ASSOCIATING RECEIVED MEDICAL IMAGING DATA TO STORED MEDICAL IMAGING DATA

• US 20140278530A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WITS Company Limited
• Original Assignee: WISC Image LLC
• Inventors: Bruce, Richard James, Wendt, Gary John
• Granted Patent: US 11,188,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, and computer systems for associating received medical imaging data with stored medical imaging data. Medical imaging data associated with a patient is received from a client device. The medical imaging data includes an image object, one or more data objects related to the image object, and metadata associated with the patient encoded in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) format. The metadata includes personal information about the patient, and time and location at which the DICOM image file was captured. The received metadata is compared with existing metadata associated with multiple existing patients to identify a subset of the existing patients who may be a potential match to the patient. Selection of an existing patient from among the subset is requested. When received, the medical imaging data is associated with the existing patient.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a client device, medical imaging data associated with a patient, wherein the medical imaging data includes an image object, one or more data objects related to the image object, and metadata associated with the patient, wherein the image object and the one or more data objects are encoded in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) format, wherein the metadata includes personal information about the patient, and time and location at which the DICOM image file was captured;

comparing, by a computer system, the received metadata with existing metadata associated with a plurality of existing patients, wherein the existing metadata is stored in a database;

based on a result of the comparing, identifying a subset of the plurality of existing patients as a potential match with the patient;

providing the subset of the plurality of existing patients;

requesting a selection of an existing patient from among the subset of the plurality of existing patients;

receiving input selecting an existing patient; and

providing the medical imaging data including the image object, one or more data objects related to the image object and the metadata to be associated with the existing patient.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the result of the comparing, determining that no existing patient in the database is a potential match with the patient, and

in response to determining that no existing patient is a potential match with the patient, generating a new patient record using a HL7 ADT A04 patient registration message or electronic health record system specific web services call; and

providing the medical imaging data including the image object, one or more data objects related to the image object and the metadata associated with the patient to be associated with the new patient record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received metadata includes a first name, a last name, a sex, and a date of birth of the patient, and wherein the method further comprises:

based on the result of the comparing, determining that a first name, a last name, a sex, and a date of birth of an existing patient in the database matches the first name, the last name, the sex, and the date of birth, respectively, of the patient; and

in response to determining that the existing patient matches the patient, providing the medical imaging data including the image object, one or more data object related to the image objects and the metadata to be associated with the existing patient by generating either an HL7 ADT A24 link patient information message or an HL7 ADT A40 merge patient message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the database stores a plurality of Electronic Health Records, and wherein comparing the received metadata with the existing metadata comprises querying the database with a HL7 ADR A19 patient query message or web services query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), and wherein comparing the received metadata with the existing metadata comprises querying the PACS with a DICOM C-FIND procedure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the medical imaging data from the client device comprises receiving the medical imaging data by executing a computer software application remotely from the client device without installing the computer software application on the client device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the medical imaging data is stored on a computer-readable storage medium connected to the client device, and wherein executing the computer software application remotely from the client device comprises:

executing the application to search the computer-readable storage medium for medical imaging data; and

identifying the medical imaging data in response to searching the computer-readable storage medium.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the client device is connected to a local network accessible to local medical imaging system(s) configured to acquire or store DICOM data, and wherein executing the computer software application remotely from the client device comprises:

presenting an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the medical imaging system, a listening Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port, and a DICOM Application Entity (AE) title in a display device connected to the medical imaging system, wherein a connection to the medical imaging system is formed using the IP address, the TCP port, and the DICOM AE title; and

receiving the medical imaging data through the connection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a user of the client device is an authenticated provider of medical imaging data; and

providing the medical imaging data including the image object, one or more data objects related to the image object, and the metadata associated with the patient without verifying that the received data is medical imaging data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a user of the client device is not an authenticated provider of medical imaging data; and

in response to determining that the client device is not an authenticated provider of medical imaging data, holding a providing of the medical imaging data until the received data has been verified as medical imaging data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

requesting the client device to provide information describing the received data and a reason for providing the received data;

receiving the information from the client device; and

verifying the received data as medical imaging data automatically and without user intervention based on the information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying the information and at least a portion of the received data in a display device; and

requesting confirmation that the received data is medical imaging data.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for an imaging study overread from the client device;

determining that the patient is an existing patient; and

upon determining that the patient is an existing patient, automatically linking the medical imaging data to the existing patient in response to receiving the request for the imaging study overread.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that the patient is a new patient; and

upon determining that the patient is a new patient, generating a new patient record for the patient and automatically linking the medical imaging data to the new patient in response to receiving the request for the imaging study overread.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a client device, by executing a computer software application remotely from the client device without installing the computer software application on the client device, medical imaging data associated with a patient, wherein the medical imaging data includes an image object, one or more data objects related to the image objects, and metadata associated with the patient, wherein the image object and the one or more data objects are encoded in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) format, wherein the metadata includes personal information about the patient, and time and location at which the DICOM image file was captured;

comparing, by a computer system, the received metadata with existing metadata associated with a plurality of existing patients, wherein the existing metadata is stored in a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) or Electronic Health Record (EHR);

based on a result of the comparing, identifying a subset of the plurality of existing patients as a potential match with the patient;

providing the subset of the plurality of existing patients;

requesting a selection of an existing patient from among the subset of the plurality of existing patients;

receiving input selecting an existing patient; and

providing the medical imaging data including the DICOM image file to be associated with the existing patient.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the medical imaging data is stored on a computer-readable storage medium connected to the client device, and wherein executing the computer software application remotely from the client device comprises:

executing the application to search the computer-readable storage medium for medical imaging data; and

identifying the medical imaging data in response to searching the computer-readable storage medium.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein the client device is connected to a local network accessible to local medical imaging system(s) configured to acquire or store DICOM data, and wherein executing the computer software application remotely from the client device comprises:

presenting an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the medical imaging system, a listening Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port, and a DICOM Application Entity (AE) title in a display device connected to the medical imaging system, wherein a connection to the medical imaging system is formed using the IP address, the TCP port, and the DICOM AE title; and

receiving the medical imaging data through the connection.

18. A system comprising:

data processing apparatus; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a client device, by executing a computer software application remotely from the client device without installing the computer software application on the client device, medical imaging data associated with a patient, wherein the medical imaging data includes an image object, one or more data objects related to the image objects, and metadata associated with the patient, wherein the image object and the one or more data objects are encoded in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) format, wherein the metadata includes personal information about the patient, and time and location at which the DICOM image file was captured;

comparing, by a computer system, the received metadata with existing metadata associated with a plurality of existing patients, wherein the existing metadata is stored in a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS);

based on a result of the comparing, identifying a subset of the plurality of existing patients as a potential match with the patient;

providing the subset of the plurality of existing patients;

requesting a selection of an existing patient from among the subset of the plurality of existing patients;

receiving input selecting an existing patient; and

providing the medical imaging data including the DICOM image file to be associated with the existing patient.

19. The system of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

receiving a request for an imaging study overread from the client device;

determining that the patient is an existing patient; and

upon determining that the patient is an existing patient, automatically linking the medical imaging data to the existing patient in response to receiving the request for the imaging study overread.

20. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

determining that the patient is a new patient; and

upon determining that the patient is a new patient, generating a new patient record for the patient and automatically linking the medical imaging data to the new patient in response to receiving the request for the imaging study overread.