METHOD AND A SYSTEM OF HEALTHCARE DATA HANDLING

• US 20110066846A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kunzi, Julien, Koster, Robert Paul, Petkovic, Milan
• Granted Patent: US 9,881,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1075 Editing
• 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 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of healthcare data handling by a trusted agent possessing or having an access to decryption keys for accessing healthcare data. A request is received from a requestor requesting accessing healthcare data. A log is generated containing data relating to the request or the requestor or both. Finally, the requestor is provided with an access to the healthcare data.

Claims

1. A method of healthcare data handling by a trusted agent possessing or having an access to decryption keys for accessing healthcare data, comprising:

receiving a request from a requestor (101) requesting accessing healthcare data,

generating a log (103) comprising data relating to the request or the requestor or both, and

providing the requestor with an access to the healthcare data (107).

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the received request comprises data tag signaling that the received request is an emergency request.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request received from the requestor includes requesting a decryption key for accessing the healthcare data, the step of providing the requestor with an access to the healthcare data being forwarding the requested decryption key to the requestor.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request received from the requestor contains said requested healthcare data in an encrypted form, the step of providing the requestor with an access to the healthcare data being forwarding the healthcare data in a decrypted form to the requestor.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein subsequent to the received request the agent obtains the healthcare data in an encrypted form from a server and decrypts the healthcare data, the step of providing the requestor with an access to the healthcare data being forwarding the decrypted healthcare data to the requestor.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising submitting the log to a server (105) for a review.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein a license comprises the decryption key together with associated license rules for accessing the healthcare data, and where the requestor is a Digital Right Management (DRM) client application or an Enterprise Rights Management (ERM) client application, the step of providing the DRM or ERM client application with an access to the healthcare data being forwarding the license decryption key together with associated license rules to the DRM or ERM client application.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the healthcare data is protected with a document key, and where the license comprise the document key encrypted with an emergency K_Em key to the protected healthcare data, the emergency K_Em key subsequently being distributed to all trusted agents.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the license is attached to the protected health data.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the emergency license and the protected healthcare data is forwarded to the DRM or ERM, where upon emergency request, the DRM or ERM are further provided with the emergency key K_Em which is adapted to decrypt the document decryption key.

11. A computer program product for instructing a processing unit to execute the method step of claim 1 when the product is run on a computer.

12. A trusted agent (200) adapted to handle healthcare data where the trusted agent possesses or has an access to decryption keys for accessing healthcare data, comprising:

a receiver (203) for receiving a request from a requestor requesting accessing healthcare data,

a log generator (220) for generating a log comprising data relating to the request or the requestor or both, and

a processor (201) for processing the received request, the processing resulting in providing the requestor with an access to the healthcare data.

13. A requestor (220) comprising a request generator (221) for generating a request (223) for accessing healthcare data handled by the trusted agent (200) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the request generator is further adapted to generate data tag (222) signaling that the generated request (223) is an emergency request.

14. A server (210) comprising a receiver (211) for receiving a log (204) from the trusted agent (200) as claimed in claim 12 and a memory (212) for storing the received log,

wherein the memory (212) has further stored healthcare data, or decryption keys for accessing healthcare data, or license decryption key having associated thereto license rules for accessing healthcare data, or a combination thereof,

wherein the server (210) is adapted to operate, provision and manage multiple of said trusted agents (200), the operation including, in response to receiving said log from the trusted agents, providing the trusted agents with an access to the healthcare data by providing requested decryption keys.