System and method for simultaneously optimizing the quality of life and controlling health care costs

• US 20060026036A1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Syyed Tariq Mahmood
• Original Assignee: Syyed Tariq Mahmood
• Inventors: Mahmood, Syyed Tariq
• Application Number:
  US10/909,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026036A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method and system for optimizing health expenditure by an organization including developing a Cohort-based personnel model for the organization; determining lifecycle health costs based on the personnel model; evaluating impact of a lifestyle program, a best health practices program, and an employee benefits program on the life cycle health costs for a first scenario; and measuring project evaluation criteria for the lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs. A method and system for integrating health and wealth of an individual including developing a profile regarding health and wealth, and quality of life specifications for the individual; determining a quality of life index based on wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual, wherein the quality of life index includes both health and wealth information; and measuring impacts of the profile, wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual on the quality of life index.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing health expenditure by an organization, the method comprising:

developing a Cohort-based personnel model for the organization;

determining lifecycle health costs based on the personnel model;

evaluating impact of a lifestyle program, a best health practices program, and an employee benefits program on the life cycle health costs for a first scenario; and

measuring a project evaluation criterion for the lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising optimizing investments by the organization for lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein developing a personnel model for the organization comprises developing an organizational Cohort population model including Cohorts based on age, occupation, seniority, and job hierarchy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the lifestyle health costs comprises determining a matrix including costs of benefits offered by the organization normalized by time value of money with each column representing present to future years.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining lifecycle health costs based on the personnel model for a second scenario;

evaluating impact of a lifestyle program, a best health practices program, and an employee benefits program on the life cycle health costs for the second scenario; and

measuring a project evaluation criterion for the lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs for the second scenario.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the developing a Cohort-based personnel model comprises developing a Cohort for one or more of employees, family members of employees, and retirees.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the developing a Cohort-based personnel model comprises developing Cohorts for each category of age, gender, and seniority.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the optimizing investments comprises selecting the highest measured project evaluation criterion for each lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits program.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the optimizing investments comprises providing guidance on the overall allocation for health expenditures in the organization, and suggesting percentage of the allocation for prevention programs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the measured project evaluation criterion comprises of one or more of return on investment, internal rate of return, return on assets, and return on equity.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating newsletters for assists individuals associated with the organization for enhancing quality of their lives in terms of both health and wealth.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising integrating additional benefits from the lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the additional benefits include one or more of increased productivity, fewer sick days, reduced injury rate, and increased morale.

14. A method for integrating health and wealth of an individual, the method comprising:

developing a profile for the individual including current lifestyle, current health practices, and financial information of the individual;

determining a quality of life index for the individual based on wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual, wherein the quality of life index includes both health and wealth information about the individual; and

measuring impacts of the profile, wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual on the quality of life index.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising making changes in the lifestyle, the current health practices, and the wealth information to improve the quality of life index.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the individual is one or more of an employee, employee family member, and retiree associated with an organization.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising optimizing the quality of life index responsive to selected lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the measuring impacts comprises measuring a project evaluation criterion for the lifestyle, best health practices, and wealth of the individual.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the measured project evaluation criterion comprises of one or more of return on investment, internal rate of return, return on assets, and return on equity.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining a quality of life index comprises calculating

QOLⁱ=w₀ⁱ(C′

)+w_lⁱETWEALTH+w₂ⁱf(QALY₀ⁱ, LSⁱ, W(h)ⁱ) 

 

(19)

where, QOLⁱ is the Quality of Life index for individual i,

W₀ⁱ (C) is weighted consumption by the individual i on consumption other than for health investments,

W₁ⁱ is the weight associated with wealth creation,

ETWEALTH is the standard deferment of consumption that yields wealth in the next time period,

W₂ⁱ is a weight consistent with individual preferences attached to the individual'"'"'s health, W (h)ⁱ is best health practices index for the individual i, and

QALY is a measure of good health for an individual consistent with their own preferences.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising integrating health savings account with the wealth information.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the developing a profile comprises integrating health information including gender, age, weight, state of current health, family predispositions to various diseases, a lifestyle questionnaire in terms of diet, nutrition, exercise levels, and a best health practices questionnaire on cost effective health screenings practiced consistent with age, gender, and family predispositions.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating a customized newsletter for the individual based on the profile.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing relevant sections of a DVD to the individual based on the profile.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising electronically targeting information about lifestyle, current health practices, and financial information based on the profile.

26. A method for optimizing health expenditure by an organization, the method comprising:

determining a quality of life index for an individual associated with the organization based on wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual;

measuring impacts of the profile, wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual on the quality of life index;

selecting a best health practices program and a lifestyle program responsive to measured impacts;

determining lifecycle health costs based on the selected best health practices and the lifestyle programs;

evaluating impact of the selected lifestyle program, a best health practices program, and an employee benefits program on the life cycle health costs; and

measuring a project evaluation criterion for the lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising optimizing investments by the organization for lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits program.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising integrating health savings account with the wealth information.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the individual is one or more of an employee, employee family member, and retiree associated with the organization.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising optimizing the quality of life index responsive to selected lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs.

31. A system for optimizing health expenditure for an organization comprising:

means for developing a Cohort-based personnel model for the organization;

means for determining lifecycle health costs based on the personnel model;

means for evaluating impact of a lifestyle program, a best health practices program, and an employee benefits program on the life cycle health costs for a first scenario; and

means for measuring a project evaluation criterion for the lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising means for optimizing investments by the organization for lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits program.

33. A system for integrating health and wealth of an individual comprising:

means for developing a profile for the individual including current lifestyle, current health practices, and financial information of the individual;

means for determining a quality of life index for the individual based on wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual, wherein the quality of life index includes both health and wealth information about the individual; and

means for measuring impacts of the profile, wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual on the quality of life index.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising means for making changes in the lifestyle, the current health practices, and the

35. A system for optimizing health expenditure by an organization comprising:

means for determining a quality of life index for an individual associated with the organization based on wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual;

means for measuring impacts of the profile, wealth, best health practices and lifestyle of the individual on the quality of life index;

means for selecting a best health practices program and a lifestyle program responsive to measured impacts;

means for determining lifecycle health costs based on the selected best health practices and the lifestyle programs;

means for evaluating impact of the selected lifestyle program, a best health practices program, and an employee benefits program on the life cycle health costs; and

means for measuring a project evaluation criterion for the lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits programs.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for optimizing investments by the organization for lifestyle, best health practices, and employee benefits program.

37. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for integrating health savings account with the wealth information.