Computer-implemented method for grouping medical claims with clinically representative dynamic clean periods

• US 7,620,560 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Optuminsight, Inc. (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ingenix Incorporated (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dang, Dennis K.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor; Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Michelle
• Application Number:
  US10/106,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20020173987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,794 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for profiling medical claims to assist health care managers in determining the cost-efficiency and service quality of health care providers. The method allows an objective means for measuring and quantifying health care services. An episode treatment group (ETG) is a patient classification unit, which defines groups that are clinically homogenous (similar cause of illness and treatment) and statistically stable. The ETG grouper methodology uses service or segment-level claim data as input data and assigns each service to the appropriate episode. The program identifies concurrent and recurrent episodes, flags records, creates new groupings, shifts groupings for changed conditions, selects the most recent claims, resets windows, makes a determination if the provider is an independent lab and continues to collect information until an absence of treatment is detected.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for grouping medical claims data, comprising the steps of:

a. grouping a plurality of medical claim data records to an episode of care having at least one defining characteristic, wherein the grouping is preformed by a computer processing unit;

b. assigning a first clean period to the episode of care, the first clean period defined by a predefined time duration during which there is an absence of medical claim data having the at least one defining characteristic of the episode treatment group, wherein the grouping is performed by the computer processing unit; and

c. resetting the first clean period to define a second clean period, the second clean period defining a second predefined time duration, wherein the first clean period is reset to the second clean period when later presented medical claim data having the at least one characteristic of the episode of care and falling within the first clean period is added to the episode of care, wherein the grouping is performed by the computer processing unit.