Optimization of patient care team based on correlation of patient characteristics and care provider characteristics

• US 10,474,971 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2017
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merative US LP
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Olsen, Russell G., Pascali, Marina V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam, Eliza A
• Application Number:
  US15/632,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20170293879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for matching patients with care providers. Patient information for a current patient, from at least one patient information source, is analyzed and a medical need of the current patient is determined. Patient information for a plurality of other patients associated with a plurality of care providers is analyzed and, for each care provider in the plurality of care providers, a measure of strength for a type of medical care corresponding to the at least one medical need is determined, based on results of the analysis of patient information for the plurality of other patients associated with the care provider. At least one care provider is selected for inclusion in a care team for the current patient based on the determined strengths of each care provider in the plurality of care providers. A care team data structure comprising information about the at least one care provider is output.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, for matching patients with care providers, comprising:

generating, by a personalized patient care plan creation and monitoring computing system, a personalized patient care plan for a current patient;

analyzing, by the personalized patient care plan creation and monitoring computing system, current patient information for the current patient from at least one patient information source;

comparing, by a needs identification engine of a personalized patient care team computing system, the current patient information to the personalized patient care plan to determine at least one medical need of the current patient, wherein the medical need indicates at least one failure of the current patient to perform one or more actions to adhere to requirements of the personalized patient care plan;

analyzing, by the needs identification engine, patient information retrieved from a patient registry database, for a plurality of other patients associated with a plurality of care providers corresponding to entries in a practitioner registry database, with regard to compliance of the plurality of other patients in performing the one or more actions, to identify patients, in the plurality of other patients, that comply with performing the one or more actions associated with the at least one medical need of the current patient;

determining, by a practitioner strength evaluation engine of the personalized patient care team computing system, for each care provider in the plurality of care providers corresponding to entries in the practitioner registry database, a measure of strength for a type of medical care corresponding to the at least one medical need, based on results of the analysis of patient information for the plurality of other patients associated with the care provider, wherein the measure of strength indicates a strength of the care provider in causing patients in the plurality of patients to comply with the one or more actions associated with the at least one medical need of the current patient;

selecting, by a practitioner selection engine of the personalized patient care team computing system, at least one care provider from the plurality of care providers for inclusion in a care team for the current patient based on the determined strengths of each care provider in the plurality of care providers;

updating or creating, by a care team update engine of the personalized patient care team computing system, a care team data structure comprising information about the at least one care provider in response to the selection of the at least one care provider; and

outputting, by a notification engine of the personalized patient care team computing system, a notification to a computing device associated with at least one of the selected at least one care provider or the current patient, a notification of the selection of the at least one care provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one medical need of the current patient comprises automatically determining a portion of a personalized patient care plan, associated with the current patient, with which the current patient is non-compliant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one care provider from the plurality of care providers for inclusion in a care team for the current patient comprises selecting a care provider that is associated with one or more other patients that are successful at satisfying the at least one medical need.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, for a care provider in the plurality of care providers, the measure of strength for the type of medical care comprises calculating the measure of strength as a function of a number of patients that satisfy conditions of the type of care.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, for a care provider in the plurality of care providers, the measure of strength for the type of care comprises calculating the measure of strength as a function of a degree of compliance, of each of a plurality of other patients associated with the care provider, with conditions of the type of care.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one care provider from the plurality of care providers for inclusion in a care team for the current patient further comprises:

generating a ranked listing of care providers based on relative strengths of the care providers with regard to the medical need of the current patient; and

selecting the care provider from the ranked listing of care providers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting at least one care provider from the plurality of care providers further comprises filtering the ranked listing of care providers based on at least one of demographics or preferences associated with the current patient and selecting the care provider from the filtered ranked listing of care providers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the data processing system, for each care provider in the plurality of care providers, the measure of strength for the type of medical care corresponding to the at least one medical need comprises determining for each care provider, and for each of a plurality of types of medical care, strength values indicating a relative strength of the care provider in providing the type of medical care.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one care provider from the plurality of care providers for inclusion in the care team for the current patient further comprises selecting the at least one care provider based on at least one of demographics or preferences of the patient, in addition to the strengths of each care provider in the plurality of care providers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by the data processing system, an alert notification to a communication device associated with the selected care provider indicating the current patient being added as a patient associated with the selected care provider and a reason for the addition of the current patient as a patient associated with the selected care provider.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions comprise the current patient failing to respond to a communication attempt by a medical practitioner or performing an encounter with the medical practitioner.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein practitioner strength evaluation engine determines, for each care provider in the plurality of care providers, the measure of strength for the care provider at least based on demographics of the current patient and demographics of the plurality of other patients associated with the care provider.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the practitioner selection engine selects at least one care provider at least by:

evaluating measures of strength of one or more care providers already assigned to the care team of the current patient; and

selecting the at least one care provider from the plurality of care providers for inclusion in the care team by balancing the measures of strength of the selected at least one care provider and the one or more care providers already assigned to the care team of the current patient.