Privacy compliant consent and data access management system and methods

• US 20060026042A1
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Privit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Privit, Inc.
• Inventors: Awaraji, Christian, Awaragi, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms

Abstract

An information management system for restricting access to personal data in compliance with law or regulation includes a database having restricted records stored therein, at least one of the records including an identification of a client or group of clients about whom said record concerns. A computer system under the control of a trusted information broker is configured to receive via a communication medium a request initiated by a requester for access to at least one of the restricted records in the database, the request including an identification of the requester. The computer system is further configured to transmit a request for consent to the client and receive an indication from the client that the client consents or does not consent to access to the restricted record by the requestor. The computer system grants or denies access to the restricted records based upon the indication from the client.

Claims

1. A medical record information management system, comprising:

a database having stored therein a plurality of medical records, each including an identification of a corresponding client;

a computer system under the control of a trusted information broker, said computer system being configured to receive via a communication medium a request initiated by a service provider for access to at least one of said medical records in said database, said request including an identification of the service provider;

said computer system being further configured to transmit a request for consent to said client and receive an indication from said client that said client consents or does not consent to access to said medical record by said service provider;

said computer system being further configured to grant or deny access to said at least one client record based upon said indication from said client.

2. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computer system is further configured to selectively grant or deny portions of the request.

3. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computer system is further configured to consult an access control list to determine whether said service provider is pre-authorized to view said requested record.

4. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said access control list includes an indication of a group to which said service provider belongs, and wherein said computer system is configured to grant or deny access to said requested record based upon a group to which the service provider belongs.

5. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computer system is configured to grant or deny access to said requested record based upon a context in which said service provider is accessing the information.

6. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between said computer system and said service provider is encrypted.

7. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between said computer system and said client is encrypted.

8. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between said computer system and at least one of said client or said service provider is encrypted using a key which is uniquely generated for each communication session.

9. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between said computer system and at least one of said client or said service provider is conducted via a secure communication channel.

10. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said secure communication channel comprises at least one of:

Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Virtual Private Network (VPN), or Internet Protocol Security (IPSec).

11. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to maintain an audit trail of access to or changes to at least one of said plurality of records.

12. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said audit trail includes at least one transaction log which is digitally signed.

13. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said audit trail includes at least one transaction log that includes a transaction parameter.

14. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said transaction parameter includes at least one of:

an identification of a person requesting the transaction, an identification of an agency requesting the transaction, a date of the transaction, reasons listed for viewing the said record, an identification of particular documents or records accessed, or changes made to said record.

15. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to transmit or receive data in electronic forms that include field identifiers indicating which fields include private information and which fields include public information.

16. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

authenticate a user logging into the system, issue a login token to said user, transmit to said user a list of clients whose information the user is authorized to view, determine one or more groups to which the user has been assigned based upon one or more access control lists, determine the user'"'"'s access rights, create a handler instance for an information request from said user, unwrap a symmetric key and subsequently unlock transaction data, pass transaction data to a data processing module, use the data processing module to apply said one or more access control list to limit the information available to the user to only that which the user is authorized to view, pass the information to a dispatcher, and use the dispatcher to pass the data to an appropriate smart form.

17. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said database resides with said trusted information broker.

18. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said database resides with said service provider.

19. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said database comprises one or more databases distributed across multiple geographic locations.

20. The medical record information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said request for access includes an identification of services to be provided and an identification of information to which the service provider will need access to be able to provide said service.

29. The information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between said computer system and at least one of said client or said requestor is conducted via a secure communication channel.

30. The information management system in accordance with claim 29, wherein said secure communication channel comprises at least one of:

Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Virtual Private Network (VPN), or Internet Protocol Security (IPSec).

21. An information management system for restricting access to personal data in compliance with law or regulation, comprising:

a database having stored therein a plurality of restricted records, each including an identification of a client or group of clients about whom said record concerns;

a computer system under the control of a trusted information broker, said computer system being configured to receive via a communication medium a request initiated by a requestor for access to at least one of said restricted records in said database, said request including an identification of the requester;

said computer system being further configured to transmit a request for consent to said client and receive an indication from said client that said client consents or does not consent to access to said restricted record by said requestor;

said computer system being further configured to grant or deny access to said at least one restricted record based upon said indication from said client.

22. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said computer system is further configured to selectively grant or deny portions of the request.

23. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said computer system is further configured to consult an access control list to determine whether said requestor is pre-authorized to view said requested record.

24. The information management system in accordance with claim 23, wherein said access control list includes an indication of a group to which said requestor belongs, and wherein said computer system is configured to grant or deny access to said requested record based upon a group to which the requestor belongs.

25. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said computer system is configured to grant or deny access to said requested record based upon a context in which said requestor is accessing the information.

26. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein communication between said computer system and said requester is encrypted.

27. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein communication between said computer system and said client is encrypted.

28. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein communication between said computer system and at least one of said client or said requestor is encrypted using a key which is uniquely generated for each communication session.

31. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the computer system is further configured to maintain an audit trail of access to or changes to at least one of said plurality of records.

32. The information management system in accordance with claim 31, wherein said audit trail includes at least one transaction log which is digitally signed.

33. The information management system in accordance with claim 31, wherein said audit trail includes at least one transaction log that includes a transaction parameter.

34. The information management system in accordance with claim 33, wherein said transaction parameter includes at least one of:

an identification of a person requesting the transaction, an identification of an agency requesting the transaction, a date of the transaction, reasons listed for viewing the said record, an identification of particular documents or records accessed, or changes made to said record.

35. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the computer system is further configured to transmit or receive data in electronic forms that include field identifiers indicating which fields include private information and which fields include public information.

36. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

authenticate a user logging into the system, issue a login token to said user, transmit to said user a list of clients whose information the user is authorized to view, determine one or more groups to which the user has been assigned based upon one or more access control lists, determine the user'"'"'s access rights, create a handler instance for an information request from said user, unwrap a symmetric key and subsequently unlock transaction data, pass transaction data to a data processing module, use the data processing module to apply said one or more access control list to limit the information available to the user to only that which the user is authorized to view, pass the information to a dispatcher, and use the dispatcher to pass the data to an appropriate smart form.

37. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said database resides with said trusted information broker.

38. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said database resides with said requestor.

39. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said database comprises one or more databases distributed across multiple geographic locations.

40. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said request for access includes an identification of at least one reason necessitating access to the at least one restricted record.

41. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said personal information comprises confidential medical data.

42. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said personal information comprises confidential biographical data.

43. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said personal information comprises confidential law-enforcement data.

44. The information management system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said personal information comprises confidential financial data.