US946637A - Physician's card-index. - Google Patents

Description

G. F. A. HALL.

PHYSIGIAN'S CARD INDEX.

APPLIUATION run-D snr'r. 27, 1808.

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PHYSIGIAN'S CARD INDEX.

APPLICATION PILD SEPT.27, 1909.

946,637. Patented Jal. 18,1910.

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PHYBICIAN'S CARD-INDEX.

Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

Application area september 27, 1909. serial no. 5197780.

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Be it known that I, CnAnLns F. A. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newburyport, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Physicians, Card-Indexes, of which the' following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the d-rawing representing like parts.

This invention has'for its object to provide a nove card index system which is especially adapted for the use of physicians, although it may be used by anyone whose business require's the keeping of a number of future engagements of a professional nature, togethcr with the keeping of an account of the services rendered at such engagements.

It is now customary for physicians to kee a visiting book 7 as it is termed, in which the physician makes entries of the future calls on his patients, and in addition to keep a day-book, ledger and other books of account, and sometimes in addition to this, to kee a book in which is entered the records of t e services rendered to' the difierent patients.

The object of my invention is to provide a card index system which combines in itself all the functions of the visiting book, 'the account book, the service book etc., and which is extremely simple to use.

The invention will be more fully hereinafter described in connection With the accompanying drawings, and then the novel features thereof will be pointed out in the ap nded claim.

eferring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspcctive view of a case showing my improved card index system' therein; Fig. 2

is a detail view showing the construction of the follower for the cards; Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the case; Fig. 4 illustrates the portion of my' system in which the record of the daily visits is made and preserved; Fig. 5 is a view of the' service card;

Fig. 6 is a view of the card used for obstetricl records; VFig. 7 is a view showing a card used for keeping a Summary of the physiciams business. i. i

In carrying out my inventio'n, I provide a series of service cards, such as are shown in Fig. 5, and which are used not only for keeping a record of the services rendered by the physician, but also for keeping a record guide cards also i preferably alphabetitally arranged and which with t-heservice cards 'constitute a record of closed accounts; and still another series of guide cards which may conveniently be numbered consecutively and which with the service cards constitute .a filing record for keeping filled or compl'eted service cards.

Referring now to the drawing, the service card is designated by 2 and it is imprinted to indicat-e the name of the head of the family or person responsible for the charges entered on the card, and is also divided into columns, one of which is imprinted to designate the date, another of which is imprinted to indicate the member ofthe family treated, and another of which is imprinted to indicate the character of the services rendered,` another of which is impri'nted to designate the charges for the services, and another the credits or money neceived in payment of such charges. These service cards 2 may be filled out at-'the end of each day by the physician, and the set of service cards thus filled will comprise a complete record of the dayfs work.

The daily index cards are designated b 3 and each is preferably provided with a ta 4;, and the tabs of the various cards are numbered consecutively, as shown in Fig. 4.

.There will be thirtylone of these cards numbered from 1 to 31, and they are used to indicate the days of the month.

The guide cards for open accounts are designated 5 and these are each provided with a tab 6 which is lettered, as shown in Fig. 1. Associated with these guide cards 6 is a card 8 designated open accounts My system also includes another set of ide cards 9 which preferabllare colored ifler- Z ently from the guide cards 6 Vaiidwhich have associated therewith a card 10 designated closed accounts The guide cards 9 are also provided with tabs 11 which are lettered. 12 desi ates still other guide cardsv which are provided with the tabs 13 that are numbered consecutively. These guide cards.

