Patent Issued for Automated Health Data Acquisition, Processing And Communication System (USPTO 10,886,016)
2021 JAN 19 (NewsRx) -- By a
The patent’s inventors are Ohnemus, Peter (Herrliberg, CH); Naef, Andre (
This patent was filed on
From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “Despite advances in many areas of technology, there are still barriers to assessing the relative health of a person in a rapid, cost effective, and timely manner. With the increase in health care costs and prevalence of diseases related to unhealthy lifestyles such as diabetes and heart disease, it is important to assess the relative health of individuals, and this has not been adequately addressed. In many areas of the world, access to doctors is limited. Even in the developed world, a doctor’s time is considered a precious commodity and there are often long waiting lists and doctor-to-specialist referral systems have to be navigated before being seen. In more developed countries the ratio of doctors to the population may be on the order of 1:1,000 persons, while in less developed countries the ratio may be 1:100,000. There are also cost barriers to having access to a doctor because an appointment with a doctor can be very expensive, especially if an individual does not have any health insurance or lacks sufficient coverage. Accordingly, it can be very difficult to gain access to medical professionals in order to receive information about one’s health.
“Even if an individual had access to his or her health information, the mechanisms for conveying that information to others is lacking or non-existent. Privacy laws restrict the type of information that can be shared and the manner in which it can be shared. Privacy laws relating to health information are particularly strict in regard to the information that can be shared. This is to protect a person from disclosure of sensitive information. Accordingly, the sharing of health related information is generally discouraged. It is also difficult to share health related information with friends and family. Often health information is only verbally conveyed by a doctor to a patient, or the patient will only receive paper copies of lab test results. Systems are lacking for easily sharing such information with others, especially with large groups of persons located in geographically remote locations.
“Prior art systems that provide a limited type of numerical score which is related to a person’s health have been disclosed. For example,
“Such disclosed systems are primarily directed to medical practitioners for addressing issues in continuity of care and require input from practitioners in order to produce and maintain scores. Clearly, while the attention of a medical practitioner is needed in emergency and critical care situations, cost and resource factors mean that such systems are usable only in such situations and such systems do not address the general issues discussed above. Additionally, the score is only relevant to the particular instant in time at which it was last updated by the medical practitioner.”
Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer implemented method for processing private health related data into a masked numerical score suitable for publishing. The method comprises receiving data into a memory on a plurality of intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters of a user. The received data and weighting factors are stored in the memory. The received data is processed by executing code in a processor that configures the processor to apply the weighting factors to the intrinsic medical parameters and the extrinsic physical activity parameters. The weighting factors for at least the extrinsic physical activity parameters include a decay component arranged to reduce the relative weight of the extrinsic physical activity parameters for a physical activity in dependence on at least one factor associated with the user. The processed data concerning the intrinsic medical parameters and the extrinsic physical activity parameters are transformed by further code executing in the processor into a masked composite numerical value in which the code is operative to combine the weighted parameters in accordance with an algorithm. The masked composite numerical value is automatically published to a designated group via a portal (such as a social web site) using code executing in the processor and free of any human intervention. Meanwhile, the collected information concerning the intrinsic medical parameters and the extrinsic physical activity parameters is maintained private.
“According to a further aspect of such a method as can be implemented in a particular embodiment thereof, the factor associated with the user can be an age or an age range of the user such that the decay component reduces the relative weight of the extrinsic physical activity parameters for a first user of a first age or age range differently than a second user of a second age or age range.
“According to still another aspect of such a method as can be implemented in a particular embodiment thereof, the published masked composite numerical value can comprise an average of a group of users to arrive at a group composite numerical value determination using further code executing in the processor.
