Author: claimsbot

1. (canceled)
2. A computer implemented method of generating a quality assurance scorecard on a patient, comprising:
receiving a request for an imaging study on the patient;
retrieving information on the patient from at least one database;
retrieving at least one prior imaging study performed on the patient from said at least one database;
analyzing said prior imaging study with said information on the patient, to determine whether said request for said imaging study is clinically indicated; and
confirming whether said imaging study is necessary based on said analysis.
3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:
analyzing whether said imaging study has been performed previously; and
alerting a user that said imaging study is redundant.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said alerting step is accomplished via electronic communication.
5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:
enabling a user to participate in electronic scheduling, wherein said electronic scheduling is bi-directional.
6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:
providing at least one direct line of communication between said user and an imaging department, wherein said direct line of communication includes at least one of e-mail, cell phone, pager, facsimile, text messaging, and instant messaging.
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:
alerting said users and said imaging department of a change in said scheduling or an additional information requirement, wherein an alert is generated in real-time.
8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:
storing imaging data from at least one current imaging study in said database.
9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:
providing a user with access to said database for at least one of a second opinion or an external peer review.
10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:
enabling said patient to perform corrections to said information that is stored within said database.
11. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:
enabling at least one user to create profiles for an imaging data sheet and customize said imaging data sheet display to said user’s own individual preferences.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said imaging data sheet provides said user with information on said patient medical history.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said information on said patient medical history includes at least one of past medical and surgical history, prior imaging exams and results, current clinical problems, pertinent findings on a physical exam, pertinent laboratory data, pertinent pathology data, ancillary data, technical information related to a prior imaging exam, technologist observations, or technologist notes.
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:
communicating emergent findings to a preselected list of users by electronic communication.
15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:
generating a comprehensive quality assurance score based on prospective and retrospective trending analysis on at least one of data input, workflow, imaging modality, image equipment and exposure parameters, image processing, exam location and results, patient demographics, patient characteristics, or radiologist and clinician identifiers.
16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
performing an optimizing technique, comprising the steps of:
accessing said information on said patient from said database;
extracting exposure parameters and corresponding quality assurance scores from all previous imaging studies; and
recommending adjustments to exposure levels.
17. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:
receiving documentation of imaging complications and risk factors for said patient, and
alerting at least one user of said imaging complications and said risk factors.
18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:
tracking risk factors and determining a cumulative risk to said patient of said imaging study, and instituting an audit trail to track said risk factors and health care decisions made on said patient.
19. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:
receiving an outcome analysis on said current imaging study; and
communicating said outcome analysis to a user.
20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:
receiving feedback from said user on said outcome analysis, wherein said feedback is received via at least one of an electronic or a paper survey.
21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said feedback includes subjective perceptions of said patient.
22. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:
receiving real-time compliance parameters, wherein said compliance parameters include at least one of being present at a scheduled date and time of an appointment, providing pertinent clinical and imaging data, adhering to recommended preparation for an imaging study; providing subjective feedback as it pertains to a quality and timeliness of imaging services, and following up on clinical recommendations.
23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:
forwarding at least one educational material to said patient, wherein said material includes at least one of an educational program, educational content that is targeted to imaging findings and disease diagnosis, information about an imaging exam to be performed, common questions and answers, material on a disease entity in question, or context-specific imaging findings.
24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:
providing said educational material through a web portal.
25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:
automating and customizing said educational program to specific topics via bookmarking on-line education materials to specific medical findings.
26. The method according to claim 25, wherein said educational content includes at least one of interactive content and a quiz.
27. A computer system for generating a quality assurance scorecard, comprising:
at least one memory containing at least one program comprising the steps of:
receiving a request for an imaging study on the patient;
retrieving information on the patient from at least one database;
retrieving at least one prior imaging study performed on the patient from said at least one database;
analyzing said prior imaging study with said information on the patient, to determine whether said request for said imaging study is clinically indicated;
confirming whether said imaging study is necessary based on said analysis; and

at least one processor for running the program.
28. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:
a biometrics system which authenticates a user prior to authorizing said request for said imaging study.
29. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:
an electronic calendar which is bi-directional between said patient and an imaging department performing said imaging study.
30. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:
a comprehensive quality assurance scorecard based on prospective and retrospective trending analysis on at least one of data input, workflow, imaging modality, image equipment and exposure parameters, image processing, exam location and results, patient demographics, patient characteristics, or radiologist and clinician identifiers.
31. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:
an educational program for said patient, which includes at least one of an educational program, educational content that is targeted to imaging findings and disease diagnosis, information about an imaging exam to be performed, common questions and answers, material on a disease entity in question, or context-specific imaging findings.
32. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for generating a quality assurance scorecard on a patient, comprising:
receiving a request for an imaging study on said patient;
retrieving information on the patient from at least one database;
retrieving at least one prior imaging study performed on the patient from said at least one database;
analyzing said prior imaging study with said information on the patient, to determine whether said request for said imaging study is clinically indicated; and
confirming whether said imaging study is necessary based on said analysis.
33. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
analyzing whether said imaging study has been performed previously; and
alerting a user that said imaging study is redundant.
34. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
enabling a user to participate in electronic scheduling.
35. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
providing at least one direct line of communication between said user and an imaging department.
36. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
providing a user with access to said database for at least one of a second opinion or an external peer review.
37. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
enabling said patient to perform corrections to said information that is stored within said database.
38. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
enabling at least one user to create profiles for an imaging data sheet and customize said imaging data sheet display to said user’s own individual preferences.
39. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
generating a comprehensive quality assurance score based on prospective and retrospective trending analysis on at least one of data input, workflow, imaging modality, image equipment and exposure parameters, image processing, exam location and results, patient demographics, patient characteristics, or radiologist and clinician identifiers.
40. The computer-readable medium according to claim 39, further comprising:
performing an optimizing technique, comprising the steps of:
accessing said information on said patient from said database;
extracting exposure parameters and corresponding quality assurance scores from all previous imaging studies; and
recommending adjustments to exposure levels.
41. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
tracking risk factors and determining a cumulative risk to said patient of said imaging study.
42. The computer-readable medium according to claim 41, further comprising:
instituting an audit trail to track said risk factors and health care decisions made on said patient.
43. The computer-readable medium according to claim 42, further comprising:
receiving an outcome analysis on said current imaging study; and
communicating said outcome analysis to a user.
44. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
receiving compliance parameters, wherein said compliance parameters include at least one of being present at a scheduled date and time of an appointment, providing pertinent clinical and imaging data, adhering to recommended preparation for an imaging study, providing subjective feedback as it pertains to a quality and timeliness of imaging services, and following up on clinical recommendations.
45. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising:
forwarding at least one educational material to said patient, said material including at least one of an educational program, educational content that is targeted to imaging findings and disease diagnosis, information about an imaging exam to be performed, common questions and answers, material on a disease entity in question, or context-specific imaging findings.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method in a client web browser for loading separate Document Object Model (DOM) modules utilizing self-referencing of running script elements, wherein each DOM module is separated into a module template and a module Driver following the template, wherein the module template comprises Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) markup that includes tags to be replaced with data, and the module Driver comprises an identifier (ID) tag, a driver variable, a display variable, and functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver, wherein the web browser is implemented in a computer having a processor and a memory, the method comprising the processor performing the following steps for each DOM module:
executing the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to ensure the ID tag is set as a unique identifier for the module, thereby creating a unique ID attribute for the Driver, which enables the Driver to operate independent of other drivers that control other modules;
executing the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to set the driver variable to reference the module Driver, thereby loading the functional code into memory and removing the module Driver from the DOM; and
executing the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to set the display variable to reference in the module template, a DOM element that can be found relative to the module Driver, thereby sandboxing all actions by the module Driver into the referenced DOM element in the template, preventing collisions with the modules running asynchronously elsewhere on the webpage, and eliminating polling for matching DOM elements.
2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of executing the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to ensure the ID tag is set as a unique identifier for the module includes determining whether the ID tag has a preset value that uniquely identifies the module, and if so, using the preset value of the ID tag, thereby creating the unique ID attribute for the Driver.
3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of executing the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to ensure the ID tag is set as a unique identifier for the module includes, upon determining that the ID tag does not have a preset value that uniquely identifies the module, populating the ID tag with an internal identifier for the module, thereby creating the unique ID attribute for the Driver.
4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the DOM element that can be found relative to the module Driver is a DOM element in the template immediately prior to the module Driver.
