Dynamic electronic chain-of-trust document with audit trail

• US 20030051144A1
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Trac Medical Solutions, Inc. (AEON Global Health Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Trac Medical Solutions, Inc. (AEON Global Health Corp.)
• Inventors: Williams, Terry N.
• Application Number:
  US10/026,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20030051144A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A system and method for processing form documents across a communications network that includes a first access device, a second access device and a form server is provided that includes the steps of receiving one or more requests from an operator of the first access device to process a form document, determining whether the operator of the first access device is authorized to process the document, receiving one or more responses including information from the first operator to complete the form, receiving one or more requests from an operator of the second access device to process the form document, determining whether the operator of the second access device is authorized process document, and receiving one or more responses from the second operator including information to complete the form. The system may determine whether the operators of the access devices have the proper credentials to access or modify a particular form document or particular section of a form document. The system may require submission of a digital signature by an operator and record the date and time the digital signature was submitted and not permit the form to be modified until an additional digital signature is submitted and an additional date and time recorded.

Claims

1. A method for processing a form document across a communications network comprising a first access device, a second access device, and a form server, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one request for an operator of the first access device to process the form document;

determining whether the operator of the first access device is authorized to process the form document;

providing at least one image of the form document to be viewed by the operator of the first access device;

receiving at least one response from the operator of the first access device including information used to complete the form document;

determining whether the operator of the second access device is authorized to process the form document;

providing at least one image of the form document to be viewed by the operator of the second access device; and

receiving at least one response from the operator of the second access including information used to complete the form document.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least part of the information received from the operator of the first access device and at least part of the information received from the operator of the second access device associated are recorded in a database.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining whether the operator of the first access device is authorized to process the form document includes receiving information to identify of the operator of the first access device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the information to identify the operator of the first access device includes a password.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the information to identify the operator of the first access device includes information obtained from a credentialing input device.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of determining whether the operator of the second access device is authorized to process the form document includes receiving information to identify the operator of the second access device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the information to identity the operator of the second access device includes a password.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the information to identify the operator of the second access device includes information obtained from a second credentialing input device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the information received from the operator of the first access device includes a digital signature.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the information received from the operator of the second access device includes a digital signature.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first access device includes at least one encryption application.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second access device includes at least one encryption application.

13. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of determining whether the information used to complete the form document received from the operator of the first access device is valid and whether the information used to complete the form document received from the operator of the second access device is valid.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the form document has multiple sections and further including the steps of determining which sections of the form document the operator of the first access device is permitted to populate before receiving the at least one response from the operator of the first access device including information used to complete the form document and determining which sections of the form document the operator of the second access device is permitted to populate before receiving the at least one response from the operator of the second access device including information used to complete the form document.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the form document has multiple sections and further including the steps of determining which sections of the form document the operator of the first access device is permitted to populate after receiving the at least one response from the operator of the first access device including information used to complete the form document and determining which sections of the form document the operator of the second access device is permitted to populate after receiving the at least one response from the operator of the second access device including information used to complete the form document.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein a date and time that the at least one response from the operator of the first access device including information used to complete the form document is received are recorded in a database.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a date and time that the at least one response from the operator of the second access device including information used to complete the form document is received are recorded in a database.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the form server includes firewall and encryption and decryption capability.

19. A method for processing an electronic form document across a communications network comprising a first access device, a second access device and a form server, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one request requesting to process the form document through a first access device operated by a representative of a supplier of medical equipment, the at least one request requesting to process the form document through a first access device including information to uniquely identify the supplier and representative of the supplier;

providing the representative of the supplier with at least one image of the form document;

receiving information from the representative of the supplier including information used to complete the form document;

receiving at least one request requesting to process the form document through a second access device operated by a representative of a physician, the at least one request requesting to process the form document through a second access device including information to uniquely identify the physician and representative of the physician;

determining whether the at least one representative of the physician is authorized to view the form document and providing the representative of the physician with an image of the form document if the representative of the physician is authorized to view the form document; and

receiving information from the representative of the physician including information used to complete the form document.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the at least one representative of the physician includes the physician.

21. The method of claim 20 further including of the step of receiving a digital signature from the physician.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein at least part of the information received from the representative of the supplier and at least part of the information received from the representative of the physician are recorded in a database after receiving the digital signature from the physician.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the date and time that the digital signature from the physician is received are recorded in the database.

