Medical data draft for tracking and evaluating medical treatment

The method and apparatus of this invention permit quality review by medical insurers of ambulatory patient care by gathering medical data on each and every ambulatory visit and by providing a unique data transmission system to timely and accurately report the data for analysis. Negotiable medical data drafts are provided to participating medical care providers, who are authorized to issue the draft to themselves and sign the draft at the conclusion of each patient's visit. In exchange for immediate partial payment for services rendered, the medical service provider is required to enter the requested medical data summarizinq the patient's visit on the data entry portions of the negotiable medical data draft. Deposit in its bank of the medical data draft by the medical care provider returns to the provider immediate cash and places the medical data in a transmission system designed and monitored for accurate and reliable handling. After making archival copies of the medical data draft, the medical data drafts are ultimately returned by the insurer's bank to the insurer. The medical data available on the medical data draft may be analyzed by the insurer for quality review purposes. Establishment of a comprehensive data base, based on the data available from medical data drafts, enables insurers and medical professionals to examine the level of health care across the population at a level of detail previously impossible. Implementation of the method and apparatus of this invention should permit significant cost savings for the health care insurance system.