METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING AN INFORMATION STORAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090164246A1
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Zitiao Network Technology Company Limited (ByteDance Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reed, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing a policy-based information storage management system for digital assets are provided. The storage management system includes multiple physical storage subsystems, each with deterministic storage characteristics. A method includes receiving a data item related to a subject and looking up a record for the subject. The record identifies corresponding digital assets that are stored in the storage subsystems. The method also includes applying a policy to the corresponding digital assets based upon the data item. The method further includes determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that are relevant to the data item. The relevance determination is made in response to application of the policy. The method also includes migrating the relevant digital assets to at least one designated storage subsystem, based upon corresponding storage characteristics, for expediting access to the relevant digital assets.

Claims

1. A method for providing a policy-based information storage management system for digital assets, the storage management system including multiple physical storage subsystems, each with deterministic storage characteristics, the method comprising:

receiving a data item related to a subject;

looking up a record for the subject, the record identifying corresponding digital assets that are stored in the storage subsystems;

applying a policy to the corresponding digital assets based upon the data item, the policy mapping the data item to at least one digital asset type;

determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that are relevant to the data item, the relevance determination made in response to application of the policy; and

migrating the relevant digital assets to at least one designated storage subsystem, based upon corresponding storage characteristics, operable for expediting access to the relevant digital assets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the record stores patient medical data and the data item includes at least one of:

patient personal data;

patient symptoms; and

patient diagnoses.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the patient personal data includes at least one of:

age; and

gender.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital assets include at least one of a(n):

MRI;

CT scan;

Ultrasound;

x-ray; and

lab test results.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data item includes at least one of:

a symptom of a condition, wherein the policy comprises a minimum number of a group of symptoms related to a diagnosis;

a date acknowledged for a symptom, condition, or diagnosis;

wherein the policy comprises a pre-defined range of dates; and

a severity value assigned to a symptom, wherein the policy comprises a minimum threshold of the severity value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data item is a mass casualty and the policy comprises a storage plan for digital assets using storage capacities associated with the storage subsystems.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the data item includes collecting data from a medical examination session via a medical dictation device, and

wherein determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that relevant to the data item includes parsing a dictation session comprising the data item and mapping the data item to corresponding digital assets in the record.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein migrating the relevant digital assets to a designated one of the storage subsystems includes:

identifying a portion of at least one of the relevant digital assets that includes a feature of interest to a clinician; and

partitioning the digital asset that includes the feature into segments;

wherein a segment that contains the feature is stored in the designated storage subsystem and remaining segments of the digital asset are stored in another of the storage subsystems, the other of the storage subsystems providing slower access to digital assets as compared to the designated storage subsystem.

9. A system for providing a policy-based information storage management system for digital assets, the system including multiple physical storage subsystems, each with deterministic storage characteristics, the system comprising:

a computer processing device in communication with the storage subsystems; and

an information storage management application executing on the computer processing device, the information storage management application implementing a method, comprising;

receiving a data item related to a subject;

looking up a record for the subject, the record identifying corresponding digital assets that are stored in the storage subsystems;

applying a policy to the corresponding digital assets based upon the data item, the policy mapping the data item to at least one digital asset type;

determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that are relevant to the data item, the relevance determination made in response to application of the policy; and

migrating the relevant digital assets to at least one designated storage subsystem, based on corresponding storage characteristics, operable for expediting access to the relevant digital assets.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the record stores patient medical data and the data item includes at least one of:

patient personal data;

patient symptoms; and

patient diagnoses.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the patient personal data includes at least one of:

age; and

gender.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital assets include at least one of a(n):

MRI;

CT scan;

Ultrasound;

x-ray; and

lab test results.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the data item includes at least one of:

a symptom of a condition, wherein the policy comprises a minimum number of a group of symptoms related to a diagnosis;

a date acknowledged for a symptom, condition, or diagnosis;

wherein the policy comprises a pre-defined range of dates; and

a severity value assigned to a symptom, wherein the policy comprises a minimum threshold of the severity value.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the data item is a mass casualty and the policy comprises a storage plan for digital assets using storage capacities associated with the storage subsystems.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein receiving the data item includes collecting data from a medical examination session via a medical dictation device, and

wherein determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that relevant to the data item includes parsing a dictation session comprising the data item and mapping the data item to corresponding digital assets in the record.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein migrating the relevant digital assets to a designated one of the storage subsystems includes:

identifying a portion of at least one of the relevant digital assets that includes a feature of interest to a clinician; and

partitioning the digital asset that includes the feature into segments;

wherein a segment that contains the feature is stored in the designated storage subsystem and remaining segments of the digital asset are stored in another of the storage subsystems, the other of the storage subsystems providing slower access to digital assets as compared to the designated storage subsystem.

17. A computer program product for providing a policy-based information storage management system for digital assets, the storage management system including multiple physical storage subsystems, each with deterministic storage characteristics, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

receiving a data item related to a subject;

looking up a record for the subject, the record identifying corresponding digital assets that are stored in the storage subsystems;

applying a policy to the corresponding digital assets based upon the data item, the policy mapping the data item to at least one digital asset type;

determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that are relevant to the data item, the relevance determination made in response to application of the policy; and

migrating the relevant digital assets to at least one designated storage subsystem, based on corresponding storage characteristics, operable for expediting access to the relevant digital assets.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the record stores patient medical data and the data item includes at least one of:

patient personal data;

patient symptoms; and

patient diagnoses.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the patient personal data includes at least one of:

age; and

gender.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the digital assets include at least one of a(n):

MRI;

CT scan;

Ultrasound;

x-ray; and

lab test results.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the data item includes at least one of:

a symptom of a condition, wherein the policy comprises a minimum number of a group of symptoms related to a diagnosis;

a date acknowledged for a symptom, condition, or diagnosis;

wherein the policy comprises a pre-defined range of dates; and

a severity value assigned to a symptom, wherein the policy comprises a minimum threshold of the severity value.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the data item is a mass casualty and the policy comprises a storage plan for digital assets using storage capacities associated with the storage subsystems.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein receiving the data item includes collecting data from a medical examination session via a medical dictation device, and

wherein determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that relevant to the data item includes parsing a dictation session comprising the data item and mapping the data item to corresponding digital assets in the record.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein migrating the relevant digital assets to a designated one of the storage subsystems includes:

identifying a portion of at least one of the relevant digital assets that includes a feature of interest to a clinician; and

partitioning the digital asset that includes the feature into segments;

wherein a segment that contains the feature is stored in the designated storage subsystem and remaining segments of the digital asset are stored in another of the storage subsystems, the other of the storage subsystems providing slower access to digital assets as compared to the designated storage subsystem.