24. The method of claim 21 further including the steps:

receiving at least one additional request to process the form document by the at least one representative of a physician;

receiving additional information from the at least one representative of the physician used to complete the form document;

receiving an additional digital signature from the physician;

recording at least part of the additional information received from the representative of the physician in the database after receiving the additional digital signature from the physician.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein a first date and time that the digital signature from the physician is received are recorded in the database and wherein a second date and time that the additional digital signature from the physician is received are recorded in the database.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the information uniquely identifying the representative of the supplier includes a password.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein at least part of the information uniquely identifying the representative of the supplier is determined from a credentialing input device.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the information uniquely identifying the representative of the physician includes a password.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein at least part of the information uniquely identifying the representative of the physician is determined from a credentialing input device.

30. The method of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one request to access the form document from the form server from a third access device operated by a representative of a third party payor, the at least one request from the third access device including information to uniquely identify the third party payor and representative of the third party payor;

determining whether the at least one representative of the physician is authorized to access the form document and providing the representative of the physician with the contents of the form document if the representative of the third party is authorized to access the form document.

31. The method of claim 20 further including the steps of determining which sections of the form document that the representative of the supplier is permitted to populate before receiving information from the representative of the supplier including information used to complete the form document and determining which sections of the form document that the representative of the physician is permitted to populate before receiving information from the representative of the physician including information used to complete the form document.

32. The method of claim 20 further including the steps of determining which sections of the form document that the representative of the supplier is permitted to populate after receiving information from the representative of the supplier including information used to complete the form document and determining which sections of the form document that the representative of the physician is permitted to populate after receiving information from the representative of the physician including information used to complete the form document.

38. The method of claim 20 wherein the electronic form document is an electronic Certificate of Medical Necessity.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the electronic Certificate of Medical Necessity includes a first section, a second section, a third section and a fourth section.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising the step of recording the information received from the representative of the supplier and the information received from the representative of the physician to create a completed electronic Certificate of Medical Necessity.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein only the information received from the representative of the physician is used to complete the second section of the electronic Certificate of Medical Necessity and wherein only the information received from the representative of the supplier is used to complete the third section of the electronic Certificate of Medical Necessity and wherein only the information received from the physician is used to complete the fourth section of the electronic Certificate of Medical Necessity.

33. A method for processing form documents across a communications network comprising a first access device, a second access device and a form server, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a physician with an application to process at least one of the form documents from the form server, verifying the physician'"'"'s license status, determining whether the application should be approved and providing the physician with at least one key to access the at least one of the form documents from the form server if the application is approved; and

providing at least one representative of a supplier with a second application to process at least one of the form documents from the form server, determining whether the application should be approved and providing the at least one representative of the supplier with at least one key to access the at least one of the form documents from the form server if the application is approved.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one request requesting to process one of the at least one of the form documents through a first access device operated by the at least one representative of a supplier, the at least one request requesting to process one of the at least one of the form documents through the first access device including information to uniquely identify the supplier and representative of the supplier;

determining whether the at least one representative of the supplier is authorized to process the form document and providing the representative of the supplier with an image of the form document;

receiving information from the at least one representative of the supplier including information used to complete the form document;

receiving at least one request requesting to process one of the at least one of the form documents through a second access device operated by the at least one representative of a physician, the at least one request requesting to process one of the at least one of the form documents through the second access device including information to uniquely identify the physician and representative of the physician;

determining whether the at least one representative of the physician is authorized to view the form document and providing the representative of the physician with an image of the form document; and

receiving information from the representative of the physician including information used to complete the form document.

35. A system for processing a multi-part form document comprising:

a first access device;

a second access device; and

a form server connected to the first access device and connected to the second access device over a communication network wherein the form server is operative with the first access device and second access device to;

determine if an operator of the first access device is authorized to populate at least one section of the multi-part form;

receive information used to populate the at least one section of the multi-part form from the first access device and store at least part of the information received from the first access device in at least one file;

determine if an operator of the second access device is authorized to populate at least one additional section of the multi-part form;

receive information used to populate the at least one additional section the multi-part form from the second access device and store at least part of the information received from the second access device in the at least one file.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the form server is operative with the first access device to send information included in the multi-part form to the operator of the first access after receiving a request to process the multi-part form document by the operator of the first access device.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the form server is operative with the second access device to send information included in the multi-part form to the operator of the second access device after receiving a request to process the multi-part form by the operator of the second access device.