Abstract:
A research and development system that gathers feedback from patients and healthcare providers with respect to the their experience with various aspects of a supplier&#39;s products in order to tabulate, consolidate, compare and analyze the data received rapidly and efficiently, and which can be used on successive iterations to determine future products and services.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/561,515, entitled “System and Method of Ongoing Evaluation reporting and Analysis,” filed on Sep. 17, 2009 and issued on ______ as U.S. Pat. No. ______, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for any purpose. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to product development. It applies particularly to the analysis of feedback from customers, patients and healthcare providers to product suppliers, and will be described with particular reference thereto. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    Much of the research and development in the industry is currently done on an infrequent basis with limited customer feedback. Surveys are periodically sent out to a limited pool of customers with marginal quality feedback, relative to collection rates. This leads to lower quality products and substantial lag time in reacting to customers ever changing needs. Most companies doing traditional, episodic, and limited customer surveys take years to release new products and enhance existing products and services. This type of traditional market research and development results in: (1) limited success in discovering any gaps in the product portfolio, (2) considerable lag time in discovering product inconsistencies and quality issues, (3) prolonged development cycles, (4) poor customer satisfaction and retention, and (5) increased development cost, and therefore, increased cost to the customer. 
         [0006]    Known solutions in the art include paper based periodic customer surveys, periodic telephone surveys, door to door/in-person surveys and periodic internet Spam surveys. 
         [0007]    The present invention produces a quicker, more accurate, statistically superior, analytically and subjective based research product development system. 
         [0008]    The present invention is a more efficient, statistically superior, product research and development system that efficiently and continuously collects high quality analytical and subjective customer data. Moreover, the continuous monitoring aspect of the system (enabled through a computer communication system) improves productivity, while reducing cost. The present invention is superior, faster and cheaper than other research and development systems. 
         [0009]    Additionally, this system is suitable for dietary supplements because the Food and Drug Administration does not require dietary supplements to undergo pre-market approval for safety and efficacy. Instead, the FDA relies mostly on its adverse event reporting system to identify safety problems. However, because reporting is entirely voluntary, adverse event reporting systems typically detect only a small proportion of the events that occur. One FDA-commissioned study estimated that less than 1 percent of all adverse events associated with dietary supplements are actually reported. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Throughout the description of the invention the terms “patient” and “healthcare provider,” “doctor,” or “physician” will be used. However, the term “patient” is defined herein to also mean other customers of supplements and healthcare services, regardless of whether a patient doctor relationship attaches. Similarly, the terms “healthcare provider,” “doctor,” or “physician” are defined herein to also mean other providers of healthcare services, regardless of whether a patient doctor relationship attaches. 
         [0011]    Patients who have purchased items from a supplier whose information and email addresses are stored in the system and the above noted healthcare providers are extended email invitations to complete linked surveys. 
         [0012]    Patients and healthcare providers report requested information via the system. Forms with questions and free text field to enter data collected are provided. Once the forms are completed, they are sent via the Internet and analyzed. This information is utilized to enhance current products/services and create new innovative products/services. 
         [0013]    The present invention utilizes the Internet and gathers feedback from patients and healthcare providers with respect to the their experience with various aspects of a company&#39;s products and services in order to tabulate, consolidate, compare and analyze the data received which is used to determine future products and services. 
         [0014]    The process starts with the healthcare providers receiving feedback from their patients relative to their experience with subject products. Healthcare providers are asked to gather a combination of analytical and subjective patient experience data. The healthcare providers enter this data into a form that may be accessed via the Internet. The healthcare providers also enter their own impressions and opinions relative to the subject products and services. 
         [0015]    After the data has been fully analyzed, the information available from the system is used to determine characteristics of a future product pipeline, including enhancements to current products as well developing new product additions to the portfolio. 
         [0016]    The reporting mechanism of the system results in measurements that help to understand the quality and capability of a product, including an index of qualities against a Six Sigma yardstick. Accordingly, this invention helps assure the development and changes to products and additional product lines based on verifiable data, rather than assumptions. As these changes come to market, the system&#39;s cycle of continuous patient and healthcare provider feedback and resultant improvement continues. 
         [0017]    The system produces quantifiable patient and healthcare provider feedback that can be immediately implemented resulting in sustained quality improvement. 
         [0018]    Furthermore, the present invention will accelerate the improvement in all aspects of the business process from product development to customer service by improving quality and reducing waste and defects. 
         [0019]    The system gathers demographics from every patient and the associated healthcare provider that buys a product from the system. 
         [0020]    The system creates survey questions for patients and healthcare providers that can be customized to a specific product or service. 
         [0021]    The system may also identify potential survey takers by captured demographic information and extend surveys to only those whose demographics/experience would be most wanted with respect to a product or service. 
         [0022]    The present system tabulates and analyzes the data with respect to demographics of its participants and survey responses for the company hosting and administering the system and can also be made available to any secondary client interested in aggregating specific survey response statistics through the defined pool of customers/patients and healthcare providers of the hosting company that will serve as surveyors. 
