Database for Pre-Screening Potentially Litigious Patients

Abstract

A database system stores information about potential patients that allows medical professionals to gauge the legal risk presented by the potential patients, giving the medical professionals the opportunity to avoid medical involvement with those individuals most prone to engaging in unwarranted legal actions. The database may also be used by insurance companies, legal services and other professional service providers to screen for potentially litigious customers. Information in the database is processed to provide a risk assessment score for each patient that is used for screening purposes.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method of providing supplemental malpractice insurance and/or lower insurance premiums to professional service providers, comprising the steps of:
 setting a litigation risk threshold for potential for litigiousness by recipients of services from professional service providers;   determining a litigation risk value of each recipient of services from a particular professional service provider, the litigation risk value establishing the potential for litigiousness of each recipient of services;   comparing the litigation risk value of each recipient of services from the particular service provider to the litigation risk threshold; and   providing supplemental malpractice insurance and/or lower insurance premiums to those professional service providers who do not provide professional services to service recipients having a litigation risk value that exceeds said litigation risk threshold.   
     
     
         2 . A method as in  claim 1 , wherein determining a litigation risk value comprises the steps of:
 searching a database for information relating to a potential recipient that is to receive a professional service from a service provider, said information including litigation information relating to the litigiousness of the potential recipient; and   calculating the litigation risk value for the potential recipient from the litigation information stored in the database, said litigation information relating to the potential recipient's past litigation history and risk factors that may indicate the potential litigious nature of the potential recipient.   
     
     
         3 . A method as in  claim 2 , wherein the potential recipient of services is a potential patient, the database stores patient data, and the searching step includes querying the database for information regarding the potential patient using patient management software. 
     
     
         4 . A method as in  claim 2 , wherein the calculating step includes calculating the litigation risk value for the potential patient, the litigation risk profile including a probability of a lawsuit for treatment of a particular condition and a predicted dollar amount of a monetary recovery for any ensuing lawsuit. 
     
     
         5 . A method as in  claim 2 , wherein the calculating step includes calculating the litigation risk value for the potential patient, the litigation risk profile including a probability of a lawsuit for treatment of a particular condition and an effect such a lawsuit would have on a designated doctor's insurance premiums. 
     
     
         6 . A method as in  claim 2 , wherein the calculating step includes the step of calculating a logit regression that generates a value indicative of said litigation risk value for the potential patient. 
     
     
         7 . A method of screening patients being referred to a specialist for specialty medical services, comprising the steps of:
 determining a litigation risk value of a potential patient being referred to the specialist, the litigation risk value establishing the potential for litigiousness of the potential patient;   entering the litigation risk value of the potential patient onto a patient referral form; and   evaluating the referral of the potential patient for approval prior to acceptance by the specialist.   
     
     
         8 . A method as in  claim 7 , wherein determining a litigation risk value comprises the steps of:
 searching a database for information relating to a potential referral patient, said information including litigation information relating to the litigiousness of the potential referral patient; and   calculating the litigation risk value for the potential referral patient from the litigation information stored in the database, said litigation information relating to the potential referral patient's past litigation history and risk factors that may indicate the potential litigious nature of the potential referral patient.   
     
     
         9 . A method as in  claim 8 , wherein the database stores patient data and the searching step includes querying the database for information regarding the potential referral patient using patient management software. 
     
     
         10 . A method as in  claim 8 , wherein the calculating step includes calculating the litigation risk value for the potential referral patient, the litigation risk profile including a probability of a lawsuit for treatment of a particular condition and a predicted dollar amount of a monetary recovery for any ensuing lawsuit. 
     
     
         11 . A method as in  claim 8 , wherein the calculating step includes calculating the litigation risk value for the potential referral patient, the litigation risk profile including a probability of a lawsuit for treatment of a particular condition and an effect such a lawsuit would have on the specialist's insurance premiums. 
     
     
         12 . A method as in  claim 8 , wherein the calculating step includes the step of calculating a logit regression that generates a value indicative of said litigation risk value for the potential referral patient.