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Weight Loss Patent Abstract
A system and method for performing an internet-based automated assessment
of an individual as a candidate for various weight loss therapies
is described. The system and method includes providing a web site
where a candidate can access and answer a questionnaire. The password
for accessing the website is provided by a health care provider
to whom the candidate has consulted regarding weight loss therapies.
The information received from the candidate is sent to a database
network site where the information is analyzed to predict a weight
loss outcome or expected outcome for the candidate for a weight
loss therapy. Information regarding the candidate's physical and
medical health sent by the candidate's health care provider to the
database network site may be combined with the information provided
by the candidate in the assessment of a candidate.
Weight Loss Patent Claims
1. A method for performing an automated assessment of an individual
as a candidate for a proposed weight loss therapy comprising the
steps of: a) having a health care provider to whom the candidate
has consulted regarding a weight loss therapy provide the candidate
with a unique log-in password to allow the candidate to access a
website; b) displaying a plurality of questions via the website
to the candidate following the candidate's accessing the website;
c) sending to a database network site the candidate's responses
to the plurality of questions; and d) providing to the health care
provider the assessment regarding a predicted weight loss outcome
for the candidate for the proposed weight loss therapy using the
information provided by the candidate, whereby the assessment is
provided to the health care provider through a website accessible
with a unique log-in password that allows the health care provider
to access the website,.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of having
the health care provider submit information regarding the candidate's
physical and medical health to the database network site and wherein
the step of predicting a weight loss outcome for the candidate for
the weight loss therapy also includes using the information provided
by the health care provider.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the predicted weight loss outcome
is determined from the obtained information using an aggregated
weight loss predictor developed from a) observed similar types of
information and corresponding weight loss information obtained from
an actual population of patients who previously received a similar
therapy to that proposed for the candidate, or b) information generated
from a simulated population by resampling the observed actual population
information to produce pseudo-replicates.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein predicting the weight loss outcome
comprises processing the items of information using an aggregated
classification or regression tree model formed using a committee
or ensemble method combining multiple predictors trained in perturbed
versions of the observed types of information and corresponding
weight loss information obtained from the actual population of patients.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein predicting the weight loss outcome
comprises processing the items of information using a predictive
model developed using machine learning methods selected from the
group consisting of alternative tree-based algorithms, discriminant
analysis, nearest neighbor methods, artificial neural networks and
support vector machines.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the proposed weight loss therapy
is applied through the use of an electrical stimulation system.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the proposed weight loss therapy
is a pharmaceutical or medicinal therapy.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the proposed weight loss therapy
is a non-surgical behavioral modification.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the proposed weight loss therapy
is a gastric bypass type surgery.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the proposed weight loss therapy
is application of a banding type device.
11. The method of claim 6, wherein the electrical stimulation system
comprises an implantable pulse generator.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the implantable pulse generator
is an implantable gastric stimulator.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the implantable pulse generator
is an implantable neurostimulator.
14. The method of claim 7, wherein the pharmaceutical or medicinal
therapy is delivered through an implantable drug delivery system.
15. A method for performing an automated assessment of an individual
as a candidate for a proposed weight loss therapy comprising the
steps of: a) having a health care provider to which the candidate
has consulted regarding a weight loss therapy provide the candidate
with a unique log-in password to allow the candidate to access a
website and submit information to the database network site regarding
the candidate's physical and medical health; b) displaying a plurality
of questions via the website to the candidate following the candidate's
accessing the website; c) sending to a database network site the
candidate's responses to the plurality of questions; and d) providing
to the health care provider the assessment regarding a predicted
weight loss outcome for the candidate for the proposed weight loss
therapy wherein the assessment was made using the information provided
by the candidate and the health care provider, and whereby the assessment
is provided to the health care provider through a website accessible
by the health care provider with a unique log-in password that allows
the health care provider to access the website.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the predicted weight loss outcome
is determined from the obtained information using an aggregated
weight loss predictor developed from i) observed similar types of
information and corresponding weight loss information obtained from
an actual population of patients who previously received a similar
therapy to that proposed for the candidate, or ii) information generated
from a simulated population by resampling the observed actual population
information to produce pseudo-replicates.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein predicting the weight loss outcome
comprises processing the items of information using an aggregated
classification or regression tree model formed using a committee
or ensemble method combining multiple predictors trained in perturbed
versions of the observed types of information and corresponding
weight loss information obtained from the actual population of patients.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein predicting the weight loss outcome
comprises processing the items of information using a predictive
model developed using machine learning methods selected from the
group consisting of alternative tree-based algorithms, discriminant
analysis, nearest neighbor methods, artificial neural networks and
support vector machines.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of questions
answered by the candidate comprises psychometric data.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of questions
includes questions asked in a RAND Short Form 36 (SF-36) health
survey.
21. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of questions
include questions to obtain items of information from the candidate
selected from at least one of symptoms, demographics, tests of psychological
well being, family history, eating habits, diet, exercise, and other
attempted weight loss therapies.
22. The method of claim 15, wherein the information provided by
the health care provider regarding the candidate's physical and
medical health comprises anthropometric data.
Weight Loss Patent Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional U.S.
Application Ser. No. 60/757,072, filed Jan. 6, 2006, the entire
contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and system for
screening an individual as a candidate for various treatment options
for weight loss. In particular, the disclosed method and system
uses Internet-based communication for simplified acquisition of
information from the individual and/or his or her health care provider.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Obesity is a major health concern in the United States and
other countries. A significant portion of the population is overweight
with the number increasing every year. Obesity is one of the leading
causes of preventable death. Obesity is associated with several
co-morbidities that affect almost every body system. Some of these
co-morbidities include: hypertension, heart disease, stroke, high
cholesterol, diabetes, coronary disease, breathing disorders, sleep
apnea, cancer, gallstones, and musculoskeletal problems. An obese
patient is also at increased risk of developing Type II diabetes.
[0004] Multiple factors contribute to obesity, including physical
inactivity and overeating. A variety of medical approaches have
been devised for treatment of obesity. Existing therapies include
diet, exercise, appetite suppressive drugs, metabolism enhancing
drugs, surgical restriction of the gastric tract, and surgical modification
of the gastric tract. In general, surgery is reserved for patients
in whom conservative measures, such as monitoring caloric intake
or controlling appetite with appetite suppressants, have failed.
In addition, surgery is generally reserved for patients who are
seriously, and sometimes morbidly, overweight.
[0005] Most of the major surgical procedures (e.g., removal or
blocking off of a portion of the stomach) currently in use have
some immediate and/or delayed risks. Thus, surgery is usually considered
as a solution when all less invasive procedures fail. Furthermore,
even surgical treatment fails in some cases, thereby requiring the
surgeon to restore the original anatomical situation.
[0006] Recently, implantable gastric stimulation systems have been
developed to provide a significantly less invasive surgical approach
for the treatment of obesity. In the treatment of obesity, the implantable
gastric stimulation systems electrically stimulate or pace the stomach
or intestinal tract with electrodes implanted in the abdomen tissue.
The electrical stimulator can be programmed to induce in the stomach
a motor in-coordination in order to slow down or even prevent stomach
emptying.
[0007] Jenkins, et al., U.S. Published Application No. 2005/0080462
("Jenkins, et al."), filed on Sep. 30, 2004, the teachings
of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety, describes
methods for screening individuals at risk for a medical disorder
(such as morbid obesity, gastrointestinal problems), or gastroesophageal
problems to determine which individuals are likely to achieve a
favorable outcome from a particular therapy, such as gastric stimulation.
Jenkins et al. describe various methods of such screening involving
methods of collecting data from the individual. In the methods described,
the patient must complete one or more psychometric instruments such
as a RAND Short Form 36 (SF-36); a Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire
to measure dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger; a Weight
Locus of Control (WLOC) questionnaire, or the like, or such data
is collected via a face-to-face interview. Other information regarding
the individual, such as weight, height, age, sex is typically collected
by the patient's health care provider.
[0008] These collection methods are typically performed during
an office visit or consultation where the individual meets with
a physician or other health care provider to discuss his or her
weight loss goals and objectives. Simplified methods and systems
for data collection are desired.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An internet- or equivalent-based system and method is disclosed
which connects a remote patient who is a potential candidate for
a particular treatment for weight loss to a network database for
data review and evaluation to provide an assessment of whether the
candidate is likely to achieve a favorable outcome from a given
type of weight loss therapy. The system and method includes: 1)
providing a web-site having a user interface wherein the user interface
includes a secure sign-in input to access a database network site,
2) receiving at the web-site inputs associated with a specific individual,
3) confirming the identity of the individual and 4) enabling the
individual to access a questionnaire. The system and method also
includes in one embodiment a web-site having a user interface including
a secure sign-in input for an individual's health care provider
to access the database network site to input information concerning
the individual and to obtain an access code for the individual to
use to obtain access to the network.
