Systems and methods for evaluating a professional

Abstract

Systems and methods for evaluating a professional in a computer-implemented professional evaluation system. The system includes at least one user computer device having a processor and computer-readable memory, and a professional evaluation application, which is hosted at least partially on a server having a processor and computer-readable memory and electronically accessible over at least one network system to the at least one user computer device. The professional evaluation application computes a raw profile data value for a professional based on received profile data, computes a raw reedback dta value based on feedback data for the professional received from said one or more user computer device, and generates an overall value for the professional based on the raw profile data value and the raw feedback data value.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for evaluating a professional in a computer-implemented professional evaluation system having a plurality of users, comprising:
 a. receiving, by a computer processor hosted at least partially on a server having computer-readable memory and electronically accessible over at least one network system, profile data for the professional comprising a plurality of attributes data indicative of professional qualification and performance;   b. determining a value for each said attribute, by the computer processor, based on the received profile data;   c. computing and storing, by the computer processor, a raw profile data value, based on the determined value of each attribute in step b;   d. receiving, by the computer processor, feedback data for the professional, said feedback data being received from one or more user computer devices having a processor and computer-readable memory;   e. determining a value for each feedback data, by the computer processor, based on the received feedback data;   f. computing and storing, by the computer processor, a raw feedback data value, based on the determined value of each feedback data in step e; and   g. generating, by the computer processor, an overall value for the professional based on the raw profile data value and the raw feedback data value.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the attributes indicative of professional qualification and performance comprise at least one of: education, training, certification, experience, publication, editorial positions, academic appointment, referrals, awards, professional society participation, and hospital affiliation. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the raw feedback data value is higher for more recent feedback data and lower for less recent feedback data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the overall value for the professional is generated by converting the raw profile data value to a converted profile data value based on a first segmented linear function, converting the raw feedback data value to a converted feedback data value based on a second segmented linear function, and summing the converted profile data value and the converted feedback data value. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the professional comprises a healthcare professional. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the feedback data comprises data received from a patient user, said feedback data comprising information indicating at least one of: being followed by the patient in a social network, being recommended by the patient, being added by the patient at the patient's healthcare provider, being thanked by the patient for an answer to a health-related question provided by the healthcare professional, sharing an answer provided by the healthcare professional by email, SMS, push notification or on a third party social network, requesting by the patient an appointment with the healthcare professional and providing an indication by the patient that the healthcare professional has knowledge relevant to a particular topic. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the feedback data comprises data received from another healthcare professional, said feedback data comprising information indicating at least one of: sending a message to the healthcare professional, referring the healthcare professional's answer to other users, referring a question posed by other users to the healthcare professional, adding the healthcare professional to said another healthcare provider's own network, agreeing with answers provided by the healthcare professional, and recommending the healthcare professional on the network. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein determining the raw feedback data value comprises giving more weight to feedback data received from other healthcare professionals than to feedback data received from patients. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the attributes data is verified by the professional. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein attributes data verified by the professional is given a higher value than attributes data not verified by the professional. 
     
     
         11 . A professional evaluation system, comprising:
 at least one user computer device having a processor and computer-readable memory;   a professional evaluation application, hosted at least partially on a server having a processor and computer-readable memory and electronically accessible over at least one network system to the at least one user computer device, wherein the professional evaluation application:
 computes a raw profile data value for a professional based on received profile data; 
 computes a raw feedback data value, based on feedback data for the professional received from said one or more user computer device; and 
 generates an overall value for the professional based on the raw profile data value and the raw feedback data value. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein profile data comprises a plurality of attributes data, the plurality of attributes comprising at least one of: education, training, certification, experience, publication, editorial positions, academic appointment, referrals, awards, professional society participation, and hospital affiliation. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the raw feedback data value is higher for more recent feedback data and lower for less recent feedback data. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the overall value for the professional is generated by converting the raw profile data value to a converted profile data value based on a first segmented linear function, converting the raw feedback data value to a converted feedback data value based on a second segmented linear function, and summing the converted profile data value and the converted feedback data value. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the professional comprises a healthcare professional. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the feedback data comprises data received from a patient user, said feedback data comprising information indicating at least one of: being followed by the patient in a social network, being recommended by the patient, being added by the patient at the patient's healthcare provider, being thanked by the patient for an answer to a health-related question provided by the healthcare professional, sharing an answer provided by the healthcare professional by email, SMS, push notification or on a third party social network, requesting by the patient an appointment with the healthcare professional and providing an indication by the patient that the healthcare professional has knowledge relevant to a particular topic. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the feedback data comprises data received from another healthcare professional, said feedback data comprising information indicating at least one of: sending a message to the healthcare professional, referring the healthcare professional's answer to other users, referring a question posed by other users to the healthcare professional, adding the healthcare professional to said another healthcare provider's own network, agreeing with answers provided by the healthcare professional, and recommending the healthcare professional on the network. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein computing the raw feedback data value comprises giving more weight to feedback data received from other healthcare professionals than to feedback data received from patients. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the attributes data is verified by the professional. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein attributes data verified by the professional is given a higher value than attributes data not verified by the professional.