Variable list based caching of patient information for evaluation of patient rules

• US 10,558,785 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2016
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merative US LP
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, James S., DiGiorgio, Anthony J., Gattis, David J., Jayantilal, Tushar Kumar, Patterson, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paulson, Sheetal R
• Application Number:
  US15/007,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20170213005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for caching patient information in a variable list and using the variable list to evaluate patient rules. The mechanisms generate a patient registry comprising a plurality of patient registry records, each patient registry record being associated with a corresponding patient and comprising personal and medical information about the corresponding patient. The mechanisms compile at least one variable list for an input variable of one or more clinical rules. The variable list comprises a plurality of instances of personal and medical information from the plurality of sources that are associated with the variable. The mechanisms also process at least one clinical rule in the one or more clinical rules that references the variable as a criteria for evaluating the at least one clinical rule, based on the variable list associated with the variable to determine if the criteria is satisfied by one or more instances.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions which are executed by the processor to specifically configure the processor to implement a patient care plan creation and management (PCPCM) system, for correlating patient data across multiple patient data sources, comprising:

generating, by the PCPCM system of the data processing system, a patient registry, in a patient registry database, comprising a plurality of patient registry records, each patient registry record being a data structure stored in the patient registry database in association with a corresponding patient and comprising personal and medical information about the corresponding patient, wherein the personal and medical information about the corresponding patient is obtained electronically from a plurality of sources, wherein the plurality of sources are computing systems providing patient data including the personal and medical information about the corresponding patient;

compiling, by at least one of a demographic and medical data analysis engine, or a lifestyle data analysis engine, of the PCPCM system, for a patient in the patient registry, a variable list associated with an input variable of a clinical rule, in a clinical rules database, and storing the variable list in a variable list cache memory, wherein the variable list comprises a plurality of instances of different personal information and different medical information from the plurality of sources, where each instance of personal information and medical information provides evidence of a different characteristic of the corresponding patient which, when analyzed in combination with other instances in the variable list, are indicative of a value to be assigned to the input variable;

processing, by the PCPCM system of the data processing system, the clinical rule;

in the clinical rules database, that references the variable, at least by evaluating a criteria for setting the value of the variable based on results of processing of the variable list associated with the variable to determine if the criteria is satisfied by the plurality of instances in the variable list; and

generating, by the PCPCM system of the data processing system, results of the processing of the clinical rule, wherein processing the clinical rule comprises;

determining, for each variable in the clinical rule, whether a variable list is stored in the variable list cache memory for the variable, and

in response to a variable list being stored in the variable list cache memory for the variable, processing a combination of entries in the variable list cache memory corresponding to the instances of personal information and medical information in the stored variable list for that variable, to determine a corresponding value for that variable which is thereafter used to process the clinical rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the clinical rule that references the variable comprises determining a setting for the variable based on a majority of instances of personal and medical information associated with the variable list indicating the setting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the clinical rule that references the variable comprises determining that the criteria referencing the variable are satisfied in response to any one of the instances in the one or more instances in the plurality of instances in the variable list satisfying the criteria referencing the variable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the clinical rule that references the variable comprises determining a setting of the variable based on an aggregation of all of the instances of the plurality of instances in the variable list and evaluating the setting against the criteria referencing the variable in the one or more clinical rules.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable list is dynamically updated in response to new patient information being added to the patient registry for the patient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable list cache memory caches the instances of the personal and medical information associated with the variable for use by multiple clinical rules in the one or more clinical rules.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instances associated with the variable list comprise instances of a same type of patient information occurring at different times.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a patient care action based on the results of the processing of the clinical rule, wherein the patient care action comprises at least one of generating a personalized patient care plan for the patient or modifying an existing personalized patient care plan for the patient.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the PCPCM system, a patient evaluation operation based on results of processing the at least one clinical rule; and

outputting, by the PCPCM system, an output associated with the patient evaluation operation to at least one of a patient computing device or a patient assessor computing device, based on results of performing the patient evaluation operation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the patient evaluation operation comprises evaluating adherence by the patient to a personalized patient care plan associated with the patient.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient evaluation operation comprises generating a personalized patient care plan for the patient.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable list comprises a plurality of medical codes specifying at least one of types of medical conditions or types of lifestyle information that are indicative of a corresponding value for the input variable.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to implement a patient care plan creation and management (PCPCM) system which operates to:

