METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING

• US 20110112852A1
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• 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., Bjorner, Jakob Bue, Sardinha, Barbara, WARE, JOHN E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,623 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

1-40. -40. (canceled)

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

generating a customized test, based on the patient'"'"'s characteristics and one or more health domains, the test having a plurality of questions for the patient in accordance with the one or more health domains;

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

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

varying a threshold, after each question, as a function of the estimated score during administration of the test to the patient;

and dynamically modifying the test being administered to the patient, with a processing device, based on an answer provided to a prior question, the estimated confidence level, and the threshold.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising generating a report regarding the health status of the patient.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the domain is a condition experienced or perceived by the patient.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising ranking the plurality of questions in accordance with the estimated score;

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

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising selecting a highest rank question.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein dynamically modifying comprises terminating the administration of the test if it is determined that the estimated confidence level is within the threshold.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein further comprising selecting the questions for the domain from a database having questions and answers pertaining to a plurality of domains.

48. The method of claim 41, further comprising providing a list of possible answers for each question to the patient.

49. The method of claim 41, further comprising statistically analyzing the answers provided by the patient for errors.

50. The method of claim 41, further comprising statistically analyzing the answers provided by the patient for consistency.

51. The method of claim 41, further comprising statistically analyzing the answers provided by the patient for estimating non-responsive answers to the test.

52. The method of claim 42, wherein reporting further comprises comparing the answers provided by the patient with answers provided by other patients in the domain.

53. The method of claim 41, further comprising administering the test to the patients over a network.

54. The method of claim 42, wherein generating the report comprises generating the report over a network.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the network is one of the following:

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

56. The method of claim 41, wherein the 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 physical health, emotional health, impact of asthma, job satisfaction, opinion polling general overall health.

57. The method of claim 41, comprising at least two health domains.

58. A method of dynamically administering a test to assess a domain, comprising:

generating a customized test, based on a respondent'"'"'s characteristics and one or more domains selected by the respondent or test provider, the test having a plurality of questions for the respondent in accordance with the selected domains;

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

evaluating answers, after each question, provided by the respondent to administered questions to estimate a score and a confidence level in the accuracy of the estimated score;

varying threshold, after each question, as a function of the estimated score during administration of the test to the patient; and

dynamically modifying the test being administered of the test to the patient, with a processing device, based on an answer provided to a prior question, the estimated confidence level, and the threshold.

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising terminating the administration of the test if it is determined that estimated confidence level is within the threshold.

60. The method of claim 58, where the domain is one or more health related or non-related options.