Systems and methods for managing a master patient index including duplicate record detection

• US 10,572,461 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 4Medica, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 4Medica, Inc.
• Inventors: Bess, Oleg, Kuttalingam, Vannamuthu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sereboff, Neal
• Application Number:
  US15/605,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20170262586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2462 Approximate or statistical queries
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system for managing a master patient index is described. The master patient index database is constructed using inverted indices. The inverted index formulation enables faster, more complete and more flexible duplicate detection as compared to traditional master patient database management techniques. A master patient index management system including a remote user interface configured to leverage the inverted index formulation is described. The user interface includes features for managing records in an MPI database including identifying, efficiently comparing, updating and merging duplicate records across a heterogeneous healthcare organization.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a plurality of electronic healthcare records each having a plurality of different fields;

determining, by the processor, a list of distinct values appearing in each of the plurality of different fields wherein each of the distinct values on the list is associated with one or more of the plurality of electronic healthcare records;

arranging, by the processor, values appearing in each of the plurality of different fields into an inverted index format to reduce CPU resources when performing real-time searches across all of the plurality of electronic healthcare records to find duplicate matches among the plurality of electronic healthcare records wherein the inverted index format includes the list of the distinct values and for each distinct value in the list at least one pointer to a healthcare record among the plurality of electronic healthcare records;

storing to a memory device, by the processor, the list of the distinct values and their associated pointers as a master patient index database arranged according to the inverted index format;

generating on a display, by the processor, an interface configured to receive a plurality of search input terms and a first duplicate probability score weight associated with a first search input term among the plurality of search input terms wherein the first duplicate probability score weight is used to determine a contribution to a duplicate probability score for each of the plurality of electronic healthcare records which include a match to the first search input term;

based upon the plurality of search input terms including the first search input term, searching, by the processor, across all of the plurality of electronic healthcare records in the master patient index database;

determining, by the processor, a first plurality of electronic healthcare records which include one or more of the plurality of search input terms;

based upon the first duplicate probability score weight, determining, by the processor, first duplicate probability scores for each of the first plurality of electronic healthcare records;

based upon the first duplicate probability scores, determining, by the processor, whether two or more the first plurality of electronic healthcare records are duplicates;

receiving, via the interface, a second duplicate probability score weight associated with the first input term;

based upon the second duplicate probability score weight, determining, by the processor, second duplicate probability scores for each of the first plurality of electronic healthcare records; and

based upon the second duplicate probability scores, determining, by the processor, whether two or more the first plurality of electronic healthcare records are duplicates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the master patient index includes more than one thousand electronic healthcare records.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the master patient index includes more than ten thousand electronic healthcare records.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, determining the first duplicate probability score for a first electronic healthcare record among the first plurality of electronic healthcare records using a first set of duplicate probability score weights and determining the first duplicate probability score for a second electronic healthcare record among the first plurality of electronic healthcare records using a second set of duplicate probability score weights.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to receive a third duplicate probability score weight associated with a second search input term among the plurality of search input terms wherein the third duplicate probability score weight is used to determine a contribution to the duplicate probability score for each of the plurality of electronic healthcare records which include a match to the second search input term.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of different fields accept multiple values.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a first electronic healthcare record includes a first value and a second value in a first field, which accepts multiple values, further comprising i) determining the first value and the second value each match one of the plurality of search input terms, ii) based upon the match associated with the first value, determining a first contribution to the first duplicate probability score or the second duplicate probability score and iii) based upon the match associated with the second value, determining a second contribution to the first duplicate probability score or the second duplicate probability score.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a first electronic healthcare record includes a first value in a first field which exactly matches the first search input term and using the first duplicate probability score weight to determine a first contribution to the first duplicate probability score for the first electronic healthcare record.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a first electronic healthcare record includes a first value in a first field which partially matches the first search input term and using a third duplicate probability score weight different from the first duplicate probability score weight to determine a first contribution to the first duplicate probability score for the first electronic healthcare record.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving user identification information, based upon the user identification information selecting from a first set of duplicate probability score weights from a plurality of sets of duplicate probability score weights, determining the first duplicate probability scores or the second duplicate probability scores using the first set of duplicate probability score weights.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different fields is selected from the group consisting of a last name, a first name, a nickname, a facility identifier, a personal identification instrument, a sex, a date of birth, a social security number, a first address, a second address, a city, a state, a postal code, a phone number, an e-mail address and a race.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of different fields accepts different types of personal identification instruments and wherein different duplicate probability score weights are associated with the different types of personal identification instruments.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a first electronic healthcare record and a second electronic healthcare record are duplicates and selecting one of the first electronic healthcare record or the second electronic healthcare to be a master record.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting is based upon an examination of values in fields of the first electronic healthcare record and the second electronic healthcare record which don'"'"'t match one of the plurality of search input terms.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of search input terms is a mandatory search input term and wherein the first plurality of electronic healthcare records each include a value which matches the mandatory search input term.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first plurality of electronic healthcare records don'"'"'t include a value which matches the first search input term.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a plurality of electronic healthcare records each having a plurality of different fields;

