System and method for decentralized autonomous healthcare economy platform

• US 10,366,204 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tanner, Jr., Theodore, Dunlevy, Timothy Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hiep V
• Application Number:
  US14/934,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20170039330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/065 using e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A system and method for a decentralized autonomous healthcare economy platform are provided. The system and method aggregates all of the healthcare data into a global graph-theoretic topology and processes the data via a hybrid federated and peer to peer distributed processing architectures.

Claims

1. A system for a decentralized autonomous healthcare, comprising:

a computer system having a plurality of off-chain health data sources some of which contain personal health data whose access is controlled by a patient, the personal health data including consultation data, medical history data, medical procedure data, claims data and eligibility data;

a plurality of health blockchain network components implemented on a computer system that interface with the plurality of off-chain health data sources, each health blockchain network component comprising a plurality of blocks forming a linked list with each block having a header with a cryptographic hash of a prior block in the plurality of blocks and a healthcare transaction coupled to the header and each health blockchain network component maintains cryptographic proof of a valid healthcare transaction;

wherein one of the plurality of health blockchain network components performs a healthcare transaction using a healthcare transaction protocol using the personal health data in the off-chain health data sources when authorization is granted to the personal health data and the one healthcare blockchain network component executes an automated patient data sharing smart contract that grants access to an authorized user to the personal health data stored in the off-chain health data sources if the authorized user satisfies a set of terms contained in the smart contract; and

wherein the plurality of health blockchain network components perform side chaining in which a first health blockchain network component validates the data from a second health blockchain network component during the healthcare transaction.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of computer system that form a peer to peer network.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an application, remote from each health blockchain network component that request a performance of the healthcare transaction using the healthcare transaction protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the healthcare transaction is an X12 health transaction.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a smart contract executing at one of the plurality of health blockchain network components that grants access to the personal health data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of health blockchain network components store one or more of a resource identifier for a resource stored in the off-chain health data sources, an asset signature and an authorization grant for access to the personal health data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated patient data sharing smart contract further comprises a clinical study participation smart contract.

8. A method for providing a decentralized autonomous healthcare system, the method comprising:

providing a computer system having a plurality of off-chain health data sources some of which contain personal health data whose access is controlled by a patient wherein the personal health data including consultation data, medical history data, medical procedure data, claims data and eligibility data and a plurality of health blockchain network components implemented on the computer system that interface with the plurality of off-chain health data sources, each health blockchain network component comprising a plurality of blocks forming a linked list with each block having a header with a cryptographic hash of a prior block in the plurality of blocks and a healthcare transaction coupled to the header and each health blockchain network component maintains cryptographic proof of a valid healthcare transaction;

performing, using one of the plurality of health blockchain network components, a healthcare transaction using a healthcare transaction protocol using the personal health data in the off-chain health data sources when authorization is granted to the personal health data;

executing, by one of the plurality of health blockchain network components, an automated patient data sharing a smart contract that grants access to an authorized user to the personal health data stored in the off-chain health data sources if the authorized user satisfies a set of terms contained in the smart contract; and

performing, by the plurality of health blockchain network components, side chaining in which a first health blockchain network component validates the data from a second health blockchain network component during the healthcare transaction.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing a plurality of computer system that form a peer to peer network.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising requesting, using an application remote from each health blockchain network component, a performance of the healthcare transaction using the healthcare transaction protocol.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the healthcare transaction is an X12 health transaction.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising executing a smart contract at one of the plurality of health blockchain network components that grants access to the personal health data.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of health blockchain network components store one or more of a resource identifier for a resource stored in the off-chain health data sources, an asset signature and an authorization grant for access to the personal health data.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the automated patient data sharing smart contract further comprises a clinical study participation smart contract.