5. A client web browser configured to load separate Document Object Model (DOM) modules utilizing self-referencing of running script elements, wherein each DOM module is separated into a module template and a module Driver following the template, wherein the module template comprises Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) markup that includes tags to be replaced with data, and the module Driver comprises an identifier (ID) tag, a driver variable, a display variable, and functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver, wherein the web browser is implemented in a computer having a processor and a memory, and the web browser is in communication with a website server via a network connecting the computer and the web server, wherein the web browser is configured to:
execute the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to ensure the ID tag is set as a unique identifier for the module, thereby creating a unique ID attribute for the Driver, which enables the Driver to operate independent of other drivers that control other modules;
execute the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to set the driver variable to reference the module Driver, thereby loading the functional code into memory and removing the module Driver from the DOM; and
execute the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver to set the display variable to reference in the module template, a DOM element that can be found relative to the module Driver, thereby sandboxing all actions by the module Driver into the referenced DOM element in the template, preventing collisions with the modules running asynchronously elsewhere on the webpage, and eliminating polling for matching DOM elements.
6. The client web browser as recited in claim 5, wherein the client web browser is configured to ensure the ID tag is set as a unique identifier for the module by determining whether the ID tag has a preset value that uniquely identifies the module, and if so, using the preset value of the ID tag, thereby creating the unique ID attribute for the Driver.
7. The client web browser as recited in claim 6, wherein upon determining that the ID tag does not have a preset value that uniquely identifies the module, the client web browser is configured to populate the ID tag with an internal identifier for the module, thereby creating the unique ID attribute for the Driver.
8. The client web browser as recited in claim 5, wherein the DOM element that can be found relative to the module Driver is a DOM element in the template immediately prior to the module Driver.
9. A Document Object Model (DOM) module Driver implemented in a DOM module, wherein the DOM module is one of a plurality of DOM modules constituting a website DOM, wherein the DOM module includes the DOM module Driver and a module template comprising DOM elements and tags to be replaced with data, wherein the DOM module is stored in cache or permanent memory and is executed by a processor controlling a client-side web browser to display content to a user and interact with the user while operating a website, the DOM module Driver comprising:
an identifier (ID) tag;
a driver variable;
a display variable; and
functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver;
wherein when the processor executes the functional code controlling the operation of the module Driver, the module Driver is caused to:
ensure the ID tag is set as a unique identifier for the module, thereby creating a unique ID attribute for the Driver, which enables the Driver to operate independent of other drivers that control other modules;
set the driver variable to reference the module Driver, thereby loading the functional code into memory and removing the module Driver from the DOM; and
set the display variable to reference in the module template, a DOM element that can be found relative to the module Driver, thereby sandboxing all actions by the module Driver into the referenced DOM element in the template, preventing collisions with the modules running asynchronously elsewhere on the webpage, and eliminating polling for matching DOM elements.
10. The DOM module Driver as recited in claim 9, wherein the DOM module Driver is configured to ensure the ID tag is set as a unique identifier for the module by determining whether the ID tag has a preset value that uniquely identifies the module, and if so, using the preset value of the ID tag, thereby creating the unique ID attribute for the Driver.
11. The DOM module Driver as recited in claim 10, wherein upon determining that the ID tag does not have a preset value that uniquely identifies the module, the DOM module Driver is configured to populate the ID tag with an internal identifier for the module, thereby creating the unique ID attribute for the Driver.
12. The DOM module Driver as recited in claim 9, wherein the DOM element that can be found relative to the module Driver is a DOM element in the template immediately prior to the module Driver.

1. A power management method for use in an electronic device, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a first section which stores volatile data and is capable of entering a low power consumption state;
b) providing a second section which can automatically and regularly power itself up and down;
c) providing a power source powering both the first and the second sections;
d) powering the first section up from the low power consumption state to a powered up state, automatically; and
e) assessing, using a power management algorithm operating on the first section in the powered up state to assess whether both the first and the second sections should be taken to a low power consumption state.
2. The method of claim 1 in which the power management algorithm causes both the first and the second section to be taken to a low power consumption state on the basis of an inference of likely future power consumption based on pre-defined figures.
3. The method of claim 1 in which the power management algorithm causes both the first and the second section to be taken to a low power consumption state on the basis of a calculation of actual power usage.
4. The method of claim 1 in which the power management algorithm is operable to cause the elapsed time before the first section is automatically revived from sleep to be varied.
5. The method of claim 1 in which the first section can vary at least one parameter relating to the power consumption of the second section in dependence on an output from the power management algorithm.
6. The method of claim 1 in which the first section comprises a computing device and the second section comprises a communications device.
7. The method of claim 1 in which the second section automatically and regularly powers itself up and down as part of a camping process.
