Methods of obtaining high accuracy impairment ratings and to assist data integrity in the impairment rating process

Abstract

A method and system teaches unique applications of logic and statistics to medical processes to obtain substantially improved accuracy in the measurement of a examinee's pathology due to an injury. The method and the system incorporate strict protocols, or “Administrative Rule Sets” to direct the examination for the purpose of obtaining an optimal data set, from which a rating of the impairment due to the pathology resulting from an injury may be determined. Additionally, within this method and system, a statistical analysis may additionally assist in obtaining an improved accuracy of impairment ratings. Consequently, the errors in the impairment rating presently carried forward through the disability, care and compensation phases of the process are now avoided.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method of determining abnormal behavior within an impairment rating process, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a server computer from a clinician computing device, an encrypted clinical data set including, for an injury, clinical data that is defined according to the plurality of administrative rule sets, the clinical data validated by a shell program executing on the clinician computing device as authentic based on the plurality of the administrative rule sets, wherein the shell program controls a graphical user interface on the clinician computing device to guide a user using the clinician computing device through prompts to enter the clinical data according to the plurality of administrative rule sets;   decrypting, by the server computer, the encrypted clinical data set to obtain the clinical data;   determining a unique base set of data;   defining abnormal behavior according to the unique base set;   analyzing the clinical data based upon the defined abnormal behavior; and   based on the analysis of the incoming data, classifying the clinical data as valid or statistically abnormal.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the incoming data is analyzed according to a cutoff value or threshold value of tolerance. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the unique base set of data is for a direction of motion. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the injury is associated with the direction of motion. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein defining the abnormal behavior comprises:
 generating a characteristic profile for the unique base set of data, wherein the characteristic profile includes numerical properties as determined by one or more statistical models applied to the unique base set of data; and   defining abnormal data from the numerical properties, wherein the abnormal behavior is defined based on at least the abnormal data.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising, when the clinical data is classified as normal, updating the unique base set of data with the clinical data. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising, when the clinical data is classified as normal:
 selecting, by the server computer, based on the injury, one or more rating spreadsheets from the plurality of rating spreadsheets;   importing, by the server computer, the clinical data into one or more fields of the one or more rating spreadsheets, wherein the one or more rating spreadsheets apply a plurality of criteria for the injury, as defined by the plurality of administrative rule sets, to determine an impairment rating for the injury; and   outputting the impairment rating for the injury.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising, when the clinical data is classified as statistically abnormal, generating a notification to the user to request for updated clinical data. 
     
     
         26 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing one or more instructions programmed which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause:
 receiving, by a server computer from a clinician computing device, an encrypted clinical data set including, for an injury, clinical data that is defined according to the plurality of administrative rule sets, the clinical data validated by a shell program executing on the clinician computing device as authentic based on the plurality of the administrative rule sets, wherein the shell program controls a graphical user interface on the clinician computing device to guide a user using the clinician computing device through prompts to enter the clinical data according to the plurality of administrative rule sets;   decrypting, by the server computer, the encrypted clinical data set to obtain the clinical data;   determining a unique base set of data;   defining abnormal behavior according to the unique base set;   analyzing the clinical data based upon the defined abnormal behavior; and   based on the analysis of the incoming data, classifying the clinical data as valid or statistically abnormal.   
     
     
         27 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 26 , wherein the incoming data is analyzed according to a cutoff value or threshold value of tolerance. 
     
     
         28 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  26 , wherein the unique base set of data is for a direction of motion. 
     
     
         29 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 28 , wherein the injury is associated with the direction of motion. 
     
     
         30 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 26 , wherein defining the abnormal behavior comprises:
 generating a characteristic profile for the unique base set of data, wherein the characteristic profile includes numerical properties as determined by one or more statistical models applied to the unique base set of data; and   defining abnormal data from the numerical properties, wherein the abnormal behavior is defined based on at least the abnormal data.   
     
     
         31 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 26 , wherein the one or more instructions programmed which, when executed by one or more computing devices, further cause, when the clinical data is classified as normal, updating the unique base set of data with the clinical data. 
     
     
         32 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 26 , wherein the one or more instructions programmed which, when executed by one or more computing devices, further cause, when the clinical data is classified as normal:
 selecting, by the server computer, based on the injury, one or more rating spreadsheets from the plurality of rating spreadsheets;   importing, by the server computer, the clinical data into one or more fields of the one or more rating spreadsheets, wherein the one or more rating spreadsheets apply a plurality of criteria for the injury, as defined by the plurality of administrative rule sets, to determine an impairment rating for the injury; and   outputting the impairment rating for the injury.   
     
     
         33 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of  claim 26 , wherein the one or more instructions programmed which, when executed by one or more computing devices, further cause, when the clinical data is classified as statistically abnormal, generating a notification to the user to request for updated clinical data. 
     
     
         34 . A computing system comprising:
 one or more computer systems comprising one or more hardware processors and storage media; and   instructions stored in the storage media and which, when executed by the computing system, cause the computing system to perform:
 receiving, by a server computer from a clinician computing device, an encrypted clinical data set including, for an injury, clinical data that is defined according to the plurality of administrative rule sets, the clinical data validated by a shell program executing on the clinician computing device as authentic based on the plurality of the administrative rule sets, wherein the shell program controls a graphical user interface on the clinician computing device to guide a user using the clinician computing device through prompts to enter the clinical data according to the plurality of administrative rule sets; 
 decrypting, by the server computer, the encrypted clinical data set to obtain the clinical data; 
 determining a unique base set of data; 
 defining abnormal behavior according to the unique base set; 
 analyzing the clinical data based upon the defined abnormal behavior; and 
 based on the analysis of the incoming data, classifying the clinical data as valid or statistically abnormal. 
   
     
     
         35 . The computing system of  claim 34 , wherein the incoming data is analyzed according to a cutoff value or threshold value of tolerance, wherein the unique base set of data is for a direction of motion, wherein the injury is associated with the direction of motion. 
     
     
         35 . The computing system of  claim 34 , wherein the instructions which, when executed by the computing system, cause the computing system to further perform, when the clinical data is classified as normal:
 selecting, by the server computer, based on the injury, one or more rating spreadsheets from the plurality of rating spreadsheets;   importing, by the server computer, the clinical data into one or more fields of the one or more rating spreadsheets, wherein the one or more rating spreadsheets apply a plurality of criteria for the injury, as defined by the plurality of administrative rule sets, to determine an impairment rating for the injury; and   outputting the impairment rating for the injury.   
     
     
         36 . The computing system of  claim 34 , wherein the instructions which, when executed by the computing system, cause the computing system to further perform, when the clinical data is classified as statistically abnormal, generating a notification to the user to request for updated clinical data.