ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SHARING USING HYBRID ARCHITECTURE

• US 20120059668A1
• Filed: 09/02/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medical Management International Incorporated (Mars Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Medical Management International Incorporated (Mars Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baldock, Daniel James, Svinenko, Vadim Georgiovich, Marshall, Kerri E., Calhoun, Karen
• Granted Patent: US 8,650,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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

Electronic health record sharing is provided using a hybrid architecture. A centralized architecture provides centralized service including a search service and a token ownership service. A decentralized architecture comprises electronic health record locations. Electronic health records are created at locations and patient identifying information is stored at the centralized architecture. The centralized service manages ownership of electronic health records using ownership tokens comprising unique electronic health record identifiers and unique location identifiers. A current electronic health record owner location is authorized to view and/or edit the electronic health record. Ownership is transferred via the sending location, receiving location, and centralized service.

Claims

1. A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for controlling access to electronic health records using a hybrid architecture, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a first location from a centralized service using the computing device, a unique electronic health record (EHR) identifier identifying an EHR of a patient and an associated unique location identifier identifying a second location;

copying the EHR from the second location directly to the first location; and

transferring ownership of the EHR, via the centralized service, from the second location to the first location, wherein transfer of ownership is required before the first location is authorized to make changes to the EHR;

wherein the centralized service is part of a centralized architecture, and wherein the first location and the second location are part of a distributed architecture separate from the centralized architecture.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transferring ownership of the EHR is performed by a three-way transaction among the first location, the second location, and the centralized service, and wherein the three-way transaction uses a pessimistic lock.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the obtaining the unique EHR identifier and the unique location identifier comprises:

sending, from the first location to the centralized service, a search request, wherein the search request comprises patient identifying information of the patient; and

receiving, by the first location from the centralized service based on a lookup performed by the centralized service using the patient identifying information, the unique EHR identifier and the unique location identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the copying the EHR from the second location to the first location comprises:

receiving, by the first location from the second location, a compressed EHR package comprising patient information, medical information, and financial information for the patient.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the copying the EHR from the second location to the first location comprises:

sending, from the first location directly to the second location via a peer-to-peer connection between the first location and the second location, a request to transfer the EHR stored at the second location; and

receiving, at the first location from the second location via the peer-to-peer connection, the EHR.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the EHR is stored at one or more locations within the distributed architecture, wherein the EHR is owned at no more than one location within the distributed architecture at any given time, and wherein the EHR is not stored at the centralized architecture.

7. A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for controlling access to electronic health records using a hybrid architecture, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a first location from a token ownership service of a centralized service, an ownership token comprising;

a unique electronic health record (EHR) identifier identifying an EHR of a patient; and

a unique location identifier identifying a second location, wherein the second location currently owns the EHR, and wherein the second location currently stores the EHR;

sending, from the first location directly to the second location, a request to transfer the EHR stored at the second location;

receiving, at the first location directly from the second location, the EHR; and

obtaining, by the first location from the token ownership service and from the second location, ownership of the EHR, wherein the ownership is obtained, at least in part, using a pessimistic lock, and wherein obtaining ownership is required before the first location is authorized to make changes to the EHR;

wherein the centralized service is part of a centralized architecture, and wherein the first location and the second location are part of a distributed architecture separate from the centralized architecture.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the obtaining the unique EHR identifier and the unique location identifier comprises:

sending, from the first location to a search service of the centralized service, a search request, wherein the search request comprises patient identifying information;

receiving, by the first location from the search service based on a lookup performed by the search service using the patient identifying information, the unique EHR identifier and the unique location identifier.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the obtaining ownership of the EHR comprises performing a three-way transaction among the first location, the second location, and the token ownership service to commit ownership change from the second location to the first location.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein performing the three-way transaction comprises:

if the EHR is locked for editing at the second location, denying ownership change from the second location to the first location; and

if the EHR is not locked for editing at the second location, allowing ownership change from the second location to the first location.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the receiving the EHR comprises:

receiving, by the first location from the second location, a compressed EHR package comprising patient information, medical information, and financial information for the patient.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the EHR is stored at one or more locations within the distributed architecture, wherein the EHR is owned at no more than one location within the distributed architecture at any given time, and wherein the EHR is not stored at the centralized architecture.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the request to transfer the EHR is sent from the first location to the second location via a peer-to-peer network connection between the first location and the second location, and wherein the EHR is received at the first location from the second location via the peer-to-peer network connection.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the centralized architecture stores patient identifying information related to the patient, wherein the patient identifying information is a subset of patient information stored in the EHR.

15. The method of claim 7 further comprising, after obtaining, by the first location, ownership of the EHR:

receiving, at the first location from a third location, a request for the EHR; and

sending, from the first location directly to the third location, a read-only copy of the EHR;

wherein ownership of the EHR remains at the first location, and wherein the third location is not authorized to make changes to the EHR.

16. A system, comprising one or more computing devices, for controlling access to electronic health records using a hybrid architecture, the system comprising:

a token ownership service as part of a centralized service of a centralized architecture, the token ownership service configured for;

storing an ownership token, wherein the ownership token comprises;

a unique electronic health record (EHR) identifier identifying an EHR of a patient; and

a unique location identifier, associated with the unique EHR identifier, identifying a first location, wherein the first location currently owns the EHR of the patient; and

a search service as part of the centralized service of the centralized architecture, the search service configured for;

storing patient identifying information of the patient, wherein the patient identifying information is associated with the unique EHR identifier of the patient, and wherein the patient identifying information is a subset of patient information stored in the EHR; and

responding to a search request by looking up the ownership token based on at least some of the patient identifying information;

wherein the centralized architecture provides the centralized service to a plurality of locations, wherein the plurality of locations are part of a distributed architecture, wherein the distributed architecture is separate from the centralized architecture, wherein the EHR is stored at a first location of the plurality of locations, and wherein the EHR is not stored at the centralized architecture.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the search service is further configured for:

receiving the search request from a second location of the plurality of locations, wherein the search request comprises the at least some patient identifying information;

looking up the ownership token based on the received patient identifying information; and

sending the unique EHR identifier and the unique location identifier, based on the ownership token lookup, to the second location.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the token ownership service is further configured for:

transferring ownership of the EHR from the first location to a second location of the plurality of locations, wherein the transferring ownership comprises changing the unique location identifier of the ownership token to the second location.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the token ownership service is further configured for:

receiving a request from a second location of the plurality of locations to transfer ownership of the EHR to the second location;

transferring ownership of the EHR from the first location to the second location using a three-way transaction involving the first location, the second location, and the token ownership service, wherein transfer of ownership is required before the second location is authorized to make changes to the EHR.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the token ownership service is further configured for:

transferring ownership of the EHR from the first location to a second location the plurality of locations using, at least in part, a pessimistic lock of the ownership token.