8. An electronic device programmed to perform a power management method, in which the device comprises a first section which stores volatile data and is capable of entering a low power consumption state and a second section which can automatically and regularly power itself up and down, and a power source powering both the first and the second sections;
wherein the first section powers itself up from a low power consumption state automatically and a power management algorithm then operates to assess whether both the first and the second sections should be taken to a low power consumption state.
9. The device of claim 8 in which the power management algorithm causes both the first and the second section to be taken to a low power consumption state on the basis of an inference of likely future power consumption based on pre-defined figures.
10. The device of claim 8 in which the power management algorithm causes both the first and the second section to be taken to a low power consumption state on the basis of a calculation of actual power usage.
11. The device of claim 8 in which the power management algorithm is operable to cause the elapsed time before the first section is automatically revived from sleep to be varied.
12. The device of claim 8 in which the first section can vary one or more parameters relating to the power consumption of the second section in dependence on an output from the power management algorithm.
13. The device of claim 8 in which the first section comprises a computing device and the second section comprises a communications device.
14. The device of claim 8 in which the second section automatically and regularly powers itself up and down as part of a camping process.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A calibrator comprising:
a first Digital-to-Analog converter;
a second Digital-to-Analog converter;
a first resistor coupled between a power supply voltage and a calibrator output having an adjustable value controlled by the first Digital-to-Analog converter;
a second resistor coupled between the calibrator output and ground having an adjustable value controlled by the first Digital-to-Analog converter; and
a set resistor coupled between an output of the second Digital-to-Analog converter and ground, wherein the current flowing through the set resistor is sourced from the calibrator output.
2. The calibrator of claim 1 wherein the first Digital-to-Analog converter receives an input word having a first number of bits.
3. The calibrator of claim 2 wherein the input word comprises three bits.
4. The calibrator of claim 2 wherein the second Digital-to-Analog converter receives an input word having a second number of bits.
5. The calibrator of claim 4 wherein the input word comprises seven bits.
6. The calibrator of claim 1 wherein the first resistor comprises a programmable integrated circuit resistor.
7. The calibrator of claim 1 wherein the second resistor comprises a programmable integrated circuit resistor.
8. The calibrator of claim 1 wherein the set resistor comprises a programmable integrated circuit resistor.
9. The calibrator of claim 1 further comprising an interface and control logic block for receiving a clock signal and a data input signal, for providing a first digital input signal for the first Digital-to-Analog converter, and for providing a second digital input signal for the second Digital-to-Analog converter.
10. The calibrator of claim 9 further comprising a non-volatile memory coupled to the interface and control logic block.
11. The calibrator of claim 1 further comprising a buffer having a first input coupled to the second Digital-to-Analog converter, a second input coupled to the set resistor, and a current output coupled to the calibrator output.
12. The calibrator of claim 1 further comprising a buffer coupled to the calibrator output.
13. The calibrator of claim 1 further comprising changing an output value of the first Digital-to-Analog converter to select a sub-range that contains a desired calibrator output value.
14. The calibrator of claim 1 wherein the desired calibrator output value is between one-third and two-thirds of the power supply voltage.
15. The calibrator of claim 13 further comprising changing an output value of the second Digital-to-Analog converter to achieve the desired calibrator output value.
16. A calibration method comprising:
providing a first Digital-to-Analog converter;
providing a second Digital-to-Analog converter;
coupling a first resistor between a power supply voltage and a calibrator output having an adjustable value controlled by the first Digital-to-Analog converter;
coupling a second resistor coupled between the calibrator output and ground having an adjustable value controlled by the first Digital-to-Analog converter;
coupling a set resistor between an output of the second Digital-to-Analog converter and ground; and
sourcing the current flowing through the set resistor is from the calibrator output.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising changing an output value of the first Digital-to-Analog converter to select a sub-range that contains a desired calibrator output value.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the desired calibrator output value is between one-third and two-thirds of the power supply voltage.
19. The method of claim 17 further comprising changing an output value of the second Digital-to-Analog converter to achieve the desired calibrator output value.
20. A calibrator comprising:
a first resistor, a second resistor, and set resistor in an integrated circuit having an adjustable value controlled by a first Digital-to-Analog converter;
a resistor divider formed by the first and second resistors having a calibrator output; and
a second Digital-to-Analog converter for controlling the voltage across the set resistor, wherein the current through the set resistor is sourced from the calibrator output.