Abstract: Methods and systems are described for receiving a parameter relating to a specific patient and for configuring a stent with a flow occlusion portion in response to receiving the parameter relating to the specific patient.

Abstract: Systems and methods for polling populations. In one embodiment, a method includes forming a respondent pool (which can be, 10% of the population), and polling the pool at first time in a roiling period. The method also includes randomly replacing a fraction (20% in some embodiments) of the respondents with respondents who were previously polled more than one rolling period ago. The poll is then repeated and the results compared with the results from about one rolling period before. The population can be small enough that the results tend to exhibit skew and kurtosis. In some embodiments, the skew can be outside of the range of ?0.8 to 0.8 and the kurtosis can be either leptokurtic or platykurtic. The organization taking the poll can have an ongoing relationship with the population. Some embodiments include an order taking system for a merchant (such as a promotional goods merchant) along with a polling system.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of managing fertilizer and irrigation inputs for a crop, the method comprising obtaining management data for the crop, the management data including a planting date for the crop; obtaining weather data representative of the geographic area of the crop; obtaining soil description data representative of the geographic area of the crop; calculating an emergence date at least partly from the planting date; calculating a plurality of nitrogen deficit values at least partly from the emergence date and the soil description data, the nitrogen deficit values associated with respective dates each later than the emergence date; calculating a plurality of water deficit values at least partly from the emergence date and the weather data, the water deficit values associated with respective dates each later than the emergence date; and presenting on a display a schedule of recommended nitrogen application values, irrigation values and application dates, the schedule calculated at least partly

Abstract: A method for managing projects in a software factory is presented. A project management tool includes an end-to-end project plan for a project to create a software product by using a software factory in a global delivery network. A status block is appended to a work packet that is utilized when executing the project. After initiating the project, an alert is automatically triggered whenever the execution status of the work packet changes. The alert is transmitted to the project management tool to update a project schedule for the project, such that a completion status of the end-to-end project plan reflects a status of a project schedule for the project described by the end-to-end project plan.

Abstract: Technician control, in which a control system is configured to control scheduling and dispatch operations for work orders being handled by technicians. Multiple technician devices are each associated with one or more technicians, are configured to communicate, over a network, with the control system, and also are configured to provide output in response to communications that are received from the control system and that are related to the scheduling and dispatch operations performed by the control system. A set of scheduling configuration options may be pre-defined and user input weighting at least one of the scheduling configuration options relative to other of the scheduling configuration options may be received. A scheduling application used by the control system to perform scheduling operations may be configured based on configuration data that reflects the weighting and scheduling operations may be performed using the configured scheduling application.

Abstract: The health care payment techniques include a method. The method includes receiving, by a payment services manager computer system, from a plurality of computer systems of a plurality of health care providers via a communication network, notification of a plurality of claims for a plurality of health care services provided to a patient by the plurality of health care service providers. At least a portion of the claims are being payable by a participant in a benefits plan and at least a portion of the claims are being payable by a third party payor. The method further comprises remitting, by a payment services system logic implemented by the payment services manager computer system, for each claim in the plurality of claims, payment of the entire claim within a predetermined time period of receiving the notification of the claim.

Abstract: A contents estimating system and method for providing an estimate of the cost of settling an insurance claim which includes a server having an embedded program compiled on the server and embedded in a web page, a client having a browser removably connected to the server, an inventory data acquirer for acquiring inventory data of each of the items that are the subject of the insurance claim and insert them into the web page, a price data acquirer for acquiring prices of the items of inventory data that are the subject of the insurance claim and insert them into the web page, and a liability limits data acquirer for acquiring liability limits data for the insurance claim and insert them into the web page, in which, upon receipt of a claim of loss from the insured, the web page is displayed on the screen of the client, the embedded program is executed within a client process with substantially unrestricted access to the client's system resources, and an estimate of the cost of settling a claim is produced by map

Abstract: A consumer is provided with continuity of medical care by being prompted to transfer data to a recipient, upon completion of the consumer's interaction with a brokerage system. The data obtained during the interactions is transferred to one or more recipients selected by the consumer.

Abstract: A system allowing a user to answer a series of questions to generate survey data, associating system data with the survey data to generate a highly accurate report. The user may, customize the survey by selecting categories corresponding to certain series of questions and be presented with a running total of costs associated with each selected action, a total cost for all selected actions, and an impact on the property FCI corresponding to the selected action. The report allows, for example, for targeted assessment of select facilities systems including a time frame within which work to be performed on select facilities systems and/or a cost associated with work to be performed.

Abstract: A method for ensuring valid participation of a plan participant in a defined contribution pension plan provides data query for identifying the plan participant. A pension debt coverage policy protects an outstanding balance of a defined contribution plan loan secured by participant's plan assets, eliminating adverse tax consequences to the plan beneficiary in the event of the death or disability of the participant and ensuring that the full plan account balance passes intact to beneficiary in such event.

Abstract: Amongst other things, the availability of service providers is tracked across one or more service provider networks. A status change of the service provider is identified on one or more of the service provider networks and the other service provider networks associated with the service provider is sent data indicating the changed status of the service provider.

Abstract: A method of creating a classification system for rating the nature and severity of health care requirements, including obtaining a set of medical disease codes, categorizing the medical disease codes into major disease categories, and categorizing the medical disease codes in each major disease category into episode disease categories based on severity.

Abstract: A system and method for medical scan archiving and notifying medical professionals of a need for evaluation of the medical scan, having the steps of enrolling a medical professional in a computer system, the enrolling of the medical professional including a medical professional type, gathering medical data from the patient, entering the medical data gathered from the patient, an urgency type for the patient, and a medical data type for the patient into a data archival system, evaluating the urgency type for the patient related to the medical data, conducing a broadcast message to a medical professional with a medical professional type corresponding to the medical data type when the urgency type corresponds to a need for immediate reading of the medical data for the patient and retrieving the broadcast message to the medical professional and conducting a replacement broadcast when the urgency type of the medical data changes from a first state to a second state.

Abstract: A pension insurance plan method governs the establishing and administering of a loan premium towards a plan loan secured by participant's plan assets, eliminating adverse tax consequences to the plan beneficiary in the event of the death or disability of the borrower-participant and ensures that the full plan account balance passes intact to beneficiary in such event.

Abstract: Methods, devices and systems are provided for benefit management. One system includes a server including an application interface and access to a data store having one or more client files. A client file can include a definable set of business rules for managing and administering benefits and can include fund use rules for accessing and applying funds to claims from one or more accounts. The system includes a program operable on the server to apply the definable set of business rules in connection with processing a claim.