System for monitoring and managing the health care of a patient population

• US 6,385,589 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pharmacia Corporation (Pfizer Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pharmacia Corporation (Pfizer Inc.)
• Inventors: Yager, J. Michael, Melkus, Timothy, McAlearney, Ann, Trusheim, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARLE, JENNIFER I
• Application Number:
  US09/223,022
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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

A system for managing the health care of a plurality of members in a population includes identification of member characteristics of one of the plurality of members, storage of a list of the member characteristics, continuous monitoring for information indicative of a medical event, obtaining information indicative of a medical event, automatic identification of a risk situation based on the member characteristics of the one member and the medical event, generation of a notification to address the risk situation, the notification being associated with a predetermined script to address the identified risk situation. Preferably, the risk situation corresponds to a potential process failure in the delivery of health care to the member.

Claims

1. A method for managing health care of a plurality of member patients in a population, comprising:

identifying member characteristics of one of the plurality of member patients;

storing a list of member characteristics of the one member patient in association with a corresponding medical data record of the one member patient;

continuously monitoring for input of member information indicative of a medical event corresponding to one of the plurality of member patients, the member information being input from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems;

obtaining member information indicative of a medical event corresponding to one of the plurality of member patients, the member information being input from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems;

translating the obtained member information to translated information having a predetermined format;

automatically identifying a risk situation associated with the one member patient from a list of potential risk situations, the potential risk situations being associated with one or more member characteristics and one or more medical events corresponding to the one member patient;

automatically generating a notification message corresponding to the risk situation, the notification message being associated with a predetermined script to address the identified risk situation;

automatically sending the notification message to a designated health care professional assigned to the one member patient; and

updating the medical data record corresponding to the one member patient with an intervention plan input by the designated health care professional in response to the notification message.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the risk situation corresponds to a potential process failure in the delivery of health care to the member patient.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the member information is obtained from at least one of:

lab data, claims data, pharmacy benefits manager data, home health care data, durable medical equipment provider data, health plan data, hospital admission data, physician encounter data, scheduling data, emergency room data, and case management data.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the member information is obtained from a network of health care-related entities.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined script includes at least one of:

direction of the member patient to community resources, education of the member patient, assessment of the member patient'"'"'s characteristics, automatic facsimile transmission of medical information to a caregiver, generation of a reminder letter, or physician paging.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

capturing intervention data; and

updating member characteristics of the member patient based on the captured intervention data.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the notification message is associated with an instruction to update the list of member characteristics of the one member patient.

8. A method for storing health care-related information of a plurality of member patients, comprising:

receiving health care-related legacy source data from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems, the legacy source data corresponding to one of the member patients;

translating the legacy source data to translated data, the translated data having a common predetermined data format;

storing the translated data in association with a medical data record of the one member patient;

automatically determining whether the translated data correspond to one of a predetermined set of database triggers, each database trigger corresponding to a risk situation which is based on at least one member characteristic and at least one medical event;

automatically generating a notification message corresponding to a risk situation and storing a sequence number corresponding to the translated data, in a case that it is determined that the translated data correspond to one of the database triggers; and

updating the medical data record of the one member patient with an intervention plan input by a designated health care professional in response to the notification message.

9. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable process steps to manage health care of a plurality of member patients in a population, the process steps comprising:

an identifying step to identify member characteristics of one of the plurality of member patients;

a storing step to store a list of member characteristics of the one member patient in association with a corresponding medical data record of the one member patient;

a monitoring step to continuously monitor for input of member information indicative of a medical event corresponding to one of the plurality of member patients, the member information being input from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems;

an obtaining step to obtain member information indicative of a medical event corresponding to one of the plurality of member patients, the member information being input from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems;

translating the obtained member information to translated information having a predetermined format;

an identifying step to automatically identify a risk situation associated with the one member patient from a list of potential risk situations, the potential risk situations being associated with one or more member characteristics and one or more medical events corresponding to the one member patient;

a generating step to automatically generate a notification message corresponding to the risk situation, the notification message being associated with a predetermined script to address the identified risk situation;

a sending step to automatically send the notification message to a designated health care professional assigned to the one member patient; and

an updating step to update the medical data record corresponding to the one member patient with an intervention plan input by the designated health care professional in response to the notification message.

