Methods for grouping and maintaining low liability risk professionals

• US 20060074708A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Diletica Consulting Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Diletica Consulting Incorporated
• Inventors: Woods, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US10/326,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074708A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method for assembling and dynamically maintaining a group of professionals having relatively low probability of being charged with professional malpractice using a standardized customer satisfaction survey by monitoring customer satisfaction for such candidate member of the group over a period of time to evaluate and document the predominant satisfaction that the candidate group member is achieving with patients, categorizing the predominant satisfaction for such candidate group member over time as high or low, and if the candidate has a high predominant customer satisfaction over the time period, admitting the candidate to the group and thereafter periodically repeatedly monitoring customer satisfaction for such candidate and maintaining the candidate in the group so long as the candidate evaluates as having high predominate satisfaction.

Claims

1. ) A method for electronically via the Internet assembling and electronically via the Internet dynamically maintaining a group of professionals having relatively low probability of being charged with professional malpractice, comprising the steps of:

a) for each candidate member of the group to be assembled, using a standardized customer satisfaction survey, electronically via the Internet monitoring customer satisfaction for such candidate member of the group over a period of time to evaluate and document the predominant satisfaction that the candidate group member is achieving with patients;

b) categorizing the predominant satisfaction for such candidate group member over time as high or low;

c) if the candidate was evaluated to have a high predominant satisfaction over the time period, admitting the candidate to the group and thereafter periodically repeatedly electronically via the Internet monitoring customer satisfaction for such candidate and maintaining the candidate in the group so long as the candidate evaluates as having high predominate satisfaction.

2. ) A method for electronically via the Internet screening candidates for admission to professional school to produce an incoming class having minimal risk of incurring professional liability upon graduation from school and undertaking professional practice, comprising the steps of:

a) for each candidate student otherwise exhibiting credentials appearing to be acceptable for admission to the professional school of interest, electronically via the Internet subjecting the candidate to standardized cogitative/behavioral profiling to identify the candidate'"'"'s cogitative/behavioral/motivational profile;

b) if a high intrinsic motivational profile towards such professional study and satisfaction of customers for the profession'"'"'s services was found and confirmed by the standardized cogitative/behavioral profiling, then

i) admitting the candidate to the professional school;

otherwise.

ii) conditionally admitting the candidate to the professional school and thereafter

(1) requiring the candidate to undergo behavioral modification risk training electronically via the Internet or leadership education electronically via the Internet;

c) upon successful completion of the behavioral modification risk training or the leadership education, lifting the condition on the candidate'"'"'s admission to the professional school.

3. ) A method for electronically via the Internet assembling and electronically via the Internet dynamically maintaining a group of professionals having relatively low probability of being charged with professional malpractice, comprising the steps of:

a) for each candidate member of the group to be assembled, using a standardized customer satisfaction survey, electronically via the Internet monitoring customer satisfaction for such candidate member of the group over a period of time to evaluate and document the satisfaction that the candidate group member is achieving with customers;

b) categorizing the customer satisfaction for such candidate member over time as acceptably high or otherwise unacceptably low.

c) if the candidate was evaluated to have high customer satisfaction over the time period, admitting the candidate to the group and thereafter

i) periodically repeatedly electronically via the Internet monitoring customer satisfaction for such candidate and

(1) maintaining the candidate in the group so long as the candidate evaluates as having high customer satisfaction;

but

(2) identifying the candidate as possibly becoming an unacceptably high liability risk whenever the candidate evaluates electronically via the Internet as having low customer satisfaction and thereafter proceeding to step (e) below;

d) if the candidate evaluates electronically via the Internet as having low customer satisfaction over time, identifying the candidate as potentially representing an unacceptably high liability risk and being unqualified, based on present information, for inclusion in the group having relatively low probability of being charged with professional malpractice;

e) requiring the candidate either to

i) submit to standardized cognitive behavioral profiling electronically via the Internet to identify the candidate'"'"'s cognitive/behavioral profile;

or

ii) go to either behavioral modification training electronically via the Internet or leadership education electronically via the Internet and to attend the same electronically via the Internet for such time until the forward-going customer satisfaction data for such candidate reflect a low-risk profile;

f) for candidates submitting to standardized cognitive behavioral profiling,

i) if the candidate is determined to have a low-risk profile, admit or re-admit the candidate into the group and continue monitoring electronically via the Internet for customer satisfaction by the admittee;

