Abstract: A method for providing insurance coverage to a subscriber comprises offering an insurance policy to said subscriber wherein said insurance policy comprises providing allowances to pay for one or more expenses covered by said insurance policy and providing monetary credits to said subscriber for any unused portion of a given allowance where said monetary credits can be used to cover the cost of a subsequent allowed expense. The insurance policy may be a pharmacy benefits plan. The covered expenses may be pharmacy expenses. The allowed expenses may be medical expenses which qualify under section 213 of the US Internal Revenue code for payment by an employer without said subscriber having to declare said payment as taxable income.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 4, 2005
Date of Patent:
February 22, 2011
Assignee:
Humana Inc.
Inventors:
Benjamin E. Slen, Cullen L. Reed, Elizabeth D. Bierbower, Maureen M. Kinser, Jonathan T. Lord, Sandra L. Bartel
Abstract: A method and system for performing a clinical trial having a reduced placebo effect is disclosed. The method includes randomizing study participants into three or more treatment groups and performing a first phase of testing on the groups. In a typical embodiment, the first phase of testing includes administering an active treatment to a first group, and administering a placebo to a second group and to a third group. Responders and non-responders are determined for each group. A second phase of testing is then performed. The second phase of testing includes administering the placebo to non-responders in the first group, administering the active treatment to non-responders in the second group, and administering the placebo to non-responders in the third group. The data from the first phase of testing and from the second phase of testing is pooled and analyzed to determine response rates to active treatment and placebo.
Abstract: A method of providing rapid business support of insured property using image analysis can include the step of receiving at least one digital image of damaged property. Damage can be automatically accessed for insurance purposes based upon the received images. An incident response can be automatically determined based at least in part upon the damage assessment. Incident responses can include, but are not limited to, tendering a claim payoff offer, referring a claim to a human agent, providing repair instructions, and/or arranging for a physical damage assessment of the damaged property.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 7, 2004
Date of Patent:
October 5, 2010
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Chitra Dorai, William F. Jerome, Edith H. Stern, Fred S. Winegust
Abstract: A healthcare professional enters signature data into a signature capture device upon receipt of a pharmaceutical product. The signature capture device receives the signature data and displays a promotional message for the pharmaceutical product while receiving the signature data.
Abstract: A method and system for performing a clinical trial having a reduced placebo effect is disclosed. The method includes randomizing study participants into three or more treatment groups and performing a first phase of testing on the groups. In a typical embodiment, the first phase of testing includes administering an active treatment to a first group, and administering a placebo to a second group and to a third group. Responders and non-responders are determined for each group. A second phase of testing is then performed. The second phase of testing includes administering the placebo to non-responders in the first group, administering the active treatment to non-responders in the second group, and administering the placebo to non-responders in the third group. The data from the first phase of testing and from the second phase of testing is pooled and analyzed to determine response rates to active treatment and placebo.
Abstract: A device to make expert knowledge available to a user (doctor) of a medical examination device is provided, with a transmission device in order to transcribe at this examination device a handbook procedure of an outside expert in the form of pulse sequences, protocols, parameter sets or the like for the examination device, coordinated with precise medical diagnoses by the inquiring user with an external (if necessary, decentralized) databank which stores settings for a plurality of clinical cases from patient parameters, as well as a computer (expert system) that searches for appropriate suggestions in the databank upon request, and the user submits one or more suggestions according to the result, in that, on a correspondingly expanded user interface of the user examination device, the respective providers are indicated and parallel and offered to be selected.