10. A computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the risk situation corresponds to a potential process failure in the delivery of health care to the member patient.

11. A computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the member information is obtained from at least one of:

lab data, claims data, pharmacy benefits manager data, home health care data, durable medical equipment provider data, health plan data, hospital admission data, physician encounter data, scheduling data, emergency room data, and case management data.

12. A computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the member information is obtained from a network of health care-related entities.

13. A computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined script includes at least one of:

direction of the member patient to community resources, education of the member patient, assessment of the member patient'"'"'s characteristics, automatic facsimile transmission of medical information to a caregiver, generation of a reminder letter, or physician paging.

14. A computer-readable medium according to claim 9, the process steps further comprising:

a capturing step to capture intervention data; and

an updating step to update member characteristics of the member patient based on the captured intervention data.

15. A computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the notification message is associated with an instruction to update the list of member characteristics of the one member patient.

16. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable process steps to store health care-related information of a plurality of member patients, the process steps comprising:

a receiving step to receive health care-related legacy source data from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems, the legacy source data corresponding to one of the member patients;

a translating step to translate the legacy source data to translated data, the translated data having a common predetermined data format;

a storing step to store the translated data in association with a medical data record of the one member patient;

a determining step to automatically determine whether the translated data correspond to one of a predetermined set of database triggers, each database trigger corresponding to a risk situation which is based on at least one member characteristic and at least one medical event;

a generating step to automatically generate a notification message corresponding to a risk situation and to store a sequence number corresponding to the translated data in a case that it is determined that the translated data correspond to one of the database triggers; and

updating the medical data record of the one member patient with an intervention plan input by a designated health care professional in response to the notification message.

17. A computer apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing computer-executable process steps; and

a processor for executing the computer-executable process steps stored in said memory to

     1) identify member characteristics of one of a plurality of member patients,

     2) store a list of member characteristics of the one member patient in association with a corresponding medical data record of the one member patient,

     3) continuously monitor for input of member information indicative of a medical event corresponding to one of the plurality of member patients, the member information being input from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems,

     4) obtain member information indicative of a medical event corresponding to one of the plurality of member patients, the member information being input from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems,

     5) translating the obtained member information to translated information having a predetermined format,

     6) automatically identify a risk situation associated with the one member patient from a list of potential risk situations, the potential risk situations being associated with one or more member characteristics and one or more medical events corresponding to the one member patient,

     7) automatically generate a notification message corresponding to the risk situation, the notification message being associated with a predetermined script to address the identified risk situation,

     8) automatically send the notification message to a designated health care professional assigned to the one member patient, and

     9) update the medical data record corresponding to the one member patient with an intervention plan input by the designated health care professional in response to the notification message.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the risk situation corresponds to a potential process failure in the delivery of health care to the member patient.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the member information is obtained from at least one of:

lab data, claims data, pharmacy benefits manager data, home health care data, durable medical equipment provider data, health plan data, hospital admission data, physician encounter data, scheduling data, emergency room data, and case management data.

20. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the member information is obtained from a network of health care-related entities.

21. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined script includes at least one of:

direction of the member patient to community resources, education of the member patient, assessment of the member patient'"'"'s characteristics, automatic facsimile transmission of medical information to a caregiver, generation of a reminder letter, or physician paging.

22. A apparatus according to claim 17, the processor for executing the computer-executable process steps stored in said memory to 10) capture intervention data, and 11) update member characteristics of the member patient based on the captured intervention data.

23. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the notification message is associated with an instruction to update the list of member characteristics of the one member patient.

24. A computer apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing computer-executable process steps; and

a processor for executing the computer-executable process steps stored in said memory to

     1) receive health care-related legacy source data from one of a plurality of legacy health care systems, the legacy source data corresponding to one of the member patients,

     2) translate the legacy source data to translated data, the translated data having a common predetermined data format,

     3) store the translated data in association with a medical data record of the one member patient,

     4) automatically determine whether the translated data correspond to one of a predetermined set of database triggers, each database trigger corresponding to a risk situation which is based on at least one member characteristic and at least one medical event,

     5) automatically generate a notification message corresponding to a risk situation and store a sequence number corresponding to the translated data in a case that it is determined that the translated data correspond to one of the database triggers; and

     6) update the medical data record of the one member patient with an intervention plan input by a designated health care professional in response to the notification message.