ii) if the candidate was determined to have a high-risk profile, providing the candidate with the option to undergo behavioral modification training electronically via the Internet and/or leadership education electronically via the Internet and to attend the same electronically via the Internet for such time until the forward-going customer satisfaction data for such candidate reflect a low-risk profile but rejecting for membership in the group a candidate given such option who elects to forego the same;

iii) monitoring such candidate with a previously determined high-risk profile and having undergone behavioral modification training and/or leadership education, for such time until the forward-going customer satisfaction data for such candidate reflects a low-risk profile for customer satisfaction as such candidate continues professional practice until such time as forward-going high customer satisfaction data reflects a low risk profile and thereafter admitting/readmitting the candidate into the group.

4. ) A method for evaluating electronically via the Internet risk attendant to retaining an employee, an insured or an at risk client, comprising the steps of:

a) using a standardized customer satisfaction survey, electronically via the Internet monitoring customer satisfaction for such employee, insured or at risk client over a period of time to evaluate and document satisfaction the employee, insured or at risk client is achieving with customers;

b) categorizing customer satisfaction with such employee, insured or at risk client over time as acceptably high or otherwise unacceptably low;

c) if the employee, insured or at risk client has high customer satisfaction over the time period, categorizing such employee, insured or at risk client as being a low liability risk and thereafter;

i) periodically repeatedly electronically via the Internet monitoring customer satisfaction for such employee, insured or at risk client, and

(1) continuing to categorize the employee, insured or at risk client as being a low liability risk for so long as the employee, insured or at risk client evaluates as having high customer satisfaction;

but

(2) identifying the employee, insured or at risk client as possibly representing a high liability risk whenever the employee, insured or at risk client evaluates as having low customer satisfaction and thereafter proceeding to step (e) below;

d) if the employee, insured or at risk client was evaluated electronically via the Internet to have a low customer satisfaction over time in step (b), identifying the employee, insured or at risk client as potentially representing a high liability risk and requiring the candidate either

i) to submit to standardized cogitative/behavioral profiling electronically via the Internet to identify the employee'"'"'s, insured'"'"'s or at risk client'"'"'s cognitive/behavioral profile;

or

ii) go to either behavioral modification training electronically via the Internet or leadership education electronically via the Internet and to attend the same electronically via the Internet for such time until the forward-going customer satisfaction data for such employee, insured or at risk client reflects a low-risk profile;

e) for employees, insureds and at risk clients submitting to standardized cogitative/behavioral profiling,

i) if the employee, insured or at risk client is determined to have a low-risk cognitive behavioral profile, categorize/re-categorize the employee, insured or at risk client as low risk and continue monitoring for customer satisfaction by such employee, insured or at risk client;

ii) if the employee, insured or at risk client was determined to have a high-risk cognitive behavioral profile, requiring the employee, insured or at risk client to undergo behavioral modification training and/or leadership education and to attend the same for such time until the forward-going customer satisfaction data for such employee, insured or at risk client reach a desired level reflecting a low-risk profile but rejecting an employee, insured or at risk client given such option who elects to forego the same;

iii) monitoring electronically via the Internet the employee, insured or high risk client with a previously determined high-risk cognitive behavioral profile and having undergone behavioral modification training and/or leadership education for such time until the forward-going customer satisfaction data for such employee, insured or high risk client reflects a low-risk profile, as such employee, insured or high risk client continues in professional practice until such time as the forward-going high customer satisfaction data reflects a low risk profile and thereafter categorizing/recategorizing the employee, insured or high risk client as being of acceptably low risk.

5. ) A method for electronically via the Internet defining a cognitive behavioral profile predictive of risk according to institutionally predefined parameters, comprising the steps of:

a) defining a target population of interest to said institution;

b) identifying within the target population of interest, mutually exclusive groups of high risk and low risk individuals according to said institutionally predefined parameters;

c) causing the individuals in said high and low risk groups from said target population to undergo standardized cognitive behavioral profiling evaluation electronically via the Internet to delineate and document cognitive behavioral group profiles of the institutionally defined high risk and low risk groups from the target population of interest;

d) from the target population of interest, randomly selecting a group of sufficient number that selection of some individuals from both of the institutionally defined high and the low risk groups is statistically assured;

e) causing the individuals in the randomly selected group to undergo standardized cognitive behavioral profiling evaluation electronically via the Internet;