[0010] A method is described of performing an automated assessment
of an individual as a candidate for a particular weight loss therapy
comprising the steps of: 1) having a health care provider to which
the candidate has consulted regarding weight loss therapy alternatives
submit information regarding the candidate's health to a database
network site; 2) having the health care provider provide to the
candidate a unique log-in password to allow the candidate to access
the database network; 3) displaying a plurality of questions via
the website to the candidate during a phase of the assessment; 4)
sending to the database network site the candidate's responses to
the plurality of questions; and 5) predicting a weight loss outcome
for the candidate for the therapy using the information provided
by the candidate and the health care provider gathered at the database
network site. In one embodiment, the information provided by the
candidate and health care provider relates to a pre-selected variable
related to the candidate, and the predicted weight loss outcome
is determined from the obtained information using an aggregated
weight loss predictor developed from 1) observed similar types of
information and corresponding weight loss information obtained from
an actual population of patients who previously received a similar
therapy to that proposed for the candidate, or 2) information generated
from a simulated population by resampling the observed actual population
information to produce pseudo-replicates.
[0011] The weight loss therapy may be applied through the use of
an electrical stimulation system, a pharmaceutical substance or
a medicine, a non-surgical behavioral modification, a gastric bypass
type surgery, or a banding type device. In one embodiment, the electrical
stimulation system is an implantable pulse generator. In another
embodiment, the pharmaceutical substance or medicine is delivered
through an implantable drug delivery system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the
method of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the steps a health care provider
will follow in a method of the present invention.
[0014] FIGS. 3A-3H depict pages that may be displayed on a health
care provider's computer while performing the method of the invention
as described in FIG. 2.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the steps a candidate for a particular
weight loss therapy will follow in a method of the present invention.
[0016] FIGS. 5A-5E depict pages that may be displayed on a candidate's
computer while performing the method of the invention as described
in FIG. 4.
[0017] FIG. 6 depicts a system for implementing a method of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the steps a system administrator
for a system of the present invention will follow in implementing
a method of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] A method and system for screening individuals to enable
a physician or health care provider to predict whether the individual
is likely to have a favorable outcome with a particular weight loss
treatment is described by Jenkins, et al. The present invention
describes a system and method that allow a patient's health care
provider and the patient to remotely input information into the
individual's or health care provider's computer system, which system
is operably connected to a database network site.
[0020] One embodiment of the method of the invention is depicted
in the flow chart in FIG. 1. A patient desiring to lose weight visits
a health care provider (a physician or its staff, nurse practitioner
or clinician or the like) at a clinic or weight management center
10. During such visit the health care provider gathers identifying
demographic and general health information about the patient as
well as obtaining information regarding indices of risk factors
associated with weight, such as indices of hip/waist ratio, BMI
(Body Mass Index) or the like. If the patient and health care provider
agree after the examination that the patient may be a potential
candidate for one or more weight loss therapies or expected outcome
for which a screening tool may be used to predict the patient's
likelihood of success or expected outcome with such therapy then
the health care provider (or someone on his or her behalf) will
explain the screening process to the patient.
[0021] The health care provider then accesses a web-based or equivalent
site such as the one shown in FIG. 6 configured to allow access
by the health care provider and patient and others using one or
more secure sign-in protocols. Once a health care provider has been
registered as being among those granted access to the disclosed
system, the health care provider can then enter information into
the system using one method of the invention depicted in FIG. 2,
wherein on-line input screens such as those shown in FIGS. 3A-3H
are generated and displayed on the health care provider's personal
computer. As shown in FIG. 2, the health care provider enters his
or her user name and password at 20. A welcome page 25 is displayed
such as that shown in FIG. 3A, which includes links to various other
websites such as the "Privacy Policy" and a copy of the
"Terms of Use" for the system. In one embodiment of the
invention, the first time a health care provider accesses the system,
he or she creates a profile 22 that includes the choice of language
in which the information will be inputted, the ability to change
the password from that which was originally provided, and entry
of contact information for the health care provider, such as email
address and fax number. FIG. 3B shows a screen that may be used
to initially create a health care provider profile as well as to
update information during subsequent sessions. FIGS. 3C and 3D may
be used if the health care provider is associated with one or more
clinics, as the user profile for the health care provider practicing
at one clinic location may be different than the user profile for
the same health care provider practicing at another clinic location.