         [0023]    The present system also provides a compensation mechanism for which an honorarium or other compensation can be provided to the surveyors to support product distribution and feedback compliance. 
         [0024]    Accordingly, the present system will solve the lack of adverse reporting with respect to nutritional supplements. It will provide all the necessary information to evaluate an event including consumer, product, medical and manufacturer information as well as data needed to analyze any trends. 
         [0025]    The present invention&#39;s reporting mechanism also results in specific measurements that help with understanding the qualities and capabilities of a product, and may index those qualities against a Six Sigma yardstick. 
         [0026]    The present system is able to gather, tabulate, consolidate, compare and analyze the data received from multiple physicians. 
         [0027]    Once the data is analyzed, the information will be used to determine the characteristics of future products created with the benefit of the information obtained by the system, including enhancements to current products and development of new product additions to a supplier&#39;s portfolio. 
         [0028]    Accordingly, one objective of the present invention is to help assure that development and changes to current products and additional product lines are based on verifiable data, rather than assumptions. The method of continuous patient and healthcare provider feedback may result in constant product improvement. 
         [0029]    Furthermore, the data-driven approach of the present invention allows for an accurate understanding of the customer&#39;s (patients and healthcare providers) transaction lifecycle. With this data, areas where significant value or improvement can be identified. 
         [0030]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide accelerated product improvement in all aspects from price to product development to customer service by improving quality and reducing waste and defects. 
         [0031]    Yet another objective of the present invention is a more efficient, statistically superior, product research and development system that efficiently and continuously collects high quality analytical and subjective customer data. Moreover, the continuous monitoring aspect of the system drastically reduces cycle time and improves productivity, while reducing cost. 
         [0032]    Other objectives include the creation of a real time monitoring and development feedback loop between healthcare provider, patient and company erasing traditional product development gaps, elimination of current product issues and inconsistencies through constant monitoring, and elimination of lag from traditional new product to market research periods. 
         [0033]    Other objectives include the provision of a quality feedback from critical healthcare provider constituency, continuous monitoring of customer and product success rates, provision of patient level data, consideration of analytical and subjective data to capture full customer experience, provision of the ability for a product supplier to personalize products quickly, reduction of overall cycle time for product development, provision of quick reaction time to product problems/issues, and provision of a broader customer base. 
         [0034]    The present invention fulfills these objectives, as well as other needs and objectives, as will be apparent from the following description of the present invention. Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0035]    The invention may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of the system of the invention for the obtainment and analysis of feedback from healthcare providers and patients. 
           [0037]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart diagram of the system of the invention for the obtainment and analysis of feedback from healthcare providers and patients. 
           [0038]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart diagram of the patient-healthcare provider link portion of the system of the invention. 
           [0039]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart diagram of the supplier&#39;s survey development portion of the system of the invention. 
           [0040]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart diagram of the survey selection and data acquisition portions of the system of the invention. 
           [0041]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart diagram of the survey analysis portion of the system of the invention. 
           [0042]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart diagram of the report generation portion of the system of the invention. 
           [0043]      FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  are a sample survey generated by the system of the invention. 
           [0044]      FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  are a sample survey generated by the system of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0045]      FIG. 1  schematically depicts a survey production, analysis and messaging system  100  configured for the obtainment and analysis of feedback from healthcare providers and patients. The system  100  can include a host server  110  configured for communicative coupling with an administrator  120  over a computer communications network  130  to different computing devices for different users of the system. The administrator  120  may be coupled to the host server directly or over a computer communications network  130 . Similarly, the other users such as suppliers  140 , healthcare providers  150  and patients  160  may be coupled to the host server  110  directly or over a computer communications network  130 . The host server  110  may support the operation of the system  100 ; however, other means for supporting the operation of a system over a computer communications network are known in the art. 
         [0046]      FIG. 2  provides a general flow chart of the data flow for information in the system  200 . As shown the program  210  provides interaction between the administrator  220 , the supplier  230 , the healthcare provider  240  and the patient  250 . As shown, the program  210  includes several steps, including product selection, demographic selection, survey development, survey selection and data acquisition, survey analysis, report generation and compensation/honorarium. The supplier  230  provides survey parameters for the program  210  and the program  210  then uses that data to create a survey form for selection and editing, if needed, by the supplier  230 . The survey form is then provided to the healthcare provider  240  or the patient  250 , or both by means such as email or access to a web page on a computer communications network. The responses to the survey by the healthcare provider  240  or patient  250 , or both, is then input into the program  210 . An honorarium or other compensation may be provided to the healthcare provider  240  or patient  250 , or both, for participation in one or more surveys. 
         [0047]    In addition, the responses provide information which can lead to improvements in the product supplied to the supplier  230 , and a new survey may be taken regarding the new product. Several iterations may occur, where a survey is used for one or more features of the product, resulting in a more improved product, or one or more products with more advantageous features. 
