Patent Issued for Information sharing portal associated with multi-vendor risk relationships (USPTO 11636546): Hartford Fire Insurance Company

2023 MAY 15 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, a patent by the inventors Bloom-Pugliese, Pamela M. (Dive, FL, US), Leach, Paul William (Miami, FL, US), Nelson, Keith L (Parkland, FL, US), Spallone, Adele (Fort Lauderdale, FL, US), filed on March 28, 2019, was published online on April 25, 2023.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11636546, is Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Hartford, Connecticut, United States).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “An enterprise might enter into risk relationships associated with an entity (e.g., as a form of risk management). For example, an insurer might issue insurance policies (e.g., short-term disability insurance policies, long-term disability policies) in connection with an employer and a set of employees. In some cases, the risk relationships may include agreements implemented or administered by multiple vendors (e.g., medical providers). In some cases, the enterprise may want to accurately populate and/or utilize the content of one or more electronic records that represent those risk relationships. For example, more accurate electronic records may improve the performance of the enterprise by reducing errors (and the need to re-enter information), facilitate communication between parties, help locate appropriate resources, etc. Note that improving the accuracy of electronic records may result in substantial improvements to the operation of a network (e.g., by reducing an overall number of electronic messages that need to be created and transmitted via various networks or improving response times). Manually updating electronic records and associated documents, however, can be time consuming and expensive - especially when a substantial number of electronic records (e.g., associated with a large number of vendors or employees) and/or a wide range of different types of information that needs to be tracked and/or exchanged.

“In some cases, an enterprise might use telephone calls and email messages to communicate with multiple vendors and employees. Such an approach, however, can require excessive and repetitive manual input, miss key business functionalities, and allow for minimal or no system integration to help utilize the data efficiently. Moreover, it can be difficult to aggregate and analyze information about multiple vendors, employers, etc. It would be desirable to provide systems and methods to facilitate the use and analysis of multi-vendor electronic record information and messaging in a way that provides faster, more accurate results.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “According to some embodiments, systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code and means are provided to facilitate an exchange of information via an information sharing portal computer server of an enterprise. A multi-vendor risk relationship data store may contain electronic records representing a plurality of risk relationships between multiple vendors and an enterprise and, for each risk relationship, an electronic record identifier and a set of attribute values. An information sharing portal computer server may exchange an information request with a remote vendor platform. The information request may be, for example, associated with an employee of a sponsor associated with the vendor platform. The server may process the information request via a customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display and execute an algorithm to adjust, based on at least one attribute value, interactions with the vendor platform via the portal interface display. The server may also aggregate information associated with a plurality of vendor platforms and transmit the aggregated information to a remote administrator device associated with the enterprise.

“Some embodiments comprise: means for exchanging, at an information sharing portal computer server, an information request with a remote vendor platform, the information request being associated with an employee of a sponsor associated with a vendor platform; means for accessing a multi-vendor risk relationship data store containing electronic records representing a plurality of risk relationships between multiple vendors and an enterprise and, for each risk relationship, an electronic record identifier and a set of attribute values; means for processing the information request via a customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display; means for executing an algorithm to adjust, based on at least one attribute value retrieved from the multi-vendor risk relationship data store, interactions with the vendor platform via the customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display; means for aggregating information associated with a plurality of vendor platforms; and means for transmitting the aggregated information to a remote administrator device associated with the enterprise.

“In some embodiments, a communication device associated with an information sharing portal computer server exchanges information with remote devices in connection with an interactive graphical user interface. The information may be exchanged, for example, via public and/or proprietary communication networks.