For example, at one location the health care provider may prefer
to use Spanish as the language choice if his or her staff primarily
speaks Spanish but prefer English at another location if the staff
at the clinic primarily uses English. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A,
the health care provider may choose to add a new patient to the
system or search 50 for information on an existing patient. FIG.
3E shows an example of search criteria that may be used for a search.
[0022] FIG. 3F shows a web page that may be used to assist the
health care provider to input information about a new patient. As
shown in FIG. 2, a patient list 55 may be displayed with patient
details 60.
[0023] After the health care provider has accessed the website
and inputted new patient information as shown at 30 in FIG. 2, the
information is transmitted to the database network site 35 for storage
and processing. In one embodiment of the invention, the information
is transmitted to the database network site and an administrator
generates the user name and password for the health care provider
to give the patient access to the system. This aspect of the invention
allows the system and website to be accessed only by patients under
the care of a health care provider and may allow the patient to
request that certain information he or she inputs not be seen by
the health care provider. If the patient information meets acceptance
criteria stored on the system, a password is generated and a patient
report 45, with information such as that shown in FIG. 3G, is created
and transmitted to the health care provider to be printed and given
to the patient. If the information provided by the health care provider
is incomplete or suggests that the particular patient does not meet
the criteria established for the particular weight loss therapy
for which the patient would be evaluated, or if the health care
provider is out of range, a message 40 is sent to the health care
provider. After the patient submits his or her responses to the
questionnaire as described below and the information from the health
care provider and patient has been processed and an assessment made
as to the candidate's likelihood of success or expected outcome
with the proposed weight loss therapy, the health care provider
is notified that the assessment report has been sent for that patient.
The health care provider may then access the system and obtain a
report in the form of the report shown in FIG. 3H showing the patient
details.
[0024] Once the health care provider has provided the patient with
the unique ID/password that will allow the patient to access the
system, the patient can choose to access the system remotely at
his or her convenience in a comfortable environment from his or
her own personal computer. Using one method of the invention depicted
in FIG. 4 wherein on-line input screens such as those shown in FIGS.
5A-5E are generated and displayed on the patient's personal computer,
the patient can input information and respond to a plurality of
questions displayed. As shown in FIG. 4, the patient accesses the
website as directed by his or her physician. In one embodiment,
a webpage 26 is displayed, which may resemble the page shown in
FIG. 5A that allows the patient to choose the language in which
he or she wants to proceed. The patient must then enter his or her
unique user name and password 28 obtained from the health care provider
in order to access the system. In FIG. 5B a log-in page useful with
the method of the invention is shown. Once the patient has entered
an appropriate log-in, in one embodiment, a welcome page 34, with
information such as that shown in FIG. 5C, may be displayed, which
in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the figures includes
a link to terms of use, privacy policy and other disclaimers the
site administrator has determined to be necessary. If the patient
accepts or acknowledges his/her agreement to the terms of the site,
the patient is connected to the system and a questionnaire 38 that
is useful with a screening tool for determining whether a particular
weight loss therapy will likely be successful for the patient is
displayed. If the patient refuses a log-off message 36 is generated
and the patient is logged off the system. In the embodiment of the
invention described in FIGS. 4 and 5A-5E, once the patient accepts
the terms of the site an instruction screen such as that shown in
FIG. 5D is displayed and a questionnaire with questions such as
those shown in FIG. 5E is displayed. Once the patient completes
the questionnaire the information submitted is transmitted to the
network database 35 where it is either processed or forwarded to
another site such as that shown in FIG. 4 as the Backend Statistical
Process 37 for processing. A log-off message 41 is sent to the patient
letting him or her know that the session is complete. The result,
which is an assessment as to the expected outcome of the proposed
therapy, is obtained using an appropriate screening tool and forwarded
directly to the health care provider 39; and, optionally, to the
patient by email or other type of communication means; or a notification
that the result is ready is sent to the health care provider. In
a preferred embodiment, a notification that the result is ready
is sent to the health care provider who contacts the patient and
sets up a meeting with the patient in order to discuss the result
in person.
