular telephone. 
     
     
         10 . The disease management method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 connecting a medication delivery pump to the other device, the medication delivery pump configured to control delivery of medication and having a fourth communications interface circuit configured to connect to the other device via at least one of a local area network and a near field communication network; and   transmitting medication delivery information from the medication delivery pump to the other device via the fourth communications interface circuit, the medication delivery information selected from the group consisting of a medication type, medication amount delivered, time stamp for medication delivery.   
     
     
         11 . The disease management method of  claim 10 , wherein the other device is a cellular telephone, and further comprising automatically, without user involvement, transmitting the medication delivery information to the repository in response to detection of cellular telephone activation and selected motion activation of the cellular telephone. 
     
     
         12 . The disease management method of  claim 10 , wherein the medication delivery information relates to insulin doses performed by the pump, and further comprising automatically, without user involvement, transmitting the medication delivery information from the other device to the repository in response to detection of an event wherein the blood glucose data is transmitted from the other device to the repository. 
     
     
         13 . The disease management method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 connecting a medication delivery pen to the other device, the medication delivery pen comprising a medication delivery mechanism, a memory to store medication delivery information relating to operation of the medication delivery mechanism, and a fourth communications interface circuit configured to connect to the other device via at least one of a local area network and a near field communication network; and   transmitting the medication delivery information to the other device via the fourth communications interface circuit, the medication delivery information relating to operation of the medication delivery mechanism to deliver medication and selected from the group consisting of a medication type, medication amount delivered, time stamp for medication delivery for one or multiple doses.   
     
     
         14 . The disease management method of  claim 13 , wherein the other device is a cellular telephone, and further comprising automatically, without user involvement, transmitting the medication delivery information to the repository in response to detection of cellular telephone activation and selected motion activation of the cellular telephone. 
     
     
         15 . The disease management method of  claim 13 , wherein the medication delivery information relates to insulin doses performed by the medication delivery pen, and further comprising automatically, without user involvement, transmitting the medication delivery information from the other device to the repository in response to detection of an event wherein the blood glucose data is transmitted from the other device to the repository. 
     
     
         16 . The disease management method of  claim 10 , wherein the other device is a cellular telephone having a display and being programmed to generate a dialog screen to request input of food intake from a patient, and further comprising:
 transmitting from the cellular telephone to the repository diet information related to the food intake input; and   analyzing data stored at the repository selected from the group consisting of the blood glucose data, the medication delivery information and the diet information and determining at least one of a calculated insulin dose, and a message for the patient indicating intervention needed based on the blood glucose data.   
     
     
         17 . The disease management method of  claim 16 , further comprising connecting at least one exercise monitoring device to the cellular telephone or repository, the monitoring device comprising a detector for sensing exercise by the patient, the data stored at the repository further comprising data related to sensed exercise, the cellular telephone being configured to transmit the data related to sensed exercise to the repository;
 wherein the analyzing the data stored at the repository comprises using the data related to sensed exercise when determining the calculated insulin dose.