the d'ata relative to the services he has performed for his various patients, as shown in F ig. 5. This may be done either at the end i of the day or the entries may be made at the time that the visits are made or the service rendered. At the end of the day the physician sorts over the service cards on which the various entries have been made, the cards of those patients which are to be Visited the next day being retained by the physician in his pocket, or being inserted directly in front or directly behind the particular daily guide card 3 correspondin to the next day. For instance, on the thir of the month the physician would take those service cards representing patients he expected to call on the next day and place them in front of the daily index card 4:. If some particular atient is to be called on the second day a er or the fifth of the month, the service card for such patient will be placed in the space indicated by the daily` card 3 numbered 5. If

the next call on some other patient is to be made on the sixth or seventh of the month, the service card for this patient will be inserted in the space indicated by the properly numbered index card 3 The servlce cards in combination with the daily index cards 3, therefore, constitute not only a visiting list, but also a complete record of the work done each day by the physician. Each morning the physician merely has to take out from the properly-numbered space in the daily guide cards 3 those service cards which had been previously` placed therein, and these cards ive him a complete list of the calls which e has planned to make for that day. After the treatment of the patient ceases, the service card is transferred to the properly-lettered space in the open account series of cards. If, however, the bill is paid so that the account is square, or whenever any bill is paid and the account squared up, the credits will be entered on the service card and such card will then be placed in the properlylettered space in the closed account guide cards. If the services rendered for any patient are so multifariousv that the service card becomes filled, a second service card for this patient will be made f out and the two service cards will be given some number and the filled service'card be transferred to the properly numbered space in the filing guide cards 12.

In addition to these cards my system includes a series of cards 20, such as shown will in Fig. 6,` for keeping an obstetric record, and this card may be conveniently ruled to provide a column 21 in which may be entered the name of the patient, `and another column 22 in which may be entered the date of expected confinement, and other columns may be added inwliich may be entered the address of the patient and the actual date of delivery. My. system also includes prop- `erly-ruled cards 23, such as shown in Fig. 7,

on which may be entered the summary of business. This card may be so ruled as to provide columns 24 and 25 for entering charges and credits, and the physician may at the end of each week enter a Summary of the charges for the week and the credits for the week, and thus on this card he will have at all times a complete Summary of his business.

My improved system is very easy to use because it is a sim le matter to fill out the service cards 2 an to place them in their proper position in one or the other set of index cards, according to circumstances. Moreover, the system is so arranged that any Stranger can by runningthroughthe cards see at a glance just the condition of the physicianls work and if the physician should suddenly be incapacitated, some other physician can pick up his Vwork and go on with it without missingiany patients or missing any previously-planned-for calls on patients.

One great advantage of my system is that the cards are ruled crosswise instead of lengthwise. This not only makes room for added entries on the card, but also makes the cards more convenient to handle because they will naturally be placed on end in the pocket, and when they are removed from the pocket, they do not have to be turned in order to be read.

For keeping the cards in compact form ready for use I propose to use the box or receptacle 30, such as shown in Fig. 1, which is of a width to receive the cards and is of .proper depth so that when the cards are lofollower 32 which is provided at its lower end with a dove-tailed foot 33 that is received in 'a doVe-tailed slot 34 formed in the bottom of the box. The length of the foot 33 is suflicient to hold the follower 32 firmly in position and there is suflicient friction betweenrthe.footeandgthe walls of the slot 34 to hold the follower iii'a'ny adjusted position. By making the cards with the lines running transversely thereof instead of longitudinall it is not necessary to make thebox any wi er than the cards and when the cards are placed in the box they. stand upright so that they can be readily looked over. The whole device 'is extremely compact and takes up very little room. t

My improved system'migh't be used for other persons than physicians by properly modi'fying the character of the data imprinted on the cards.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 'A physiciams card index comprising a series of service cards each being ruled and imprinted to designate the name of the patient, the character of the service rendered, the charges for such service and the credits, a series of distinctlycolored daily index cards numbered consecutively, a series of distinctiely-colored open account index cards alphabetically arranged, a series of distinctive1yco1ored closed account index 20 permanent file record, said index cards all 25 being of the same size and vadapted to 'form compartments for the service cards.

In testmony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. A. HALL.

Witnesses:

G. W. LANelioN, WM. R. JOHNSON.

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