f) dividing, according to their profiles resulting from the standardized cognitive behavioral profiling evaluation, the evaluated individuals in the randomly selected group into second high and low risk groups respectively meeting the standardized cognitive behavioral profiles of the institutionally defined mutually exclusive groups of high risk and low risk individuals;

g) individually checking the members of the second high and low risk groups to determine if they were in one of the mutually exclusive groups of institutionally defined high risk and low risk individuals of step (b) and for those individuals who were in either one of those groups, checking that the standardized cognitive behavioral profile for that individual meets/matches the standardized cognitive behavioral profiles for the appropriate one of said institutionally defined high and low risk groups;

h) statistically verifying/correlating the standardized cognitive behavioral profiles for the members of the second high and low risk groups with the standardized cognitive behavioral profiles for the appropriate one of the institutionally defined high and low risk groups [to determine the likelihood/probability that a given individual with a given standardized cognitive behavioral profile is/is not within either of the institutionally defined high or low risk categories] thereby to define a confidence level associated with assigning a given individual to one of the institutionally defined high or low risk categories based on that individual'"'"'s standardized cognitive behavioral profile.

6. ) A method for electronically via the Internet identifying acceptable and unacceptable liability risk in individuals in a target population for new or to renew professional liability insurance and instituting corrective/remedial training for those individuals identified as manifesting unacceptable liability risk in such target population, comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining a standardized cognitive behavioral profile electronically via the Internet for an individual of interest from the target population;

b) comparing the individual'"'"'s standardized cognitive behavioral profile to previously obtained ranges of such profiles for persons of acceptably low and unacceptably high risks;

c) identifying the individual as being of acceptable liability risk if the individual'"'"'s standardized cognitive behavioral profile is within the range for persons of acceptably low risk, but as being of only conditional acceptability if the individual'"'"'s standardized cognitive/behavioral profile is within the range for persons of high risk;

d) for an individual identified as being of acceptable low risk, approving professional liability insurance coverage for that individual and monitoring electronically via the Internet forward going customer satisfaction for that individual using a selected standardized customer satisfaction survey;

e) for an individual identified as being of unacceptably high risk,

i) conditionally approving professional liability insurance coverage for that individual on the condition the individual enter electronically via the Internet and complete a behavioral modification training or leadership education program with demonstrated improvement over the one year duration of the program, or the conditionally approved professional liability insurance coverage will be cancelled;

ii) once the individual has completed either the behavior modification training electronically via the Internet or the leadership education program electronically via the Internet and has demonstrated improvement to a required extent, removing the condition on the approval of the professional liability insurance and electronically via the Internet monitoring forward going customer satisfaction for that individual using the selected standardized customer satisfaction survey.

7. ) A method for electronically via the Internet identifying acceptable and unacceptable risk in individual current employees or clients in a captive target population for insurance and/or other benefits and instituting corrective/remedial training for those individuals identified as manifesting unacceptable risk in such target population, comprising the steps of:

a) electronically via the Internet obtaining a standardized cognitive/behavioral profile for an individual of interest from the target population;

b) comparing the individual'"'"'s standardized cognitive/behavioral profile to previously obtained ranges of profiles for persons of acceptably low and unacceptably high risks;

c) identifying the individual as being an acceptable risk if the individual'"'"'s standardized cognitive/behavioral profile is within the range for persons of acceptably low risk, but as being an unacceptable risk if the individual'"'"'s standardized cognitive/behavioral profile is within the range for persons of high risk

d) for an individual identified as being of acceptable low risk, approving continued insurance and/or other benefit coverage for that individual and electronically via the Internet monitoring forward going customer satisfaction for that individual using a selected standardized customer satisfaction survey;

e) for an individual identified as being of unacceptably high risk,

i) conditionally approving continuation of such insurance and other benefit coverage for that individual on the condition of the individual electronically via the Internet entering and completing a behavioral modification training or leadership education program with demonstrated improvement over the one year duration of the program or the approved insurance and benefit coverage will be cancelled;

ii) removing the condition on the approval of the insurance and benefit coverage and monitoring forward going customer satisfaction for that individual using the selected standardized customer satisfaction survey.

