Method and apparatus for improving patient compliance with prescriptions

• US 6,578,003 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2000
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schering Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Schering Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Gregory K., Camarda, Leonard T., Schectman, Stephen B., Wilbur, Curtis S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr., Forest
• Application Number:
  US09/562,408
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 705/3, 705/2
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/123 DNA computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method and apparatus for improving patient compliance with prescriptions utilizes computer terminals to convert prescription information into electronic form as records for each patient. Each such patient record includes information about the patient from the prescription and the prescription itself. In addition, demographic information about the patient is obtained from other commercial databases and added to the patient record. Then a regression analysis is run on the patient records using the various data elements versus the compliance of the patient with the prescription to determine the relative importance of each variable in the prediction. The analysis is used to segregate the patients into demographic clusters and to associate champion intervention messages with each cluster. When a patient'"'"'s prescription is entered in the system thereafter, the model is used to associate the patient with a cluster and to direct the champion message to that patient. Further, a regression analysis may be run on the patient data to create a model of likelihood of prescription compliance in general by the patient. The result is a probability equation that allows a score to be assigned to each record. Based on this score, the patients most likely to fail to comply with their prescription are sent the champion interventions. As new challenge interventions messages are created additional information is gathered and the regression analysis is re-run. If the challenge message is more successful, it is substituted as the new. champion message. The results of these interventions are recorded and appended to the related patient record.

Claims

1. An apparatus for effecting a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription, comprising:

a) at least one data processing terminal through which patient prescription data is collected on patients in electronic form, said terminal collecting the data in the form of records for each patient, each patient record including at least an identification of the patient and the prescription;

b) a database in the form of an organized memory in which the patient records are stored;

c) a predictive computing system including a processor, a processor memory and an electronic access device by which said processor accesses the patient records in said database, said processor memory storing a regression analysis program which operates in said processor on the various elements of data in the patient record;

d) said processor memory storing intervention data in electronic form which at least generally indicates patient prescription compliance in the form of the response of various patients to various predetermined intervention messages, said messages being intended to get patients to comply with their prescription;

e) said processor appending said intervention data to related patient data in said patient records; and

f) said processor using said regression analysis program to create automatically an intervention model using the data in said patient records including said intervention data, said intervention model indicating a segregation of the patient records into clusters based on said patient information and an association of each cluster with a champion intervention which is the predetermined intervention which is most effective in causing patients in that cluster to behave so as to create a general indication of compliance; and

g) an output device by which the intervention is at least in part delivered.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said access device obtains demographic information on said patients from remote databases and said processor associates the demographic information with the related patient record and forms said patient clusters based on said demographic information.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

a) said database further includes compliance information for at least some of the patients in the form of data indicating the compliance of patients with prescriptions without an intervention; and

b) said processor appending said compliance information to related patient records, creating a compliance model based on patient data for predicting which patients will comply with a prescription, said compliance model being created by regression analysis of the compliance information with regard to the other data in the patient records, and assigning a score to each patient record based on the model, said score being a prediction of the relative likelihood that a patient will comply with his prescription.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said various interventions include champion interventions from a previous regression analysis and a challenger intervention, said processor substituting a challenger intervention for a champion intervention whenever said regression analysis indicates greater compliance of the cluster population in response to the challenger intervention.

5. Apparatus for effecting a patient'"'"'s compliance with a prescription, comprising:

a) at least one data processing terminal through which patient prescription data is collected on patients in electronic form, said terminal collecting the data in the form of records for each patient, each patient record including at least an identification of the patient and the prescription;

b) a database in the form of an organized memory in which the patient records are stored, said database further storing compliance information for at least some of the patients in the form of data indicating the previous compliance of patients with prescriptions without an intervention; and

c) a predictive computing system including a processor, a processor memory storing a regression analysis program which operates in said processor on the various elements of data in the patient record, and an electronic access device by which said processor accesses the patient records in said database, said processor appending said compliance information to related patient records and automatically creating a compliance model based on patient data for predicting which patients will comply with a prescription, said compliance model being created by regression analysis of the compliance information with regard to the other data in the patient records using the regression analysis program, said processor assigning a score to each patient record based on the model, said score being a prediction of the relative likelihood that a patient will comply with his prescription.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 further including an output device by which the intervention is at least in part delivered.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the processor causes the output device to generate an intervention message and send it at a predetermined time.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the output device is one of a printer and modem, and wherein the printer creates and sends a printed intervention message, and the modem sends one of an audio or video message, including an e-mail.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the output device is one of a display, printer and modem.