System and method for the cascading definition and enforcement of EDI rules
First Claim
1. A method of validating a plurality of electronic data interchange (EDI) documents, where EDI documents, each EDI document associated with at least one of a plurality of entities, the method comprisingcreating an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities dynamically adjusting said inventory of all rules based upon the entity-specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities;
- determining a profile containing pointers to select rules in the inventory of all rules for each companion guide,storing the profile for each companion guide in a storage;
receiving a first document associated with a first entity;
checking the first EDI document associated with the first entity byemploying a runtime checker engine to check the storage for a first current rule set for the first entity, where the first current rule set comprises rules from the inventory of rules required by the companion guide associated with the first entitycomparing the first EDI document with the first current rule set;
forwarding the first EDI document to the first entity if the first EDI document matches the first current rule set, wherein the first EDI document is validated; and
returning the first EDI document to the sender if the first EDI document does not match the first current rule set, wherein the first EDI document is invalidated;
receiving a second document associated with a second entitychecking the second EDI document associated with entity the second entity byemploying the runtime checker engine to check the storage for a second current rule set for the second entity, where the second current rule set comprises rules from the inventory of rules required by the companion guide associated with the second entitycomparing the second EDI document with the second current rule set;
forwarding the second EDI document to the second entity if the second EDI document matches the second current rule set, wherein the second EDI document is validated; and
returning the second EDI document to the sender if the second EDI document does not match the second current rule set, wherein the second EDI document is invalidated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An efficient organizer of companion guide rules is created by a validation application from the common set of rules among an industry'"'"'s implementation guide and the rulebooks, such as companion guides of one or more entities, such as payers. The organizer of companion guide rules creates an inventory of all rules and a profile for each companion guide and stores each profile in metadata storage. Each profile contains pointers to code in the inventory for all the rules employed by the corresponding companion guide. After an EDI document reaches the validation application, a runtime checker engine checks metadata storage for a current rule set for the payer. A rule set is created the first time a profile is accessed during the validation process and whenever the profile is updated. The runtime checker engine attempts to validate the EDI document by comparing it to the current rule set for a payer'"'"'s companion guide.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of validating a plurality of electronic data interchange (EDI) documents, where EDI documents, each EDI document associated with at least one of a plurality of entities, the method comprising
creating an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities dynamically adjusting said inventory of all rules based upon the entity-specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities; -
determining a profile containing pointers to select rules in the inventory of all rules for each companion guide, storing the profile for each companion guide in a storage; receiving a first document associated with a first entity; checking the first EDI document associated with the first entity by employing a runtime checker engine to check the storage for a first current rule set for the first entity, where the first current rule set comprises rules from the inventory of rules required by the companion guide associated with the first entity comparing the first EDI document with the first current rule set; forwarding the first EDI document to the first entity if the first EDI document matches the first current rule set, wherein the first EDI document is validated; and returning the first EDI document to the sender if the first EDI document does not match the first current rule set, wherein the first EDI document is invalidated; receiving a second document associated with a second entity checking the second EDI document associated with entity the second entity by employing the runtime checker engine to check the storage for a second current rule set for the second entity, where the second current rule set comprises rules from the inventory of rules required by the companion guide associated with the second entity comparing the second EDI document with the second current rule set; forwarding the second EDI document to the second entity if the second EDI document matches the second current rule set, wherein the second EDI document is validated; and returning the second EDI document to the sender if the second EDI document does not match the second current rule set, wherein the second EDI document is invalidated.
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2. A method of enforcing EDI rules comprising determining entity-specific rules from corresponding companion guides for each of a plurality of entities;
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expressing each rule in a neutral and machine readable format; classifying the rules by determining for each rule whether the rule is common with at least one other rule, or whether the rule is similar to at least one other rule, or whether the rule is unique; conveying the results of classifying the rules by; creating an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities dynamically adjusting said inventory of all rules based upon the entity-specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities; storing the set of rules in a storage according to the classification of each rule as common, similar, or unique; creating pointers to the entity-specific rules associated with at least one of the plurality of entities; and storing the pointers in a storage for use in retrieving the appropriate current rule set when validating an EDI document. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. A method of validating EDI documents comprising:
- providing an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities dynamically adjusting said inventory of all rules based upon the entity specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities;
creating a rules analyzer to analyze the content of companion guides and to build an organizer of companion guide rules where each companion guide is associated with one of the plurality of entities; employing the organizer of companion guide rules to add companion guide rules to the inventory of rules; creating a profiles engine to create a current rule set for each of said plurality of entities; creating a companion guide profile for each of the plurality of entities where each companion guide profile indicates that entity'"'"'s companion guide rules and provides pointers to the rules in the inventory of rules that are associated with the current rule set of that entity, and creating a runtime checker engine to validate EDI documents by comparing each EDI document to the current rule set associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of entities, by forwarding the EDI document to the corresponding one of the plurality of entities if the EDI document matches its current rule set, wherein the EDI document is validated and by returning the EDI document to the sender if the EDI document does not match the current rule set, wherein the EDI document is invalidated. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- providing an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities dynamically adjusting said inventory of all rules based upon the entity specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities;
Specification