Rule Management Method and System

Abstract

A rule processing method includes defining a target group of patients chosen from a group of existing patients. An action to be taken concerning one or more patients within the target group of patients is defined, and an execution time for the action is scheduled.

1 - 35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . A rule processing computer-based method comprising:
 determining by a computer, for a specific computer-executable rule that is stored to a   computer-readable medium, a target group of patients, wherein said target group of patients comprise at least a subset of patients for whom a particular medical service provider has an access key that grants the medical service provider access to medical records of the patients;   determining, for said specific computer-executable rule, an action to be initiated by the computer concerning one or more patients within the target group of patients whose respective medical records satisfy said specific computer-executable rule, wherein the action comprises communicating information to the one or more patients;   determining, for said specific computer-executable rule, an execution time for the action; and   initiating by the computer the action concerning the one or more patients within the target group of patients on or after the execution time.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the action includes one or more of: posting a HTML link for a patient; posting a message for a patient; providing a tool to a patient;
 transmitting an email to a patient; 
 updating a patient's medical record; 
 transmitting a pop-up message to a patient; 
 recommending that a patient join a discussion board; 
 providing a patient with medical information; 
 providing a medical report to a patient; 
 providing a medical report to a third party; 
 executing a program; and notifying a third party. 
 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the execution time is a single, non-recurring, execution time. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the execution time is a plurality of non-recurring execution times. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the execution time is a recurring execution time. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the target group of patients is defined by processing the medical records to determine which of the medical records define the existence of a selected condition specified by the specific computer-executable rule. 
     
     
         42 . A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause that processor to:
 determine from computer-based medical records of patients for whom a particular medical service provider has an access key that grants the medical service provider access to said computer-based medical records, a target group of said patients whose respective medical records satisfy a rule defined by the medical service provider;   determine an action to be taken concerning the determined target group of patients; and schedule an execution time for the action to be taken concerning the determined target group of patients.   
     
     
         43 . The computer program product of  claim 42  wherein the instructions for determining said target group of said patients whose respective medical records satisfy said rule include instructions for processing the medical records to determine which of the medical records define the existence of a selected condition specified by said rule. 
     
     
         44 . The computer program product of  claim 43  wherein the selected condition concerns a medical condition of a patient. 
     
     
         45 . The computer program product of  claim 43  wherein the selected condition concerns a physical criteria of a patient. 
     
     
         46 . The computer program product of  claim 43  wherein the selected condition concerns a habit of a patient. 
     
     
         47 . The computer program product of  claim 43  wherein the selected condition concerns an activity of a patient. 
     
     
         48 . The computer program product of  claim 42  wherein the action comprises one or more of:
 posting a HTML link for a patient; 
 posting a message for a patient; 
 providing a tool to a patient; 
 transmitting an email to a patient; 
 updating a patient's medical record; 
 transmitting a pop-up message to a patient; 
 recommending that a patient join a discussion board; 
 providing a patient with medical information; 
 providing a medical report to a patient; 
 providing a medical report to a third party; 
 executing a program; and notifying a third party. 
 
     
     
         49 . The computer program product of  claim 42  wherein the instructions for scheduling the execution time include instructions for specifying a single, non-recurring, execution time. 
     
     
         50 . The computer program product of  claim 42  wherein the instructions for scheduling the execution time include instructions for specifying a plurality of non-recurring execution times. 
     
     
         51 . The computer program product of  claim 42  wherein the instructions for scheduling the execution time include instructions for specify a recurring execution time. 
     
     
         52 . The computer program product of  claim 42  further comprising instructions for executing the action concerning the determined target group of patients on or after the execution time. 
     
     
         53 . A rule processing computer-based method comprising:
 processing, by a record processing module, a plurality of computer-based multi-portion medical records that are stored to a computer-readable repository and that contain medical history information for a plurality of patients for determining a target group of said plurality of patients whose medical records a particular medical service provider is authorized to access, wherein each portion of each of the multi-portion medical records is assigned a respective confidentiality level;   processing, by a rule processing engine, the medical records of the determined target group of patients against a computer-executable rule defined by said particular medical service provider to identify one or more of said target group of patients whose medical records satisfy the rule;   determining, by the rule processing engine, an action defined by said particular medical service provider for the rule, said determined action to be taken concerning said identified one or more patients within the target group of patients; and   scheduling, by the rule processing engine, an execution time for the action.   
     
     
         54 . The computer program product of  claim 53  further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
 determine, from a plurality of computer-based medical records stored to a computer-readable repository, ones of said computer-based medical records for which said medical service provider has an access key that grants the medical service provider access to said computer-based medical records, said determined ones of said computer-based medical records for which said medical service provider has an access key that grants the medical service provider access to said computer-based medical records forming a target group of computer-based medical records. 
 
     
     
         55 . The computer program product of  claim 54  wherein the instructions for processing the medical records against said rule comprises instructions for processing said determined target group of computer-based medical records against said rule for determining which of the target group of computer-based medical records define the existence of a condition specified by said rule. 
     
     
         56 . The computer program product of  claim 54  wherein said medical service provider has an access key that grants the medical service provider access to a portion of information contained in said target group of computer-based medical records, and wherein the instructions for processing the medical records against said rule comprises instructions for processing said determined target group of computer-based medical records against said rule for determining from the portion of information contained in said target group of computer-based medical records which of the target group of computer-based medical records define the existence of a condition specified by said rule. 
     
     
         57 . A system comprising:
 a computer-readable repository for storing medical records;   an access key management system for managing access keys that grant a medical service provider authorized access to at least a portion of said medical records; and   a rule processing engine configured to:   a) receive input from a medical service provider to define a rule specifying criteria for selecting one or more of said medical records to which said medical service provider has an access key that grants the medical service provider with authorized access;   b) receive input specifying corresponding action to take when said rule is satisfied;   c) receive input specifying a corresponding execution time for performing said corresponding action;   d) process said medical records for which said medical service provider has an access key that grants the medical service provider with authorized access against said rule to determine one or more of said medical records that satisfy the rule; and   e) initiate, for patients to whom the determined one or more medical records that satisfy the rule relate, said corresponding action to be performed at said corresponding execution time.   
     
     
         58 . The system of  claim 57  wherein said corresponding action comprises communicating information to said patients to whom the determined one or more medical records that satisfy the rule relate.