SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENCRYPTING PATIENT DATA

• US 20090110192A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Siraki, Sophia S., Elrod, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US11/928,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20090110192A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a method for protecting electronic patient data in a healthcare environment. The method includes selecting the patient data to be protected, selecting a biometric identifier from a patient, generating an encryption key based on the biometric identifier, and encrypting the patient data. The method may also include authenticating the encrypted patient data. The biometric identifier may be a DNA sequence. The method may also include applying a hash function to the DNA sequences to obtain a hash value. The encryption key may be based at least in part on the hash value.

Claims

1. A method for protecting electronic patient data in a healthcare environment, said method including:

selecting one or more biometric identifiers from a patient; and

generating an encryption key, wherein said encryption key is based at least in part on said one or more biometric identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1 further including selecting said electronic patient data to be protected.

3. The method of claim 1 further including encrypting said patient data using said encryption key.

4. The method of claim 3 further including storing said encrypted patient data.

5. The method of claim 4 further including selecting said encrypted patient data for retrieval.

6. The method of claim 5 further including decrypting said encrypted patient data using said encryption key.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said method also authenticates said encrypted patient data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said biometric identifier includes one or more DNA sequences.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a hash function is applied to said one or more DNA sequences to obtain a hash value.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said encryption key is based at least in part on said hash value.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said one or more DNA sequences are identified automatically.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein identification of said one or more DNA sequences includes extracting genomic DNA from said patient and sequencing said genomic DNA.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said encryption key is based at least in part on a private password

14. A system for encrypting patient data, said system including:

a key-generating component adapted to generate an encryption key based on one or more biometric identifiers.

15. The system of claim 14 further including an encryption component adapted to encrypt said patient data using said encryption key.

16. The system of claim 15 further including a storage component adapted to store said encrypted patient data.

17. The system of claim 15 further including a decryption component adapted to decrypt said encrypted patient data using said encryption key.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein said one or more biometric identifiers include a DNA sequence.

19. A computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions for a computer, said set of instructions including:

a biometric identifier selection routine adapted to select one or more biometric identifiers from a patient; and

a key routine adapted to generating an encryption key wherein said encryption key is based at least in part on said one or more biometric identifiers.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein said biometric identifier includes one or more DNA sequences.