Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A method and apparatus for identifying overdue patients using standard billing or other office management data, so that patients can be contacted and invited to make an appointment. The invention begins by querying the diagnosis codes for each visit from the billing or other encounter tables, and matching these with a set of target medical conditions requiring regular care. Procedure codes and encounter dates for past visits are queried for these patients, to determine when each patient was last seen, and what was done. These procedure codes are matched against a set of exam codes to determine last medical examination dates, and against a set of procedures known to resolve each medical condition. Each condition requiring regular care is matched against any resolving procedures, leaving a set of untreated conditions requiring regular care. Based on the date of the last exam or treatment and accepted standards of care or office policies, a due date is calculated for each patient. The management system is queried for each overdue patient to determine whether they already have an appointment scheduled in the future, or a recall notice recently sent or yet to be sent. Additional filtering based on administrative settings may also be done. Overdue patients requiring contact are then placed on the contact list.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim