System and method for the rationalization of physician data

Claim 3

The system of claim 1, in which said standard resources include at least one standard resource selected from the group consisting of: (a) American Medical Association (AMA) DRG tables; (b) AMA ICD9 tables; (c) AMA CPT tables; (d) U.S. postal service zip code/geographic location tables; (e) State medical examiners' databases; (f) AMA relative value scales; (g) AHA databases; (h) Medicare UPIN tables; and (i) Standard fee schedules.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1, in which said means for processing data, in creating output including data combined from a plurality of said source systems, suppresses values contained in fourth selected data elements.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3, in which said fourth selected data elements contain values representing personal details of individual people.

Claim 6

The system of claim 1, in which said source systems include at least two computerized information systems selected from the group consisting of: (a) a physicians' office information system; (b) a hospital information system; (c) a clinical testing facility information system; and (d) a pharmacists' dispensary information system.

Claim 7

The system of claim 1, in which said uniform format is ASCII text.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7, in which said standard resources include at least one standard resource selected from the group consisting of: (a) American Medical Association (AMA) DRG tables; (b) AMA ICD9 tables; (c) AMA CPT tables; (d) U.S. postal service zip code/geographic location tables; (e) State medical examiners' databases; (f) AMA relative value scales; (g) AHA databases; (h) Medicare UPIN tables; and (i) Standard fee schedules.

Claim 11

The method of claim 7, in which said fourth selected data elements contain values representing personal details of individual people.

Claim 12

The method of claim 7, in which said source systems include at least two computerized information methods selected from the group consisting of: (a) a physicians' office information system; (b) a hospital information system; (c) a clinical testing facility information system; and (d) a pharmacists' dispensary information system.

Claim 13

The method of claim 7, in which said uniform format is ASCII text.

Claim 14

A general purpose computer system for rationalizing source data extracted from a plurality of source systems, said source data characterized by a plurality of combinations of data format, data syntax and data element structure, said source systems characterized by a plurality of combinations of hardware, software and operating systems, said general purpose computer system comprising: a central processing unit including a memory; input means disposed to receive said source data from each of said source systems; mass data storage means accessible by the central processing unit and disposed to store data including said source data; an application program operable to generate output, said output including anonymized data combined from a plurality of said source systems, said output further including data specific to individual ones of said source systems, said application program comprising: means for converting said source data to a uniform format; means for parsing said converted data to identify first selected data elements; means for binning said first selected data elements into a database having a uniform data element structure; means for recognizing, within said database, second selected data elements having equivalent values; means for linking data in said database having said second selected data elements with recognized equivalent values; means for comparing said linked data against standard resources, each of said standard resources characterized by a known data structure including a predefined association of a plurality of resource elements having reliably accurate alphanumeric values; means for matching, by recognized equivalence of value thereof, ones of said second selected data elements with ones of said resource elements so as to identify matched data elements corresponding with matched resource elements; and means for updating data within said database having matched data elements, said means for updating data operable by substituting values in third selected data elements therein with values copied from selected resource elements associated with said matched resource elements.

Claim 15

A general purpose computer system for rationalizing source data extracted from a plurality of source systems, said source data characterized by a plurality of combinations of data format, data syntax and data element structure, said source systems characterized by a plurality of combinations of hardware, software and operating systems, said general purpose computer system comprising: a central processing unit including a memory; input means disposed to receive said source data from each of said source systems; mass data storage means accessible by the central processing unit and disposed to store data including said source data; an application program operable to generate output, said output including anonymized data combined from a plurality of said source systems, said output further including data specific to individual ones of said source systems, said application program comprising: means for converting said source data to a uniform format; means for parsing said converted data to identify first selected data elements; means for binning said first selected data elements into a database having a uniform data element structure; means for recognizing, within said database, second selected data elements having equivalent values; means for linking data in said database having said second selected data elements with recognized equivalent values; means for comparing said linked data against standard resources, each of said standard resources characterized by a known data structure including a predefined association of a plurality of resource elements having reliably accurate alphanumeric values; means for matching, by recognized equivalence of value thereof, ones of said second selected data elements with ones of said resource elements so as to identify matched data elements corresponding with matched resource elements; and means for updating data within said database having matched data elements, said means for updating data operable by substituting values in third selected data elements therein with values copied from selected resource elements associated with said matched resource elements.

Claim 16

The general purpose computer system of claim 12, in which the input means includes communications means operable to receive selected source data by electronic data transfer.

Claim 17

The general purpose computer system of claim 12, in which said uniform format is ASCII text.

Claim 18

The general purpose computer system of claim 12, in which selected ones of said standard resources are stored on the mass data storage means.

Claim 19

The general purpose computer system of claim 12, in which said source systems include at least two computerized information systems selected from the group consisting of: (a) a physicians' office information system; (b) a hospital information system; (c) a clinical testing facility information system; and (d) a pharmacists' dispensary information system.