determining, by the processor, a list of distinct values appearing in each of the plurality of different fields wherein each of the distinct values on the list is associated with one or more of the plurality of electronic healthcare records;

arranging, by the processor, values appearing in each of the plurality of different fields into an inverted index format to reduce CPU resources when performing real-time searches across all of the plurality of electronic healthcare records to find duplicate matches among the plurality of electronic healthcare records wherein the inverted index format includes the list of the distinct values and for each distinct value in the list at least one pointer to a healthcare record among the plurality of electronic healthcare records;

storing to a memory device, by the processor, the list of the distinct values and their associated pointers as a master patient index database arranged according to the inverted index format;

receiving, by the processor, a plurality of search input terms and a selection of a first set of duplicate probability score weights wherein the first set of duplicate probability score weights are used to determine a contribution to a duplicate probability score for each of the plurality of electronic healthcare records which match the plurality of search input terms;

based upon the plurality of search input terms, searching, by the processor, across all of the plurality of electronic healthcare records in the master patient index database;

determining, by the processor, a first plurality of electronic healthcare records which include one or more of the plurality of search input terms;

based upon the first set of duplicate probability score weights, determining, by the processor, first duplicate probability scores for each of the first plurality of electronic healthcare records;

based upon the first duplicate probability scores, determining, by the processor, whether two or more the first plurality of electronic healthcare records are duplicates;

receiving, by the processor, a selection of a second set of duplicate probability score weights;

based upon the second set of duplicate probability score weights, determining, by the processor, second duplicate probability scores for each of the first plurality of electronic healthcare records; and

based upon the second duplicate probability scores, determining, by the processor, whether two or more the first plurality of electronic healthcare records are duplicates.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a plurality of electronic healthcare records each having a plurality of different fields;

determining, by the processor, a list of distinct values appearing in each of the plurality of different fields wherein each of the distinct values on the list is associated with one or more of the plurality of electronic healthcare records;

arranging, by the processor, values appearing in each of the plurality of different fields into an inverted index format to reduce CPU resources when performing real-time searches across all of the plurality of electronic healthcare records to find duplicate matches among the plurality of electronic healthcare records wherein the inverted index format includes the list of the distinct values and for each distinct value in the list at least one pointer to a healthcare record among the plurality of electronic healthcare records;

storing to a memory device, by the processor, the list of the distinct values and their associated pointers as a master patient index database arranged according to the inverted index format;

receiving, by the processor, a plurality of search input terms and user identification information,

based upon the user identification information, selecting a set of duplicate probability score weights wherein the set of duplicate probability score weights are used to determine a contribution to a duplicate probability score for each of the plurality of electronic healthcare records which match the plurality of search input terms;

based upon the plurality of search input terms, searching, by the processor, across all of the plurality of electronic healthcare records in the master patient index database;

determining, by the processor, a first plurality of electronic healthcare records which include one or more of the plurality of search input terms;

based upon the set of duplicate probability score weights, determining, by the processor, first duplicate probability scores for each of the first plurality of electronic healthcare records; and

based upon the first duplicate probability scores, determining, by the processor, whether two or more the first plurality of electronic healthcare records are duplicates.

19. The method of claim 18, receiving, by the processor, a selection of a second set of duplicate probability score weights;

based upon the second set of duplicate probability score weights, determining, by the processor, second duplicate probability scores for each of the first plurality of electronic healthcare records; and

based upon the second duplicate probability scores, determining, by the processor, whether two or more the first plurality of electronic healthcare records are duplicates.