generate a patient registry, in a patient registry database, comprising a plurality of patient registry records, each patient registry record being a data structure stored in the patient registry database in association with a corresponding patient and comprising personal and medical information about the corresponding patient, wherein the personal and medical information about the corresponding patient is obtained electronically from a plurality of sources, wherein the plurality of sources are computing systems providing patient data including the personal and medical information about the corresponding patient;

compile, by at least one of a demographic and medical data analysis engine, or a lifestyle data analysis engine, of the PCPCM system, for a patient in the patient registry, a variable list associated with an input variable of a clinical rule, in a clinical rules database, and storing the variable list in a variable list cache memory, wherein the variable list comprises a plurality of instances of different personal information and different medical information from the plurality of sources, where each instance of personal information and medical information provides evidence of a different characteristic of the corresponding patient which, when analyzed in combination with other instances in the variable list, are indicative of a value to be assigned to the input variable;

process the clinical rule, in the clinical rules database, that references the variable, at least by evaluating a criteria for setting the value of the variable based on results of processing of the variable list associated with the variable to determine if the criteria is satisfied by the plurality of instances in the variable list; and

generate results of the processing of the clinical rule, wherein processing the clinical rule comprises;

determining, for each variable in the clinical rule, whether a variable list is stored in the variable list cache memory for the variable, and

in response to a variable list being stored in the variable list cache memory for the variable, processing a combination of entries in the variable list cache memory corresponding to the instances of personal information and medical information in the stored variable list for that variable, to determine a corresponding value for that variable which is thereafter used to process the clinical rule.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to process the clinical rule that references the variable at least by determining a setting for the variable based on a majority of instances of personal and medical information associated with the variable list indicating the setting.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to process the clinical rule that references the variable at least by determining that the criteria referencing the variable are satisfied in response to any one of the instances in the one or more instances in the plurality of instances in the variable list satisfying the criteria referencing the variable.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to process the clinical rule that references the variable at least by determining a setting of the variable based on an aggregation of all of the instances of the plurality of instances in the variable list and evaluating the setting against the criteria referencing the variable in the one or more clinical rules.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the variable list cache memory caches the instances of the personal and medical information associated with the variable for use by multiple clinical rules in the one or more clinical rules.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the plurality of instances associated with the variable list comprise instances of a same type of patient information occurring at different times.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to perform a patient care action based on the results of the processing of the clinical rule, wherein the patient care action comprises at least one of generating a personalized patient care plan for the patient or modifying an existing personalized patient care plan for the patient.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement a patient care plan creation and management (PCPCM) system that operates to;

generate a patient registry, in a patient registry database, comprising a plurality of patient registry records, each patient registry record being a data structure stored in the patient registry database in association with a corresponding patient and comprising personal and medical information about the corresponding patient, wherein the personal and medical information about the corresponding patient is obtained electronically from a plurality of sources, wherein the plurality of sources are computing systems providing patient data including the personal and medical information about the corresponding patient;

compile, by at least one of a demographic and medical data analysis engine, or a lifestyle data analysis engine, of the PCPCM system, for a patient in the patient registry, a variable list associated with an input variable of a clinical rule, in a clinical rules database, and storing the variable list in a variable list cache memory, wherein the variable list comprises a plurality of instances of different personal information and different medical information from the plurality of sources, where each instance of personal information and medical information provides evidence of a different characteristic of the corresponding patient which, when analyzed in combination with other instances in the variable list, are indicative of a value to be assigned to the input variable;

process the clinical rule, in the clinical rules database, that references the variable, at least by evaluating a criteria for setting the value of the variable based on results of processing of the variable list associated with the variable to determine if the criteria is satisfied by the plurality of instances in the variable list; and

generate results of the processing of the clinical rule, wherein processing the clinical rule comprises;

determining, for each variable in the clinical rule, whether a variable list is stored in the variable list cache memory for the variable, and

in response to a variable list being stored in the variable list cache memory for the variable, processing a combination of entries in the variable list cache memory corresponding to the instances of personal information and medical information in the stored variable list for that variable, to determine a corresponding value for that variable which is thereafter used to process the clinical rule.