Method and system for health assessment and monitoring

• US 20020019747A1
• Filed: 06/04/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: QuarterMaster Newco, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Optuminsight Life Sciences, Inc. (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dewey, James E., Kosinski, Mark R., Ware, John E., Sardinha, Barbara, Bjorner, Jakob Bue
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assessment technique which is conveniently practiced on a computer or over a network. The assessment technique is particularly useful in assessment of health related factors. The invention also relates to a general purpose programmable computer which is provided with instructions for operating according to the assessment technique.

Claims

1. A method of assessing the health status of a patient, comprising the steps of:

generating a customized test having a plurality of questions for said patient in accordance with a health domain to be assessed;

administering said test by providing one question at a time to said patient; and

after each question, evaluating answers provided by said patient to administered questions to estimate a score and a confidence level in the accuracy of said estimated score and dynamically modifying said test if said estimated confidence level is outside a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating a report regarding the health status of said patient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said domain is a condition experienced or perceived by said patient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically modifying includes the step of ranking said plurality of questions in accordance with said estimated score;

and selecting a question from said plurality of questions based on said ranking that has not been administered to said patient.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting comprises selecting a highest rank question.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically modifying includes the step of terminating said administration of said test if it is determined that said estimated confidence level is within said threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said threshold varies as a function of said estimated score.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating selects said questions for said domain from a database having questions and answers pertaining to a plurality of domains.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of administering includes the step of providing a list of possible answers for each question to said patient.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of estimating includes the step of statistically analyzing said answers provided by said patient for errors.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of estimating includes the step of statistically analyzing said answers provided by said patient for consistency.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of estimating includes the step of statistically analyzing said answers provided by said patient for estimating non-responsive answers to said test.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of reporting includes the step of comparing said answers provided by said patient with answers provided by other patients in said domain.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of administering includes the step of administering said test to said patients over a network.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating reports includes the step of generating said report over a network.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said network is one of the following:

an Internet, an intranet, a telephone network, and a wireless network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said domain includes at least one of the following:

severity of headaches, level of depression, degree of personal mobility, self-perceived status, effectiveness of a treatment, and general overall health.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a report module for generating a report regarding the health status of said patient.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said domain is a condition experienced or perceived by said patient.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said evaluation module is operable to rank said plurality of questions in accordance with said estimated score and select a question from said plurality of questions based on said ranking that has not been administered to said patient.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said evaluation module is operable to select a highest rank question.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein said administration module is operable to terminate said administration of said test if it is determined that said estimated confidence level is within said threshold.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said threshold varies as a function of said estimated score.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein said test module is operable to generate said questions for said domain from a database having questions and answers pertaining to a plurality of domains.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein said administration module is operable to provide a list of possible answers for each question to said patient.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein said evaluation module is operable to statistically analyze said answers provided by said patient for errors.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein said evaluation module is operable to statistically analyze said answers provided by said patient for consistency.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein said evaluation module is operable to statistically analyze said answers provided by said patient for estimating non-responsive answers to said test.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein said reporting module is operable to compare said answers provided by said patient with answers provided by other patients in said domain.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein said administration module is operable to administer said test to said patients over a network.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein said reporting module is operable to generate said report over a network.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein said network is one of the following:

an Internet, an intranet, a telephone network, and a wireless network.

34. The system of claim 18, wherein said domain includes at least one of the following:

severity of headaches, level of depression, degree of personal mobility, self-perceived status, effectiveness of a treatment, and general overall health.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of dynamically modifying includes the step of terminating said administration of said test if it is determined that said estimated confidence level is within said threshold.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said domain is one or more health related or non-related conditions.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said domain includes at least one of the following:

severity of headaches, level of depression, degree of personal mobility, self-perceived status, general overall health, effectiveness of a treatment, job satisfaction, opinion polling, personality test, and customer satisfaction.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the step of dynamically modifying includes the step of terminating said administration of said test if it is determined that said estimated confidence level is within said threshold.

18. A computer based system for assessing the health status of a patient, comprising:

a test module for generating a customized test having a plurality of questions for a patient in accordance with a health domain to be assessed;

an administration module for administering said test by providing one question at a time to said patient; and

an evaluation module for evaluating, after each question, answers provided by said patient to administered questions to estimate a score and a confidence level in the accuracy of said estimated score; and

wherein said evaluation module is operable to dynamically modify said test if said estimated confidence level is outside a pre-determined threshold.

35. A method of dynamically administering a test to assess a domain, comprising the steps of:

generating a customized test having a plurality of questions for a respondent in said domain;

administering said test by providing one question at a time to said respondent; and

after each question, evaluating answers provided by said respondent to administered questions to estimate a score and a confidence level in the accuracy of said estimated score and dynamically modifying said test if said estimated confidence level is outside a pre-determined threshold.

39. A computer readable media for controlling a computer to perform the steps of:

generating a customized test having a plurality of questions for said patient in accordance with a health domain to be assessed;

administering said test by providing one question at a time to said patient; and

after each question, evaluating answers provided by said patient to administered questions to estimate a score and a confidence level in the accuracy of said estimated score and dynamically modifying said test if said estimated confidence level is within a pre-determined threshold.