CLINICAL COLLABORATION USING AN ONLINE NETWORKING SYSTEM

• US 20120116800A1
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: FINN, CHRISTOPHER S., McCALLIE, DAVID P.
• Application Number:
  US13/340,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116800A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• 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 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

Methods are provided for sharing patient information by way of an online collaboration system. A requesting clinician, through an online networking system, identifies one or more clinicians with whom the requesting clinician wishes to collaborate by sending at least one patient-focused clinical data element. For the clinicians who have been identified as not being authorized to access patient-identifying data, the at least one patient-focused clinical data element is de-identified such that it no longer includes any patient-identifying data. The de-identified patient-focused clinical data element is then communicated to the clinicians not allowed access to the patient-identifying information.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system having a processor and a memory for providing an online medical collaboration, the method comprising:

receiving from a requesting clinician through an online networking system for medical clinicians an identification of one or more clinicians to whom at least one patient-focused clinical data element is to be communicated;

identifying a first subset of the one or more clinicians to whom the requesting clinician is not authorized to send the at least one patient-focused clinical data element that includes patient-identifying data;

de-identifying the at least one patient-focused clinical data element such that it does not include any of the patient-identifying data; and

communicating the at least one de-identified patient-focused clinical data element to the first subset of the one or more clinicians.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a second subset of the one or more clinicians to whom the clinician is authorized to send the at least one patient-focused clinical data element that includes the patient-identifying data; and

communicating the at least one patient-focused clinical data element to the second subset of the one or more clinicians.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating a message from the requesting clinician to the first subset and the second subset of clinicians.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one patient-focused clinical data element provides context in relation to a particular patient for the message communicated to the one or more clinicians.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting clinician is requesting the one or more clinicians to provide a second opinion on the medical condition or medical treatment of a patient corresponding to the at least one patient-focused clinical data element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein de-identifying the at least one patient-focused clinical data element further comprises removing any of the patient-identifying data to comply with relevant privacy regulations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one de-identified patient-focused clinical data element is communicated by way of the online networking system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the online networking system is a medical networking website for medical clinicians.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the at least one de-identified patient-focused clinical data element further comprises posting a message and the at least one de-identified patient-focused clinical data element on the online networking system that is accessible only to the first subset of the one or more clinicians.

10. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, enable a computing device to perform a method of providing an online medical collaboration, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requesting clinician to share a message and at least one patient-focused clinical data element with one or more clinicians by way of an online networking system for medical clinicians;

determining if at least one of the one or more clinicians is not allowed access to the at least one patient-focused clinical data element having patient-identifying data;

if the at least one of the one or more clinicians is not allowed access to the at least one patient-focused clinical data element having patient-identifying data,

(1) de-identifying the at least one patient-focused clinical data element having patient-identifying data,

(2) sharing the at least one de-identified patient-focused clinical data element with the at least one of the one or more clinicians, and

(3) sharing the at least one patient-focused clinical data element that has not been de-identified with the one or more clinicians who are allowed access to the at least one patient-focused clinical data element having patient-identifying data; and

if the at least one of the one or more clinicians is allowed access to the at least one patient-focused clinical data element having patient-identifying data, sharing the at least one patient-focused clinical data element having patient-identifying data with the one or more clinicians.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the one or more clinicians not allowed access to the patient-identifying data are not currently associated with a patient corresponding to the at least one patient-focused clinical data element.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a clinician is not currently associated with the patient if the clinician is not currently treating the patient for a medical condition.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein an amount and a type of data de-identified from the at least one patient-focused clinical data element corresponds to a current privacy regulation.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein sharing the at least one de-identified patient-focused clinical data element further comprises posting a message and the at least one de-identified patient-focused clinical data element on the online networking system accessible only to the at least one of the one or more clinicians.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the one or more clinicians allowed access to the patient-identifying data are either currently treating the patient or are directly associated with the requesting clinician.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one patient-focused clinical data element is located in an electronic medical record (EMR) associated with the patient.

17. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, enable a computing device to perform a method of providing an online medical collaboration, the method comprising:

receiving, from a requesting clinician through an online networking system for medical clinicians, a request that includes an identification of at least one clinician to collaborate in medical care of a particular patient, wherein the at least one clinician is associated with the medical care of the patient such that the at least one clinician is allowed to access patient-identifying data for the patient;

receiving at least one patient-focused clinical data element associated with the patient, wherein the at least one patient-focused clinical data element is found in an electronic medical record associated with the patient and wherein the at least one patient-focused clinical data element includes the patient-identifying data; and

communicating the request and the at least one patient-focused clinical data element to the at least one clinician.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the request to collaborate in the medical care of the particular patient is a request for a second opinion regarding a treatment or a medical diagnosis of the particular patient.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein communicating the request and the at least one patient-focused clinical data element to the at least one clinician further comprises publishing the request and the at least one patient-focused clinical data element on the online networking system such that it can be accessed by the at least one clinician who is registered with the online networking system.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining that the at least one clinician is associated with the particular patient in a way allowed by a privacy regulation such that the at least one clinician is allowed to view the patient-identifying data.