Apparatus, System and Method for Member Matching

• US 20100174688A1
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optuminsight, Inc. (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ingenix Incorporated (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dunn, Dan, Anumakonda, Ravi, Paulinski, Dawn, Buchanan, Laurie A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/692
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for member matching. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an input adapter, a processor, and an output adapter. The input adapter may receive a first data record from a plurality of data records stored in one or more databases. The processor may generate a first data key from one or more field values in the first data record, compare a second data key associated with a second data record with the first data key associated with the first data record, and identify a match between the first data key and the second data key. In one embodiment, the output adapter may produce an output configured to identify the first data record and the second data record in response to identification of the match.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an input adapter configured to receive a first data record from a plurality of data records stored in one or more databases;

a processor coupled to the input adapter, the processor configured to;

generate a first data key from one or more field values in the first data record;

compare a second data key associated with a second data record with the first data key associated with the first data record; and

identify a match between the first data key and the second data key; and

an output adapter coupled to the processor, the output adapter configured to produce an output configured to identify the first data record and the second data record in response to identification of the match.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to clean the first data record and the second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to standardize the first and second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to generate a plurality of first data keys and second data keys according to a plurality of predetermined combinations of field values.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, where comparing the first data key and the second data key further comprises comparing the plurality of first data keys with the plurality of second data keys.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to assign a common identifier to the first data record and the second data record in response to the match between the first key and the second key, the common identifier associating the first data record and the second data record with a unique entity.

7. A system comprising:

one or more data storage devices configured to store a plurality of data records; and

a server in data communication with the data storage device, the server configured to;

receive a first data record from the plurality of data records stored in one or more databases located on the one or more data storage devices;

generate a first data key from one or more field values in the first data record;

compare a second data key associated with a second data record with the first data key associated with the first data record;

identify a match between the first data key and the second data key; and

produce an output configured to identify the first data record and the second data record in response to identification of the match.

8. The system of claim 7, where the server is further configured to clean the first data record and the second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

9. The system of claim 7, where the server is further configured to standardize the first and second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

10. The system of claim 7, where the server is further configured to generate a plurality of first data keys and second data keys according to a plurality of predetermined combinations of field values.

11. The system of claim 10, where comparing the first data key and the second data key further comprises comparing the plurality of first data keys with the plurality of second data keys.

12. The system of claim 7, where the server is further configured to assign a common identifier to the first data record and the second data record in response to the match between the first key and the second key, the common identifier associating the first data record and the second data record with a unique entity.

13. A tangible computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer usable program code executable to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first data record from a plurality of data records stored in one or more databases;

generating a first data key from one or more field values in the first data record;

comparing a second data key associated with a second data record with the first data key associated with the first data record;

identifying a match between the first data key and the second data key; and

producing an output configured to identify the first data record and the second data record in response to identification of the match.

14. The tangible computer program product of claim 13, the operations comprising cleaning the first data record and the second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

15. The tangible computer program product of claim 13, the operations comprising standardizing the first and second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

16. The tangible computer program product of claim 13, the operations comprising generating a plurality of first data keys and second data keys according to a plurality of predetermined combinations of field values.

17. The tangible computer program product of claim 16, where the operation for comparing the first data key and the second data key further comprises comparing the plurality of first data keys with the plurality of second data keys.

18. The tangible computer program product of claim 13, the operations further comprising assigning a common identifier to the first data record and the second data record in response to the match between the first key and the second key, the common identifier associating the first data record and the second data record with a unique entity.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a first data record from a plurality of data records stored in one or more databases;

generating a first data key from one or more field values in the first data record;

comparing a second data key associated with a second data record with the first data key associated with the first data record;

identifying a match between the first data key and the second data key; and

producing an output configured to identify the first data record and the second data record in response to identification of the match.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising cleaning the first data record and the second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

21. The method of claim 19, comprising standardizing the first and second data record before comparing the first data key and the second data key.

22. The method of claim 19, comprising generating a plurality of first data keys and second data keys according to a plurality of predetermined combinations of field values.

23. The method of claim 22, where comparing the first data key and the second data key further comprises comparing the plurality of first data keys with the plurality of second data keys.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising assigning a common identifier to the first data record and the second data record in response to the match between the first key and the second key, the common identifier associating the first data record and the second data record with a unique entity.