The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently issued Knoxville-based to HealthStar LLC Founder and CEO Dr. Ed Breazeale, MD, patent patent No. 9,740,823 for the underlying technology used by HealthStar Visit, the company's Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) solution.

In 2007, Breazeale designed the proprietary GPS-based technology to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid reimbursement for services delivered in a home-based setting. "Healthcare costs are a national concern," Breazeale said. "HealthStar delivers customizable software to prohibit improper payments and increase administrative efficiency."

The patented technology applied by HealthStar Visit correlates the location-time data generated by a mobile electronic device with pre-approved data specified in a patient's plan of care. A key component is the member-assigned, HealthStar-managed tablet, which is deployed directly to the patient at their residence. These devices capture and match:

• GPS location with patient-approved address
• Credentials of the caregiver providing care with pre-assigned caregiver
• Actual date and times of service with scheduled appointment
• Services documented during the visit with pre-authorized services

All the information is captured in real-time, and if care is delivered as prescribed, HealthStar Visit prepares a claim for payment. "Caregivers must check in and out of member appointments and document the tasks performed during the visit," Breazeale said. "Our system requires caregiver signature and allows for patient authentication and confirmation that services were performed as indicated. An insurance claim, otherwise automatically generated by HealthStar Visit, is disallowed if all necessary pre-determined criteria are not met."

HealthStar Visit also:

• Requires the caregiver to answer questions related to the patient's health status,
• Alerts the care manager when scheduled services are late or missed, and
• Measures patient satisfaction.

The patient's signature serves as the final services verification indicator. Biometric authentication is available for both the patient and caregiver, if mandated.