Method and apparatus for resolving disparate values for data elements within a plurality of related records

• US 11,163,772 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Issued: 11/02/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berger, Elisabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Meng, Jau Shya
• Application Number:
  US15/071,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20170270164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 707755
• 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 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24553 of query operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing

Abstract

A method, computing device and computer program product are provided to obtain information from a plurality of dissimilar records by estimating the most accurate value for each field of the plurality of records. A computing device may include processing circuitry configured to: receive a first record including two or more elements, where a first element of the first record has a first value; receive a second record comprising two or more elements, where a first element of the second record has a second value; receive a third record having two or more elements, where a first element of the third record has a third value; and determine a resultant value for the first element, where the resultant value for the first element is determined based on a frequency of occurrence of a value for the first element among the first value, the second value, and the third value.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable program code embodied in the memory that is executable by the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first record associated with an individual comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein a first element of information associated with the individual of the first record has a first value;

receiving a second record comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein the first element of information associated with the individual of the second record has a second value;

receiving a third record comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein the first element of information associated with the individual of the third record has a third value;

determining a resultant value for the first element, wherein the resultant value for the first element is determined based on a frequency of occurrence of a value for the first element among the first value, second value, and third value, wherein the highest frequency occurrence of a value is determined to be the resultant value for the first element;

generating a composite record for the individual including the resultant value for the first element; and

providing an indication for the first element of the composite record that at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element is different from the resultant value of the first element, wherein the indication comprises a visual indicator that is determined based on a significance rating and a degree of difference between the resultant value and the at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element;

wherein the degree of difference is based on a quantitative difference between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element and the significance rating is based on a qualitative difference between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element, the qualitative difference being representative of a significance of disagreement between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element; and

wherein the visual indicator is indicative of a percentage of ones of the first value, the second value, and the third value that match the resultant value.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a query, wherein the query is related to the first element;

identifying the first record, the second record, and the third record as relevant to the query;

generating a new record in response to the query, wherein the new record comprises the resultant value for the first element.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein a second element of the first record has a first value, a second element of the second record has a second value, and a second element of the third record has a third value, the operations further comprising:

determining a resultant value for the second element, wherein the resultant value for the second element is determined based on a frequency of occurrence of a value for the second element among the first value, second value, and third value for the second element, wherein the highest frequency occurrence of a value is determined to be the resultant value for the second element.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the resultant value for the first element corresponds with a value of the first element from one of the first record, the second record, or the third record, wherein the resultant value for the second element corresponds with a value of the second element from one of the first record, the second record, or the third record, and wherein the one of the first record, second record or third record corresponding with the resultant value for the first element is different from the one of the first record, second record, or third record corresponding with the resultant value for the second element.

5. The computing device of claim 4, the operations further comprising:

generating a new record comprising the resultant value of the first element and the resultant value of the second element.

6. The computing device of claim 5, the operations further comprising:

providing an indication for the first element of the new record that at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element is different from the resultant value of the first element.

7. The computing device of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

providing access to the first record, the second record, or the third record, in response to a user selection of the resultant value of the first element of the new record; and

presenting the at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element that is different from the resultant value of the first element.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the new record comprises a medication list associated with a patient;

the first, second and third records, respectively, comprise records associated with the patient;

the first element is a first medication; and

the second element is a second medication.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first record is associated with a first source, the second record is associated with a second source, and the third record is associated with a third source, wherein each of the first source, second source, and third source comprise a respective reliability value, and wherein the value of the first element from each respective record comprises a reliability weight based on the reliability value of the respective source.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the provided indication that is a visual indicator is presented through a size, color, or shape of the visual indicator without displaying the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the significance rating is based, at least in part, on the type of information of the first element of the composite record.

12. A method comprising:

performing, on a processor, operations comprising;

receiving a first record associated with an individual comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein a first element of information associated with the individual of the first record has a first value;

receiving a second record comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein the first element of information associated with the individual of the second record has a second value;

receiving a third record comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein the first element of information associated with the individual of the third record has a third value;

determining a resultant value for the first element, wherein the resultant value for the first element is determined based on a frequency of occurrence of a value for the first element from among the first value, second value, and third value of the first element, wherein the highest frequency occurrence of a value is determined to be the resultant value for the first element;

generating a composite record for the individual including the resultant value for the first element; and

providing an indication for the first element of the composite record that at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element is different from the resultant value of the first element, wherein the indication comprises a visual indicator that is determined based on a significance rating and a degree of difference between the resultant value and the at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element;

wherein the degree of difference is based on a quantitative difference between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element and the significance rating is based on a qualitative difference between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element, the qualitative difference being representative of a significance of disagreement between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element; and

wherein the visual indicator is indicative of a percentage of ones of the first value, the second value, and the third value that match the resultant value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a second element of the first record has a first value, a second element of the second record has a second value, and a second element of the third record has a third value, the method further comprising:

determining a resultant value for the second element, wherein the resultant value for the second element is determined based on a frequency of occurrence of a value for the second element from among the first value, the second value, and the third value of the second element, wherein the highest frequency occurrence of a value is determined to be the resultant value for the second element.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the resultant value for the first element corresponds with a value of the first element from one of the first record, the second record, or the third record, wherein the resultant value for the second element corresponds with a value of the second element from one of the first record, the second record, or the third record, and wherein the one of the first record, second record or third record corresponding with the resultant value for the first element is different from the one of the first record, second record, or third record corresponding with the resultant value for the second element.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating a new record comprising the resultant value of the first element and the resultant value of the second element; and

providing an indication for the first element of the new record that at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element is different from the resultant value of the first element.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing access to the first record, the second record, or the third record, in response to a user selection of the resultant value of the first element of the new record; and

presenting the at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element that is different from the resultant value of the first element.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the new record comprises a medication list associated with a patient, the first, second, and third records, respectively comprise records associated with the patient;

the first element is a first medication; and

the second element is a second medication.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the first record is associated with a first source, the second record is associated with a second source, and the third record is associated with a third source, wherein each of the first source, second source, and third source comprise a respective reliability value, and where in the value of the first element from each respective record comprises a reliability weight based on the reliability value of the respective source.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable program code embodied in the medium that is executable by a processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first record associated with an individual comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein a first element of information associated with the individual of the first record has a first value;

receiving a second record comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein the first element of information associated with the individual of the second record has a second value;

receiving a third record comprising two or more elements of information related to the individual, wherein the first element of information associated with the individual of the third record has a third value;

determining a resultant value for the first element, wherein the resultant value for the first element is determined based on a frequency of occurrence of a value for the first element among the first value, second value, and third value, wherein the highest frequency occurrence of a value is determined to be the resultant value for the first element;

generating a composite record for the individual including the resultant value for the first element; and

providing an indication for the first element of the composite record that at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element is different from the resultant value of the first element, wherein the indication comprises a visual indicator that is determined based on a significance rating and a degree of difference between the resultant value and the at least one of the first value of the first element, the second value of the first element, or the third value of the first element;

wherein the degree of difference is based on a quantitative difference between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element and the significance rating is based on a qualitative difference between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element, the qualitative difference being representative of a significance of disagreement between the resultant value and the first, second, or third value of the first element; and

wherein the visual indicator is indicative of a percentage of ones of the first value, the second value, and the third value that match the resultant value.