Patent ID: 7409354

Claim:
A method, comprising: a plurality of physicians who perform operative events and wherein each of the plurality of physicians has a subscription to an on-line system provided by an application service provider; at least a first of the plurality of physicians performing different operative events at two or more different clinic or hospital organizations; wherein the first physician enters operative event data for the different operative events into an operative event database, wherein the operative event data documents the different operative events; the first physician entering the operative event data using a wide area network through a user interface assisting the first physician in coding operative events in a consistent manner at least in part by presenting for selection at least one pre-determined group of codes related to the operative event being coded; the first physician accessing the operative event database to obtain information concerning the operative events entered by the first physician; the application service provider maintaining the on-line system including one or more servers to support the entering of operative event data into the database through the wide area network and the user interface; wherein the first physician can make the operative event data entered by the first physician available to only first selected ones of the plurality of clinic or hospital organizations; at least one second physician entering operative event data respecting operative events performed by the second physician using the wide area network through the user interface assisting the second physician in coding operative events in a consistent manner by presenting for selection at least one pre-determined group of codes related to the operative event being coded; wherein a second physician can make the operative event data entered by the second physician available to only second selected ones of the plurality of clinic or hospital organizations the second physician allows to access the operative event data entered by the second physician; each of the plurality of physicians paying at least one charge to the application service provider for use of the on-line system to document operative events and to distribute operative event data to the plurality of clinic or hospital organizations; wherein the plurality of physicians retain control over the use and disposition of the operative event data entered by the physicians; entering at least some patient outcome data for operative events wherein the outcome data is correlated with at least some of the coded operative events entered by the plurality of physicians, and wherein the application service provider maintains the integrity of the patient outcome data; and making at least some of the operative event data and associated outcome data for at least some of the plurality of physicians available to at least some other parties.