[0025] In one embodiment, the patient can only access the website
and complete the entire questionnaire one time even though the patient
can access the website multiple times while completing the questionnaire.
Once submitted, however, the patient cannot resubmit the questionnaire
in connection with the evaluation of that patient as a potential
candidate for a particular weight loss treatment. If the patient
attempts to re-access the site, a message 32 will be displayed informing
the patient to contact his or her health care provider. In the embodiment
of the invention illustrated in the figures, the questionnaire,
such as the one shown in FIG. 5E, is adapted to be used in the screening
tool described in detail in Jenkins, et al., wherein the weight
loss therapy for which the patient is being screened is an implantable
gastric stimulator.
[0026] The questionnaire shown in FIG. 5E is adapted to obtain
information from the patient concerning his or her state of mind
and beliefs regarding diet, exercise, and the patient's overall
perceptions of his or her health. In one embodiment of the invention,
the health care provider is not provided with a copy of the patient's
responses to the questionnaire, but only with the result of the
processing of those responses. For some patients, the knowledge
that the health care provider will not have access to his or her
responses may result in more accurate responses.
[0027] FIG. 6 depicts a web-based or equivalent database network
site 70 as a platform which is accessible via secure sign-in 101
by the health care provider 106 from a remote user interface. A
variety of interactions are enabled by this relationship, including
the use of web-based site 70 as a destination for secure access
to provide and receive information pertinent to a particular candidate
for a weight loss therapy, including information 77 submitted by
the patient 16 via a secure log-in using a unique ID/password provided
to the patient by the health care provider. In one embodiment, the
patient's unique ID/password is provided by a site administrator,
which is one or more individuals chosen to maintain the database
network site and allow access to the database network site and associated
screening tools only to health care providers and/or patients of
health care providers that have agreed to pay a fee to use the database
network site and associated screening tools. In one embodiment,
information from the patient and health care provider 88 may be
transmitted to a processor 75 where the information may be processed
using a screening tool such as that described in Jenkins et al.,
to determine whether the patient is a candidate for a particular
weight loss therapy, and that result is transmitted back to the
network database site 70. In one embodiment, the web-based site
70 may be configured to provide an automatic notification service
signal 112 to a display or other data receiving device of the health
care provider when a result has been determined. In one example,
the notification may be pushed via a SMTP.net message, shown for
example as signal format 115, to the computer or other display of
the health care provider 106. These displays, and others contemplated
herein, may also include an automatic pushed signal via electronic
mail, pager, cellular phone, WAP cellular phone, telephone call,
facsimile, mobile wireless device, stylus tablet, or others. Web-based
communication systems allowing the flow of data from a medical device
implanted in a patient to a database network site and then to a
health care provider are known as, for example, the systems and
methods described in U.S. Published Application No. 2005/0021370
to Riff, et al., the teachings of which are incorporated herein
in their entirety.
[0028] A screening tool useful with the method of the invention
is that described in Jenkins, et al. and includes in one embodiment,
a device having a microprocessor 75 that contains Classification
and Regression Trees software developed and tested with historical
patient data gleaned from a psychometric instrument (such as questionnaire
shown in FIG. 5E), anthropometric data, the associated weight loss
outcomes for those patients upon undergoing implantable gastric
stimulation treatment for obesity, and biomarker data (which is
optional in this illustration). The terminology "implantable
gastric stimulation" is occasionally abbreviated herein as
"GS." Anthropometric data may include, e.g., weight, height,
age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) information. Biomarker information
may include, e.g., hormone information, peptide information (e.g.,
ghrelin peptide information), genomics information, and body scan
information (e.g., a positron emission tomography brain scan), or
any combination thereof. The data supplied by the candidates for
implantable gastric stimulation therapy is processed by the predictive
model to determine the associated predicted weight loss via implantable
gastric stimulation therapy for a given candidate. If the predicted
weight loss meets an arbitrary minimum percentage correlated with
a reasonably significant and meaningful outcome to implantable gastric
stimulation therapy by health professionals in this field, then
the candidate is "approved" for the implantable gastric
stimulation therapy. On the other hand, a candidate who does not
meet the criteria can consult with his or her health care practitioner
about alternative therapies at an early juncture while foregoing
the time and cost that otherwise may have been devoted to implantable
gastric stimulation therapy with little prospect of a favorable
outcome. It will be appreciated that other algorithms might be used
in lieu of a decision tree-based analysis, such as a neural network
analysis.