8. ) A method for electronically via the Internet evaluating candidates for admission to professional school and providing a group of accepted intrinsically motivated candidates which upon graduation from such school will, as a group of such professionals, have substantially statistically lower probability of being charged with professional malpractice, and providing guidance for the selected members of the group of accepted candidates as needed to further lower their probability of being so-charged subsequent to graduation, comprising the steps of:

a) identifying a sufficient number of practicing individuals in the profession of interest fitting the popularly accepted definition of positive deviants as being those whose exceptional behavior and/or practices enable them to achieve superior results relative to others in the profession working with the same resources to develop a standardized cognitive behavioral profile for positive deviants in the profession of interest;

b) electronically via the Internet subjecting such identified positive deviant individuals to standardized cognitive behavioral profiling;

c) using the results from step “

b”

, documenting a standardized cognitive behavioral profile for positive deviants in the profession of interest;

d) creating a standardized cognitive behavioral profile of those who are intrinsically motivated positive deviant persons within the profession by analysis of the identified individuals and the results of the standard cognitive behavioral profiling of the positive deviants;

e) electronically via the Internet administering a standardized cognitive behavioral profiling instrument to student candidates for professional school and comparing each student'"'"'s resulting profile to the previously determined standardized cognitive behavioral profile for intrinsically motivated within the profession;

f) electronically via the Internet monitoring the academic and social interactive performance of students whose profiles fit the cognitive behavioral profile of intrinsically motivated people in the profession, as created in step “

d”

above, and the academic and social interactive performance of the remaining students whose profiles did not fit that of intrinsically motivated people in the profession;

g) twelve months subsequent to graduation, perform a standardized customer satisfaction survey electronically via the Internet of the customers of both those who as students had tested as intrinsically motivated and those who did not;

h) comparing the customer satisfaction experienced by customers of the students who had fit the intrinsically motivated profile to the customer satisfaction experienced by customers of the students who had fit the not intrinsically motivated profile;

i) determining if there is a significant difference in satisfaction experienced by customers of the intrinsically motivated members of the profession versus the customers of the members of the profession determined to be not intrinsically motivated;

j) if the standardized cognitive behavioral profile created in step “

d”

is found to be predictive of high customer satisfaction based on preceding step “

i”

, determining that a valid standardized cognitive behavioral profile for the profession has been defined and thereafter using the same as criteria for accepting/rejecting students for the professional school.

9. ) A method for electronically identifying and dynamically maintaining a group of professionals having relatively low probability of being charged with professional malpractice, comprising the steps of:

a) for each candidate member of the group to be assembled, eliciting customer satisfaction for such candidate by sequentially electronically presenting separately to an individual customer of such candidate by telecommunicatively transmitting from a remote locale for display to such customer on a video screen a series of statements concerning the perceptions of the customer regarding the candidate and service provided by the candidate to the customer, with each statement being accompanied by a set of permissible responses to the statement;

b) electronically inducing the customer to select one of the permissible responses to each of the series of statements by prompting the customer with a graphical and/or audible signal transmitted from said remote location and directing the customer to select one of the permissible responses by tactile contact with the video screen and/or manual manipulation of an input device;

c) electronically receiving and collecting at said remote locale the selected response to each of the statements given by a customer furnishing a response for a given candidate;

d) repeating steps “

a”

through “

c”

for each of a selected number of customers for the candidate member of the group;

e) electronically assembling the collected responses in a central database at said remote locale;

f) electronically processing the responses for each of the responding customers for a given candidate member of the group to determine a level of satisfaction of each responding customer of such candidate;

g) electronically determining an average level of customer satisfaction for the candidate by averaging the determined satisfaction levels of the responding customers for the candidate;

h) collecting customer satisfaction data and other parameters affecting customer satisfaction such as professional specialty, geographic locale;

political subdivision locale, number of professional associates in a practice group and electronically statistically processing the same to develop a database of customer satisfaction criteria;

i) electronically selecting a customer satisfaction criterion for the candidate from the database based on factors such as the professional specialty of the candidate, the geographic locale of the candidate'"'"'s practice;

the political subdivision locale of the candidate'"'"'s practice, the number of professional associates the candidate has, and the like;

j) electronically comparing the determined average level of satisfaction for a given candidate to the selected criteria;

k) repeating steps “

a”

through “

h”

for customers of such candidate over a preselected period of time;

l) categorizing the predominant satisfaction for such candidate group member over time as high or low;

based on the collected responses from the customers over time;

m) if the candidate has high predominant customer satisfaction over the time period, admitting the candidate to the group and thereafter periodically repeatedly monitoring customer satisfaction for such candidate by repeatedly performing steps “

a”

though “

h” and

maintaining the candidate in the group so long as the candidate evaluates as having high predominate customer satisfaction.