“According to an additional aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer implemented health monitoring system which comprises a communication unit operable to receive data on a plurality of intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters of a user. A memory is arranged to store the received data and to store weighting factors. Also, a processor is arranged to process the received data by executing code that configures the processor to apply the weighting factors to the intrinsic medical parameters and the extrinsic physical activity parameters. The weighting factors for at least the extrinsic physical activity parameters include a decay component arranged to reduce the relative weight of the physical activity parameters for a physical activity in dependence on at least one factor associated with the user. The processor is further arranged to execute code to transform the processed data concerning the intrinsic medical parameters and the extrinsic physical activity parameters into a masked composite numerical value using the processor by combining the weighted parameters in accordance with an algorithm. A portal is arranged to publish the masked composite numerical value to a designated group while maintaining the collected information concerning the intrinsic medical parameters and the extrinsic physical activity parameters private.
“Such a system can preferably be configured so that the factor associated with the user can be an age or an age range of the user such that the decay component reduces the relative weight of the extrinsic physical activity parameters for a first user of a first age or age range differently than a second user of a second age or age range.
“An embodiment in accordance with further aspects of the invention can comprise a system that communicates either the processed data or the masked composite numerical value to an exercise machine. The machine works in conjunction with the system through programming thereat to automatically establish an exercise program on the basis of the communicated data or the masked composite numerical value. Preferably, the system so-configured receives from the exercise machine into its memory activity information for inclusion among the extrinsic physical activity parameters.
“Embodiments of the present invention seek to combine data from multiple medical and non-medical sources in a system and method that produce a normalized score for a person that takes into account available medical, physical activity and optionally lifestyle data (such as diet) in an arrangement that can be operated and updated in substantially real-time and does not need frequent access to a medical practitioner. The score and trends associated with it can be used for various purposes including triggering alerts as to possible medical issues or repercussions, providing user feedback, automated motivation and/or goal setting, training scheduling, automated referrals for medical analysis. Among the alerts that can be generated are alerts that are triggered based on monitoring of a composite numerical value of a health score that is computed, the computed value of which can cause a feedback communication to be sent to the user (e.g., within the system portal or by email, SMS, etc.), as a result of code executing in a processor and without human intervention, if the monitoring detects a change in the user’s score such as due to decay in value by operation of the algorithm, or reduction in value due to eating habits, or in fulfillment of goals input into the system by the user or by a group the user has associated with, or as part of a non-user-specific goal program that the system can have to motivate wellness (e.g., good exercise or eating habits). Embodiments of the present invention apply a weighting factor to the respective physical activity and/or lifestyle data such that recent events have a greater impact on the score than those that occurred further in the past.
“In the described embodiments, a unique health score computation method is disclosed which masks underlying health statistics, yet provides a benchmark for a variety of applications. In one embodiment, a method for collecting and presenting health related data is provided. The method includes collecting information concerning a plurality of intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters of a user. The collected information is stored in a memory and weighting factors are stored in the memory. The collected information is processed by executing code in a processor that configures the processor to apply the weighting factors to the intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters. The collected information concerning the intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters is transformed into a masked composite numerical value using the processor by combining the weighted parameters in accordance with a predetermined algorithm. The masked composite numerical value is published to a designated group via a portal while maintaining the collected information concerning the intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters private.
“Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a normalized rating system that can provide an assessment of the relative health of an individual that can be used as the basis of a fair comparison to other individuals having different ages, sex, medical status or lifestyles.
“Various features, aspects and advantages of the invention can be appreciated from the following Description of Certain Embodiments of the Invention and the accompanying Drawing Figures.”
