Abstract: A product rate calculation system utilizing a software component architecture advantageously provides a flexible insurance rating calculation system that can easily be scaled, modified, expanded, and implemented in various computer system operating environments, while still providing quick, and even real-time responsiveness to product rate requests. The product rate calculation system includes a product application or component object that requests a product rate from a product rate calculation software component, and can supply some or all of the rating information needed for the calculation. One or more support software components and one or more protocol stacks facilitate component communication.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of providing a monetary incentive to a health care provider, typically a physician, responsible for treatment decisions of a patient with a condition during an episode of care. Once the patient identity and condition are obtained, a baseline value related to treatment of the condition can be associated. Thereafter, all the claims processed during the episode of care of the patient for the condition can be summed to obtain a total treatment cost. And, if the total treatment is less than the baseline value, then a monetary incentive can be provided to the provider based upon that episode of care.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for providing additional insurance to a fully-qualified insured party to increase a total benefit amount of insurance. More particularly, the invention provides a computer system and method for providing additional life insurance to increase a total benefit of life insurance to a fully-qualified insured party based upon an underwriting and medical evaluation performed to assess the eligibility of the insured party for an existing or underlying primary life insurance plan. Additional life insurance according to the invention may be obtained through the internet by remote computers and internet access devices well known in the art.

Abstract: A ticketing method that permits a plane ticket or the like to be easily obtained via an in-house system. A ticket booking service request is sent to a net server from a PC through a LAN. Then, an airline company selection screen is sent from the net server to the PC in response. When an airline company is selected from among the airlines displayed on the PC, a connection is established to a ticket reservation system of the selected airline company through the Internet. Data for the ticket booking is sent to the net server from the PC. The ticket booking data is sent to a ticket booking and issuing terminal from the net server, and then to the reservation system through a dedicated line. The booked ticket is issued from a ticket issuing printer on the basis of the ticket issuing data supplied from the reservation system.

Abstract: Mobile clinicians conduct in-home patient visits utilizing on-site diagnostic and treatment equipment, where service is enhanced by the use of portable computing and communications equipment. Initially, a mobile care entity provides a network of predesignated mobile clinicians, each having the use of a preprogrammed portable computer. Each computer is coupled to a wireless communications device, and includes local storage of patient data. Whenever the mobile care entity receives requests for medical service at a patient's premises, the entity selects a mobile clinician and dispatches him/her to the patient's premises. The clinician visits the patient's premises accompanied by an assortment of electronic diagnostic and treatment devices. To examine the patient, the doctor utilizes various diagnostic devices to prepare machine-readable reports of related aspects of the patient's condition.

Abstract: A technique allows users to provide commentary by making monetary payments to a service provider who then publicly displays the company, product, or service's monetary commentary in an organized manner. In a computer implementation, a user selects a positive or negative rating category and can make a credit card payment to a service provider to thereby provide commentary on a particular business entity, organization, product, service, individual person, geographical location, or the like. The individual may also retrieve data to determine how other users have built the reputation up or down for a selected category. The amount of money provided in the positive or negative rating category is generally indicative of the individual satisfaction/dissatisfaction with an entity and is a public expression of that user's reaction.

Abstract: A method for directing a patient within a medical facility having a main corridor with an entrance at one end and an exit at another end, and with several hallways that extend substantially perpendicular off the main corridor. Each room in the medical facility has a room number, whereby the room numbers signify a relative location of each room with respect to the entrance and the exit and the other rooms in the medical facility. A patient enters the medical facility and goes to a receiving area near the entrance, and then is directed to go to a particular room number in the medical facility. If the patient is treated in different rooms, the patient knows where to go next after one treatments is finished, based solely on the room number of the next room as compared to the room number of the current room that the patient is in.

Abstract: A method for insuring a stock option issued by an individual company from among a population of companies, to a beneficiary from among a population of beneficiaries, against loss of working ability of the beneficiary and consequent loss of the stock option, the stock option being vestable on at least one vesting date, the method including computing an economic risk factor characterizing the behavior of stock options in the population of companies and an actuarial risk factor characterizing the likelihood of loss of working ability in the population of beneficiaries and, on at least one vesting date, computing a premium based on the economic and actuarial risk factors and on the value of the shares on the vesting date.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process and an apparatus for (1) facilitating patient and professional health care provider interaction and communication about a diagnosis that requires a professional decision, and (2) providing patients with a means for making their own health care decisions by empowering patients with the means for potential self diagnosis of symptoms.

Abstract: The invention considers a widely applicable method of constructing segmentation-based predictive models from data that permits constraints to be placed on the statistical estimation errors that can be tolerated with respect to various aspects of the models that are constructed. The present invention uses these statistical constraints in a closed-loop fashion to guide the construction of potential segments so as to produce segments that satisfy the statistical constraints whenever it is feasible to do so. The method is closed-loop in a sense that the statistical constraints are used in a manner that is analogous to an error signal in a feed-back control system, wherein the error signal is used to regulate the inputs to the process that is being controlled.

Abstract: A system for designing and monitoring clinical trials includes a main database of information concerning prior clinical trials and resources available to conduct future clinical trials. In part information in the main database is obtained through data links to other databases in the enterprise, e.g., human resources and finance databases. Some of the information in the main database concerns prior clinical trials and is, in part, in the form of protocols of (a) scheduled visits of a test subject to a treatment site, (b) measurement of prescribed physical attributes of the subject during the visits and (c) administration of at least one prescribed medical product to the subject during the visit to determine over time the subject's response thereto. The protocols of prior clinical trial are stored in the main database in the form of a software template.

Abstract: A current health profile for a user is monitored at a personal health monitoring system. The current health profile includes multiple monitored physical parameters and multiple monitored environmental parameters. Multiple actions for selection by the user are received at the personal health monitoring system. The multiple actions are prioritized according to the current health profile and designated allowances for the user at the personal health monitoring system, such that the personal health monitoring system aids the user in selecting from among the multiple actions in order to balance the comprehensive health of the user. Multiple tasks for scheduling in a user's electronic schedule are scheduled according to the current health profile and designated allowances for the user at the personal health monitoring system.

Abstract: The invention is a method of facilitating shopping with a mobile device (12) to obtain a plurality of purchased goods and/or services from a group of vendors (14) located at a shopping location (16).