n) If the candidate has low predominant customer satisfaction over the time period, preparing a validated personality profile for the candidate by

i) for such candidate member of the group, sequentially electronically presenting separately to such candidate by telecommunicatively transmitting from a remote locale for display to such candidate on a video screen a series of statements concerning the self-perceptions of the candidate, with each statement being accompanied by a set of permissible responses to the statement;

ii) electronically inducing the candidate to select one of the permissible responses to each of the series of statements by prompting the candidate with a graphical and/or audible signal transmitted from said remote location and directing the candidate to select one of the permissible responses by tactile contact with the video screen and/or manual manipulation of an input device;

iii) electronically receiving and collecting at said remote locale the selected response to each of the statements given by said candidate

iv) establishing a personality profile for the candidate developed from the candidate'"'"'s responses to the successively presented statements concerning the self-perceptions of the candidate;

v) comparing the personality profile developed for the candidate to profiles for successful people in the candidate'"'"'s profession and determining from said comparison whether the candidate'"'"'s profile closely matches that of those of persons who have experienced success in the profession, in which case the candidate is identified as being at low risk of being charged with malpractice and is admitted to the group, or whether the candidates personality profile deviates substantially from those of persons who have experienced success in the profession, in which case the candidate is identified as being at unacceptable high risk of being charged with malpractice and is denied admission to the group;

vi) providing the candidate denied admission to the group with the option to undergo behavioral modification training or leadership training for possible remediation of the candidate as a possible path to admission to the group;

vii) terminating consideration of the candidate for admission into the group if the candidate opts to refrain participating in at least one of the behavioral modification training or leadership training;

o) for such candidate member of the group, providing either behavior modification training or leadership training or both by interactively sequentially electronically presenting to such candidate by telecommunicatively transmitting from a remote locale for display to such candidate on a video screen of a remote computer terminal lesson materials, interactive behavioral modification and/or leadership training exercises, readings, assignments, quizzes and examinations to periodically measure from a remote locale the progress of the candidate member of the group undergoing such behavior modification training or leadership electronically receiving and collecting at said remote locale the selected response to each of the statements given by said candidate;

p) periodically telecommunicatively examining such candidate as to whether the candidate has effectuated acceptable behavioral modification and/or developed sufficient and acceptable leadership skills relative to predetermined criteria for persons who have been successful in the profession and relative to others in the group as to be included in the group and, in such case admitting the candidate to the group but if not, denying the candidate admission into the group and offering the candidate the opportunity for further behavioral modification training and/or leadership training;

q) for the member of the group having successfully completed behavioral modification training and/or leadership training and having been admitted to the group on such basis, monitoring for continued acceptable behavioral characteristics and leadership traits for such group member by sequentially electronically presenting separately to the group member and individually separately to the group members'"'"' professional associates, office staff members, supervisors and others having regular contact with the group member and hence having the opportunity to observe the group member in a variety of professional situations, by generating at a remote locale for display to one of such persons on a video screen a series of statements concerning the perceptions of person regarding the group member'"'"'s behavioral characteristics and leadership traits, with each statement being accompanied by a set of permissible responses to the statement;

r) electronically inducing the person to select one of the permissible responses to each of the series of statements by prompting the person with a graphical and/or audible signal transmitted from said remote location and directing the person to select one of the permissible responses by tactile contact with the video screen and/or manual manipulation of an input device;

s) electronically receiving and collecting at said remote locale the selected response to each of the statements given by a person furnishing a response for the group member;

t) repeating steps “

q”

through “

s”

for each of a selected number of persons for the group member;

u) electronically assembling the collected responses in a central database at said remote locale;

v) electronically processing the responses for each of the responding persons for the group member to determine the perceived behavioral characterizes and leadership traits of the group member as determined by the persons interrogated;

w) electronically comparing the a perceived behavioral characteristic profile and a perceived leadership trait profile for the group member to the selected criteria; and

x) categorizing the a perceived behavioral characteristic profile and a perceived leadership trait profile for such group member over time as satisfactory or unsatisfactory;

based on the collected responses from peer persons over time and maintaining or removing the member from the group according to such a perceived behavioral characteristic profile and a perceived leadership trait profile.