The claims supplied by the inventors are:
“We claim:
“1. A computer implemented method for processing private health related data into a masked numerical score and restricting access to the masked numerical score to specific users, comprising the steps of: connecting, by a processor executing code and via a communication subsystem, to each of a plurality of electronic devices, wherein each of the electronic devices is configured with a respective module for communication with the communication subsystem via a respective communication session; receiving, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, data representing intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters of a user, wherein the data are received from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices via the communication subsystem; validating, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, data representing at least one of the extrinsic physical activity parameters of the user, wherein the step of validating includes multidimensional likelihood estimation or outlier detection; determining, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, that at least one parameter used to calculate a masked composite numerical value is missing from the received data; imputing, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, at least one value in place of the at least one missing parameter, wherein the step of imputing includes estimating the at least one missing parameter i) from other parameters associated with the user, ii) from values obtained from a sample group of individuals having similar parameters, or iii) from estimating the at least one missing parameter from other parameters associated with the user and from values obtained from a sample group of individuals having similar parameters; applying, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, respective ones of weighting factors to at least one of the intrinsic medical parameters and at least one of the extrinsic physical activity parameters, wherein the step of applying the respective ones of weighting factors includes retrieving each of the respective weighting factors for the user from a memory, and applying the respective weighting factors to the respective parameters, resulting in weighted parameters; transforming, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, the received data into the masked composite numerical value by combining at least the weighted parameters and the at least one imputed value in accordance with an algorithm; publishing, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, the masked composite numerical value to an internet portal; restricting access, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, to the internet portal to only a designated authorized group of the plurality of users who are represented by received designated users information, wherein the step of restricting access includes limiting access to the internet portal to only computing devices operated by members of the designated authorized group; receiving, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, additional data representing at least one intrinsic medical parameter or at least one extrinsic physical activity parameter of the user, wherein the data are received substantially in real-time from the respective at least one of the plurality of electronic devices via the communication subsystem in response to a change in the respective parameter; modifying, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, the masked composite numerical value using the received additional data in response to the changed parameter; publishing, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, the modified masked composite numerical value to the internet portal; generating, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, in response to the modified masked composite numerical value, an alert; and sending, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, the alert to the user via at least one user interface.
“2. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective ones of weighting factors are based on an age or an age range of the user.
“3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of averaging, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, published respective masked composite numerical values for each user of a group of users to determine a respective group composite numerical value.
“4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: receiving, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, data into the memory representing at least one extrinsic lifestyle parameter of the user, applying, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, respective ones of the weighting factors to the at least one extrinsic lifestyle parameter; and applying, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, a decay component to reduce the relative weight of the at least one extrinsic lifestyle parameter, wherein the step of transforming the received data further includes combining, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, the weighted parameters and the at least one processed extrinsic lifestyle parameter in accordance with the algorithm.
“5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: communicating, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, either the processed received data or the masked composite numerical value to an exercise machine and automatically establishing an exercise program on that basis, and communicating activity information from the exercise machine to the memory for inclusion among the at least one extrinsic physical activity parameter.
“6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the composite numerical value and causing, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, triggering of a feedback communication to provide an alert to the user to initiate a physical activity or change a scheduled physical activity, or the feedback communication comprises an alert sent to a predetermined person.
“7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of monitoring comprises monitoring value over time and triggering an alert in dependence on change over time.
“8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of triggering a feedback communication comprises sending, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, an electronic communication directed to the user including directions on changes to the user’s physical activity and/or lifestyle for improving the masked composite numerical value.
“9. The method of claim 6, further comprising calculating, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, a predicative masked composite numerical value, which is indicative of a predicted future state based on past data, using the received data of the user in accordance with a predicative algorithm and causing triggering of a predictive feedback communication.
“10. The method of claim 1, wherein the algorithm comprises: calculating, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, a metabolic equivalent, MET, value; calculating, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, a health pool value by dividing the MET value between a health pool and a bonus pool, wherein the bonus pool has a predetermined size and any divided MET value exceeding the bonus pool size is allocated to the health pool; and applying, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, a daily decay component to the bonus pool; and combining the weighted parameters and the at least one imputed parameter as a function of the health pool value.