[0029] The acronym "CART" stands for Classification and
Regression Trees. Many other tree-based algorithms can be grouped
under the same heading. CART is a flexible, nonparametric algorithm
for building either classification or regression trees that has
proven to be a useful predictor in many different contexts. Alternatively,
Quinlan's C4.5 algorithm (see, e.g., Quinlan, J. R., Programs for
Machine Learning, The Morgan Kaufman Series in Machine Learning,
Morgan Kaufman Publ., San Mateo, Calif. (1993)), or Friedman's Multivariate
Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) or Multivariate Adaptive Regression
Trees (MART) algorithms (see, e.g., Hastie, T., Tibsharani, R.,
and Friedman, J., The Elements of Statistical Learning: Data Mining,
Inference and Prediction, Springer Series in Statistics, Springer
Publication, New York, N.Y. (2001) ("Hastie et al.") could
be adapted for analysis of the implantable gastric stimulation trial
data. Other machine learning methods, not based on classification
or regression trees, could also be employed in place of CART. Examples
of such methods include linear discriminant analysis, nearest neighbor
methods, artificial neural networks and support vector machines
(see, e.g., Hastie et al.).
[0030] Decision-tree based methods are only a modest subset of
the data mining tools available for predictive modeling. Leading
alternatives include k-Nearest Neighbor methods (see, e.g., Duda,
R., et al., Pattern Classification and Scene Analysis, New York,
John Wiley & Sons, 1973), and Neural Network methods (see, e.g.,
Rumelhart, D., et al., "Learning internal representations by
error propagation," in Parallel Distributed Processing Exploration
of the Microstructure of Cognition, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press
1986). While it is unlikely to appear so to those unfamiliar with
data mining algorithms, tree-based methods are far less of a "black
box" than the alternatives that provide superior prediction.
The algorithm used to construct CART regression trees is relatively
simple to describe in plain English, with minimal reference to mathematics
and statistics. Interpretability is further aided by the fact that
the predictive model is expressed in the form of a decision tree,
a device commonly used in both managerial and medical decision making.
[0031] A recent innovation in data mining known as "boosting"
has been shown to dramatically reduce the generalization error associated
with tree-based methods. Simulation studies by Breiman and others
have found that using boosting in conjunction with tree-based predictors
like CART yields mean test set prediction error that approaches
the minimum possible (i.e., the level attainable using the true
conditional expectation of the target given the predictors).
[0032] In one embodiment, the analysis of the information employs
the variant of boosting developed by Breiman referred to as "adaptive
resampling and combining," or "arcing". See, e.g.,
See Breiman, L., Arcing Classifiers, Annals of Statistics, 1998.
26:801-49. Boosting reduces the generalization error associated
with CART trees by combining predictions from many trees, typically
250 or more, each estimated in a different perturbed version of
the observed training sample. The perturbed data sets are a sequence
of bootstrap training samples, generated by random draws with replacement
from the observed sample.
[0033] FIG. 7 shows a method of the invention where an administrator
manages the database network and access to a screening tool for
predicting the success of a particular weight loss therapy for a
candidate. The administrator logs onto the site using a login name
and a password 80. After the administrator logs in, he/she then
selects a language in which to proceed, such as English, Spanish,
or any other language 81. He/she is then taken to a welcome page
82 where the administrator may choose to perform a variety of tasks
such as clinic maintenance, physician maintenance, or formatting
patient result report.
[0034] During clinic maintenance 83, the administrator may add/change/delete
information associated with a clinic or a health care facility,
including but not limited to users, user IDs, and/or clinic contact
info. During physician maintenance, the administrator may add/change/delete
information associated with a health care provider, including but
not limited to, user ID, password, email, clinic assigned, and/or
contact info. During formatting the patient result report, based
on specifications from a clinic, the administrator customizes the
content and format for all reports that are to be sent to patients
from that particular clinic.
[0035] It will be appreciated that the present invention can take
many forms and embodiments.
[0036] The true essence and spirit of the invention are defined
in the appended claims, and it is not intended that the embodiment
of the invention presented herein should limit the scope thereof. |