“A technical effect of some embodiments of the invention is an improved and computerized way to facilitate the use and analysis of multi-vendor electronic record information and messaging in a way that provides faster, more accurate results. With these and other advantages and features that will become hereinafter apparent, a more complete understanding of the nature of the invention can be obtained by referring to the following detailed description and to the drawings appended hereto.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system to facilitate an exchange of information via an information sharing portal computer server of an enterprise, comprising: (a) a multi-vendor risk relationship data store associated with an encrypted database management system and containing electronic records representing a plurality of risk relationships between multiple vendors and the enterprise and, for each risk relationship, an electronic record identifier and a set of attribute values; (b) an intake platform adapted to provide information about an employee of a sponsor associated with a remote vendor platform; © the information sharing portal computer server, coupled to the multi-vendor risk relationship data store and the intake platform, including: a computer processor, and a computer memory, coupled to the computer processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the information sharing portal computer server to: (i) receive key words and medical codes about the employee during an intake process, wherein the medical code is at least one of an International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (“ICD”) code and a Current Procedures Terminology (“CPT”) code; (ii) receive an executed form from the employee; (iii) automatically attach an electronic file containing a copy of the executed form to a message with an information request (iv) exchange the information request with the remote vendor platform, the information request being associated with a referral recommendation for the employee of the sponsor associated with the vendor platform and wherein the information request is only processed in a case the executed form is attached to the information request which reduces a number of electronic records transmitted via a distributed communication network, (v) process the information request via a customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display, (vi) automatically generate, in response to the information request, a program referral via execution of a referral algorithm of the information sharing portal computer server, (vii) execute the algorithm to adjust, based on at least one attribute value retrieved from the multi-vendor risk relationship data store, interactions with the vendor platform via the customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display, (viii) aggregate information associated with a plurality of vendor platforms, and (ix) transmit the aggregated information to a remote administrator device associated with the enterprise; (d) a communication port coupled to the information sharing portal computer server to facilitate an exchange of data with the remote vendor platform to support the customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display via security features and the distributed communication network; and (e) an email server, coupled to the information sharing portal computer server that receives information from the information sharing portal computer server recommending the employee interact with the referred program and in response to the automatically-generated program referral, the email server auto-generates an email to a contact of the program via a preferred email system.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information request is associated with a request for information from a vendor.

“3. The system of claim 2, wherein the executed form is associated with at least one of: (i) a medical release, (ii) a universal medical authorization, (iii) secured voice authorization, and (iv) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPPA”) consent.

“4. The system of claim 1, wherein the risk relationship is associated with an insurance policy, the sponsor is associated with an employer, and the vendor platform is associated with a medical service provider.

“5. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance policy is associated with at least one of: (i) short term disability, (ii) long term disability, (iii) workers’ compensation, (iv) a leave management program, (v) a financial services program, (vi) a vison vendor program, (vii) a disease management program, (viii) an employee assistance program, (ix) a case management program, (x) a life insurance program, (xi) an American Disabilities Act (“ADA”) accommodation program, (xii) a behavioral health consulting program, (xiii) a consulting services program, and (xix) a leave management program.

“6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information sharing portal computer server is further coupled to a claims processing platform.

“7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an aggregated report creation user interface including a report creation and definition area, wherein the aggregated report creation user interface is adapted to generate an aggregated report that displays all of the vendors and the activity that transpired between a given vendor and the enterprise.

“8. The system of claim 7, wherein the aggregated report includes an aggregated display of vendor data.

“9. The system of claim 7, wherein the aggregated report includes program referral trend information.

“10. A computerized method to facilitate an exchange of information via an information sharing portal computer server of an enterprise, comprising: providing, via an intake platform, information about an employee of a sponsor associated with a remote vendor platform; receiving key words and medical codes about the employee during an intake process, wherein the medical code is at least one of an International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (“ICD”) code and a Current Procedures Terminology (“CPT”) code: receiving an executed form from the employee; automatically attaching an electronic file containing a copy of the executed form to a message with an information request exchanging, by a computer processor at the information sharing portal computer server coupled to the intake platform, the information request with a remote vendor platform, the information request being associated with a referral recommendation for the employee of the sponsor associated with the vendor platform and wherein the information request is only processed in a case the executed form is attached to the information request which reduces a number of electronic records transmitted via a distributed communication network; accessing a multi-vendor risk relationship data store containing electronic records representing a plurality of risk relationships between multiple vendors and the enterprise and, for each risk relationship, an electronic record identifier and a set of attribute values; processing the information request via a customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display; automatically generating, in response to the information request, a program referral via execution of a referral algorithm of the information sharing portal computer server; executing the algorithm to adjust, based on at least one attribute value retrieved from the multi-vendor risk relationship data store, interactions with the vendor platform via the customized vendor-specific information sharing portal interface display; aggregating information associated with a plurality of vendor platforms; transmitting the aggregated information to a remote administrator device associated with the enterprise; receiving, at an email server coupled to the information sharing portal computer server, information from the information sharing portal computer server recommending the employee interact with referred program; and in response to the automatically-generated program referral, auto-generating, via the email server, an email to a contact of the program via a preferred email system.

“11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information request is associated with a request for information from a vendor.

“12. The method of claim 11, wherein the executed form is associated with at least one of: (i) a medical release, (ii) a universal medical authorization, (iii) secured voice authorization, and (iv) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPPA”) consent.

“13. The method of claim 10, wherein the risk relationship is associated with an insurance policy, the sponsor is associated with an employer, and the vendor platform is associated with a medical service provider.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For more information, see this patent: Bloom-Pugliese, Pamela M. Information sharing portal associated with multi-vendor risk relationships. U.S. Patent Number 11636546, filed March 28, 2019, and published online on April 25, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11636546)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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