“11. A health monitoring system comprising: a communication unit operable to receive data on intrinsic medical parameters and extrinsic physical activity parameters of a respective user; a memory arranged to store the received data, weighting factors, and designated user information representing each of a plurality of users who are authorized to access private health related data of the respective user; a processor arranged to execute code that configures the processor to: connect, via a communication subsystem, to each of a plurality of electronic devices, wherein each of the electronic devices is configured with a respective module for communication with the communication subsystem; validate data representing at least one of the extrinsic physical activity parameters of the respective user, wherein the data are validated by multidimensional likelihood estimation or outlier detection; determine that at least one parameter used to calculate a masked composite numerical value is missing from the received data; impute at least one value in place of the at least one missing parameter by estimating the at least one missing parameter i) from other parameters associated with the respective user, ii) from values obtained from a sample group of individuals having similar parameters, or iii) from estimating the at least one missing parameter from other parameters associated with the respective user and from values obtained from a sample group of individuals having similar parameters; apply respective ones of weighting factors to at least one of the intrinsic medical parameters and at least one of the extrinsic physical activity parameters, resulting in weighted parameters; the processor being further arranged to execute code to: transform the received data into the masked composite numerical value by combining at least the weighted parameters and the at least one imputed value in accordance with an algorithm; and a portal arranged to publish the masked composite numerical value; the processor being further arranged to execute code to: automatically publish the masked composite numerical value to the portal, and restrict access to the portal to a designated authorized group of the plurality of users who are represented by received designated users information; receive additional data representing at least one intrinsic medical parameter or at least one extrinsic physical activity parameter of the user, wherein the data are received substantially in real-time from the respective at least one of the plurality of electronic devices via the communication subsystem in response to a change in the respective parameter; modify the masked composite numerical value using the received additional data in response to the changed parameter; automatically publish the modified masked composite numerical value to the portal; generate, in response to the modified masked composite numerical value, an alert; and send the alert to the user via at least one user interface.
“12. The system of claim 11, wherein the respective ones of weighting factors are based on an age or an age range of the user.
“13. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication unit is further arranged to receive data on at least one extrinsic lifestyle parameter of the respective user, wherein the processor is further arranged to execute code to: apply respective ones of the weighting factors to the at least one extrinsic lifestyle parameter, apply a decay component to reduce the relative weight of the at least one extrinsic lifestyle parameter, and transform the received data by combining the weighted parameters and the at least one extrinsic lifestyle parameter in accordance with the algorithm.
“14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a remote user device, the system being arranged to communicate with the remote user device during physical activity to receive at least selected ones of the extrinsic physical activity parameters.
“15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a monitoring unit arranged to monitor a plurality of composite numerical values and being arranged to cause triggering of a feedback communication upon detecting a predetermined event associated with the monitored composite numerical values.
“16. The system of claim 15, wherein the feedback communication is operative to re-configure a program to define or that is defining a scheduled physical activity for the respective user.
“17. The system of claim 15, wherein the monitoring unit is arranged to cause transmission of an electronic communication directed to the user including directions on changes to the respective user’s physical activity and/or lifestyle for improving at least one of the masked composite numerical value.
“18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further arranged to execute code that configures the processor to calculate a predicative masked composite numerical value that is indicative of a predicted future state based on past data, using the received data of the user in accordance with a predicative algorithm and wherein the monitoring unit is arranged to cause triggering of a predictive feedback communication.
“19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is arranged to process the received extrinsic physical activity parameters by executing code that configures the processor to perform steps including: calculate a metabolic equivalent, MET, value; calculating a health pool value by dividing the MET value between a health pool and a bonus pool, wherein the bonus pool has a predetermined size and any divided MET value exceeding the bonus pool size is allocated to the health pool; applying a daily decay component to the bonus pool; and transforming the processed data by combining the weighted parameters and the at least one imputed parameter as a function of the health pool value.
“20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a bi-directional communication link to an exercise machine that is configured to: communicate either the received data or the masked composite numerical value to the exercise machine; automatically establishing the exercise program on the basis of the communicated data or the masked composite numerical value, and receive from the exercise machine into the memory activity information for inclusion among the at least one extrinsic physical activity parameter.
“21. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying, by the processor executing code and free of human intervention, at least one user that at least one parameter was missing and at least one value was imputed.
“22. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to notify at least one user that at least one parameter was missing and at least one value was impute.”
For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Ohnemus, Peter; Naef, Andre; Jacobs, Laurence; Leason, David. Automated Health Data Acquisition, Processing And Communication System.
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