         [0048]      FIG. 3 . illustrates a login process of the system  300  for the patient in the system to connect the patient with the healthcare provider. As shown, a login screen  310  or other equivalent means for accessing the system is provided. An order  320  is made for a particular product  320  by the patient or the healthcare provider. The order  320  may be made by either visiting the administrator&#39;s or supplier&#39;s website  330  or by dialing a customer service number  340  or by equivalent means. In one embodiment, the patient is identified and correlated with the patient&#39;s healthcare provider whose identity has already been entered in the system. Once the patient has been identified as being in the care of the healthcare provider, the patient account is set up  350 , and the patient is registered with the program and the patient is linked with the associated healthcare provider  360 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 4  illustrates the survey development portion of the system  400 . In this portion, the administrator or supplier may select the product to be the subject of a survey  410 . The selector then selects the desired demographics of the healthcare providers who will be responding to the surveys  420 . The selector then selects desired questions  430  for the survey. The questions  430  may be included in a list, or the selector may provide original questions to be placed on the survey, or a combination may be used. If appropriate, the selector then selects the desired response options  440  for the survey taker. Such options  440  may include multiple choices, ranked answers, free text to be supplied by the survey taker, or the like. Then the selector may assign weighted values to the responses for scoring of the results  450  of the surveys. In addition, the selector may assign an honorarium or amount of compensation  460  for the healthcare provider or the patient, or both. In one embodiment, a data analysis collection and analysis program such as SharePoint may be used to prepare the survey of the system. 
         [0050]      FIG. 5  illustrates the survey selection and data acquisition portion of the system  500 . The selector may select a start date and an end date for the survey  510 . The selector then may select desired demographics for the patient  520 . Such demographics may include the patient&#39;s name, healthcare provider&#39;s name, gender, age, income level, address, product name, quantity prescribed or recommended, order date, shipping method, and the like. A display may be provided for the selector to provide preselected demographic requirements for each date range selected at  510 . 
         [0051]    Once the demographic selection  520  has been completed, the selector then may assign surveys  530  to be sent to one or more healthcare providers, patients or both. An email invitation  540  may be generated with each survey created. The email  540  may contain a link to a website having the individually created survey. Additionally, a tracking ID may be included for each survey to confirm that the right person is responding to the right survey. 
         [0052]    If no response is provided within a predetermined time limit, an email may be resent one or more times  550  to the healthcare provider or patient taking the survey. For example, follow up emails may be sent after 2 and 4 weeks. After another preselected time, the reminders may stop, and access to the website having the survey may be denied. 
         [0053]    If, however, the survey is answered to a predetermined amount of completion, then additional information  560  may be obtained from the healthcare provider to aid in the analysis of the responses to the survey  570 . An analysis  570  can then be made of the data obtained from the patient, and, if applicable, the healthcare provider. Once the survey work has properly been completed, the system then can credit the patient and/or the healthcare provider for any predetermined compensation or honorarium due  580  for participation. 
         [0054]      FIG. 6  provides a detail of the steps the considerations in the survey analysis  600 . The analysis  600  may first include a calculation of responders versus non-responders  610 . Then, sorting may occur by demographics  620 . Once demographic sorting  620  is accomplished, the responses themselves are considered. The responses may include demographic responses  630  by the healthcare provider or patient, weighted value responses  640 , and free text responses  650 . Through the comparative analysis of the responses, a collective analysis  660  can be made. 
         [0055]      FIG. 7  provides a detailed flow chart of the report generation step of the system  700 . The supplier or administrator may view response statistics  710  in total. Then, the system  700  may make available statistics related to free text responses  720  and related to demographics and/or category of the product surveyed  730 . The statistics view analysis report  740  in this step may be printed out, displayed on a graphical user interface, or the like. Quickbooks and Excel and equivalent database management programs may be adapted to provide the reporting step of the system. 
         [0056]      FIGS. 8   a ,  8   b  and  9  provide examples of surveys that may be generated by the invention  100 . In  FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b , a survey  800  is shown providing choices for weighted value responses to questions related to a product. 
         [0057]    In this example, the survey  800  is directed to the healthcare provider, and a free text field is provided for inclusion of the healthcare provider&#39;s comments relative to the patient or the patient&#39;s comments, if the patient has provided any. In this example, the product is a prenatal vitamin and supplement; however, other products may be the subject of the survey. Similarly,  FIG. 9  shows a different survey  900  for obtaining information on calcium chocolate chews. 
         [0058]    As noted above, a product may be altered based upon information obtained by the surveys of this system, and new analysis may be made on surveys regarding the altered product. Trends may be revealed as to the efficacy of different alterations which may not be obtained through other systems. 
         [0059]    In operation of the system, emails may be sent to the healthcare providers with a link to the system to make access to the system easy and convenient. At the link forms may be provided by the system with questions, and free text fields to enter data collected may be provided to the healthcare provider. Once the forms are completed by the healthcare provider they may be sent via the computer communication system and analyzed. The analysis may be used in conjunction with the forms submitted by other healthcare providers relating to the same or similar products. The information obtained is utilized to enhance current products and create new innovative products. 
         [0060]    It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.