Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-28
2002-08-13
Mizrahi, Diane D. (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
active
06434547
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information recording system and method of proofing the information.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditionally, people record information by means of hand written notes or by entering the information into a computer using standard word processing software. In the medical environment, healthcare professionals such as physicians and nurses record medical information about patients. This will include background about the patient, such as the patient's age and sex, patient history, physical examination, and subsequent information that is developed during discussions with the patient.
The physician typically requires the patient to fill out a questionnaire disclosing the personal information about the patient, the patient's background, medical information and pre-existing medical conditions. During the patient visit and thereafter the physician usually makes notes. As part of the process, the physician makes a determination regarding the patient's medical condition and defines a treatment plan.
Physicians often use a dictation and transcribing approach to record this information. However, the requirements upon physicians are becoming increasingly burdensome requiring not only a recording of information about each patient's office visits, a diagnosis and suggested treatment plan, but recently has also required the physician to allocate points based on the extensiveness of his examination and the expertise required of him, to facilitate appropriate compensation by government, and perhaps, in the future, other insurance plans.
One data entry proposal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,371 which discloses a medical history documentation system and method for recording information. The system disclosed in the '371 Patent involves the communication of encoded indicia by a first person to a second person during a patient examination by the first person. The second person records this information on a recording device, entering coded indicia, leaving the first person free to do the examination without the first person having to make personal notes, or fill out forms or otherwise take time to write down information. The system suffers from the disadvantage of requiring a second person. It also does not provide for the allocation of points to the input information.
Speech recognition software has recently become available for desk top computers, such as Dragon Dictate, and IBM Voice Type. Dragon Dictate can interface with different applications, including word processors. However, it suffers from the disadvantage that there is no audio recording of the dictation stored for replaying during editing. While the IBM VoiceType version retains both a sound and a text file, the text from the speech recognition engine is input directly into a propriety text processor. The system decides when the speech recognizer models are updated, and does not allow direct updating of the sound files. U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,273 addresses the issue of allowing audio data to be stored corresponding to the edited text by updating the audio file when the text file is edited. It does not, however, provide a facility for highlighting suspicious text portions for the benefit of a proofreader and no facility exists to associate positional information with the text to ensure that data input into a document having a predefined format and layout does not get corrupted during editing by inadvertently ending up in a different section of the document.
The present invention seeks to provide an efficient means of gathering data in a structured document and subsequently verifying the accuracy of the data while also associating other information with the data such as points allocated to certain portions of the data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a system and method for data entry and decision making which includes a prompting stage, which prompts the user to enter data. One embodiment disclosed is a medical application. However, the invention is not so limited.
The input of the information involves the use of a computer. The user of the system inputs the information using any suitable input device, including a keyboard, oral input in conjunction with speech-recognition software, touch screen or mental manipulation of a cursor, etc., or any combination thereof.
The system and method of the invention further includes backtracking functionality for entry of subsequent further necessary data, and additional backtracking functionality where the necessary minimum data has been entered but a decision making process determines that the user may desire to add further data.
The method may include an accuracy monitoring capability to monitor, and possibly, make perceived corrective changes to the entered data. The method may, for instance, include a dictionary of undesired terms and/or a dictionary of desired terms which compares the entered data to the dictionary of words or phrases, and highlights and/or offers alternative terms or phrases from which to choose, or corrects perceived incorrect data. Separate dictionaries dealing with different categories, e.g., symptoms, anatomical regions, etc., may be included for use by one or more different data entry locations. Alternatives may be displayed based on the category or categories associated with that part of the document.
The method may be implemented in. a client-server system wherein all or some of the data and quantitative measure assigned to the data is sent from the client to the server for evaluation. The data may, for example, include text that is proofread by a person on the server side or is transferred to a third party proofreader via a server or directly from the user who enters the data.
Typically the information is put into a document having a predefined structure, with one or more sections, each section having one or more data entry locations, and the user is provided with the ability to jump forward and backward in the document. Thus, data entry may take the form of input into a predefined table or form having a certain layout. Different forms may be provided depending on the complexity of the case and the nature of the user. Structural information associated with the data may be retained through the use of a database or, if the data is serialized, by associating tags with the data, thereby retaining the structural information. Thus the complexity of the document chosen by the user will determine the number of rows pulled up from the database table for data entry.
In addition to merely highlighting the next data entry location, a visual or oral prompt may offer one or more choices from which the user may select.
Further, according to the invention there is provided a calibrated document having a predefined structure having one or more sections to which points or another quantitative measure can be assigned. The points can be manipulated such as by adding some or all of the points.
The method and system can include a scoring stage in which points or another quantitative measuring feature is ascribed to the data. The resultant score is manipulated, such as by adding the points for a section of the document or for the document as a whole, to provide a quantitative measure, facilitating further action or a decision making process, such as supporting a given level of billing.
The points or other quantitative measure of the data input may serve to measure the qualitative and quantitative value of tasks performed by a user. For instance, a physician examining a patient, may be given points based on the extensiveness of the patient evaluation and the complexity of the diagnosis. He may also be given points based on the severity of the patient's illness or the amount of expertise required of the physician.
The method is implemented on a computer system and the system may include functionality for prompting the user in order to maximize the points. Thus, the system may determine that the number of points for a particular section can
Lanpher Ted W.
Mishelevich David J.
Arter & Hadden LLP
Mizrahi Diane D.
Qenm.com
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