Method and system for distributing health information

• US 6,463,417 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cognizant Trizetto Software Group Incorporated (Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Carekey.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Schoenberg, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARLE, JENNIFER I
• Application Number:
  US09/557,724
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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

Abstract

A method of and system for distributing medical information for an individual over a communications network is disclosed. The method includes the steps of generating a plurality of security access codes, generating a plurality of hierarchical categories, ranging from a low security category to a high security category, categorizing the individual'"'"'s medical information into privacy levels ranging from a least private level to a most private level, inputting the individual'"'"'s categorized medical information into the plurality of hierarchical categories, the least private level being input into the low security category and the most private level being input into the high security category and assigning, to each of the categories, one or more of the access security codes, such that the medical information in each category will be released only if the assigned access security codes are received. The method further includes the steps of receiving, from a requestor, one or more of the access security codes over the communications network, determining whether the received access security codes match one or more of the assigned access security codes and transmitting, to the requester over the communications network, the medical information in the categories in which the received security access codes match the assigned security access codes.

Claims

1. A method of distributing health information, comprising the steps of:

A. categorizing health information for an individual into a plurality of hierarchical sets of health information;

B. assigning by said individual access priority data representative of an access priority level to each of said plurality of sets of health information in said hierarchy, said access priority levels being based on differing criteria for release authorization for each of said plurality of sets of health information established by said individual;

C. storing, at a datastore, each of said plurality of sets of health information in said hierarchy and associated access priority data;

D. providing, by said individual to one or more requesters, access priority data corresponding to a desired level in said hierarchy;

E. receiving, from a requestor, by way of a communications network, a request for at least one of said plurality of sets of health information in said hierarchy, said request including access priority data correlated to an access priority level;

F. processing said access priority data to determine whether said access priority data corresponds to said access priority level for said requested health information; and

i. when said access priority data corresponds to said access priority level for said requested health information, transmitting said requested health information to said requester by way of said communications network, and

ii. when said access data fails to correspond to said access priority level, denying access to said requestor to said health information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said communications network is the Internet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitted health information is encrypted.

4. The method of distributing medical according to claim 2 further comprising the step of designating certain of said access priority data as identification constraints which must be received in step D before access to said medical information is granted.

5. A method of distributing medical information for an individual over a communications network comprising the steps of:

A. generating a plurality of access security codes;

B. generating a plurality of hierarchical categories, ranging from a low security category to a high security category;

C. categorizing the individual'"'"'s medical information into privacy levels ranging from a least private level to a most private level;

D. inputting the individual'"'"'s categorized medical information into said plurality of hierarchical categories, said least private level being input into said low security category and said most private level being input into said high security category;

E. assigning by said individual, to each of said categories, one or more of said access security codes, such that said medical information in each category will be released only if the assigned access security codes are received;

F. providing, by said individual to one or more requestors, access priority data corresponding to a desired level in said hierarchy;

G. receiving, from a requestor, one or more of said access security codes over said communications network;

H. determining whether said received access security codes match one or more of said assigned access security codes; and

I. transmitting, to said requestor over said communications network, said medical information in said categories in which said received security access codes match said assigned security access codes.

6. The method of distributing medical information for an individual over a network according to claim 5, wherein said communications network is the internet.

7. The method of distributing medical information for an individual over a network according to claim 6, wherein said released medical information is encrypted.

8. The method of distributing medical information for an individual over a network according to claim 6 further comprising the step of designating certain of said security access codes as identification constraints which must be received in step F before access to said medical information is granted.

9. The method of distributing medical information for an individual over a network according to claim 6 wherein, prior to step F, identification information is received from the requestor, said identification information being for identifying the individual.

10. The method of distributing medical information for an individual over a network according to claim 9 wherein said identification information is selected from the group consisting of the individual'"'"'s medical record numbers, demographic data, information from a smart card that identifies the patient, retinal scans, iris scans and fingerprints.

11. The method of distributing medical information for an individual over a network according to claim 9 wherein said identification information is any information about the individual which is available to said requester.

12. A system for distributing medical information for an individual over a communications network comprising:

a server system including a computer processor and associated memory, said server system having database of a plurality of hierarchical categories for the individual, said categories ranging from a low security category to a high security category, each of said categories having medical information of said individual contained therein, said medical information ranging from least private information to most private information, said least private medical information being contained in said low security category and said most private medical information being contained in said high security category, each of said categories having one or more security access codes assigned thereto;

a request system including a computer processor and associated memory, said request system inputting, in response to a requestor, one or more of said security access codes provided to said requestor by said individual, to said server system over said communications network; and

an access determining device for transmitting, to said request system, the medical information in each of said categories in which said input security access codes match said assigned security access codes.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein said communications network is the internet.

14. The system according to claim 13, further including a setup system, including a computer processor and associated memory, for inputting said medical information to said database.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein said security access codes are defined by a user and are assigned to said categories by said user through said setup system.

16. The system according to claim 13 wherein more of said security access codes are required to access said high security categories than said low security categories.

17. The system according to claim 13 wherein said setup system and said requester system are the same system.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein said request system is coupleable to said network by wired connection.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said request system is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an interactive television system, a personal digital assistant and a cellular telephone.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein said request system is coupleable to said network by a wireless connection.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said request system is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an interactive television system, a personal digital assistant and a cellular telephone.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein said setup system is coupleable to said network by a wired connection.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said setup system is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an interactive television system, a personal digital assistant and a cellular telephone.

24. The system of claim 14 wherein said setup system is coupleable to said network by a wireless connection.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said setup system is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an interactive television system, a personal digital assistant and a cellular telephone.

26. A method of distributing personal information, comprising the steps of:

A. categorizing personal information for an individual into a plurality of hierarchical sets of personal information;

B. assigning, by said individual, access priority data representative of an access priority level to each of said plurality of sets of personal information in said hierarchy, said access priority levels being based on differing criteria for release authorization for each of said plurality of sets of personal information established by said individual;

C. storing, at a datastore, each of said plurality of sets of personal information in said hierarchy and associated access priority data;

D. providing, by said individual to one or more requesters, access priority data corresponding to a desired level in said hierarchy;

E. receiving from a requestor, by way of a communications network, a request for at least one of said plurality of sets of personal information in said hierarchy, said request including access priority data correlated to an access priority level;

F. processing said access priority data to determine whether said access priority data corresponds to said access priority level for said requested personal information; and

i. when said access priority data corresponds to said access priority level for said requested personal information, transmitting said requested personal information to said requestor by way of said communications network, and

ii. when said access data fails to correspond to said access priority level, denying access to said requester to said personal information.

27. A method of distributing personal information for an individual over a communications network comprising the steps of:

A. generating a plurality of access security codes;

B. generating a plurality of hierarchical categories, ranging from a low security category to a high security category;

C. categorizing the individual'"'"'s personal information into privacy levels ranging from a least private level to a most private level;

D. inputting the individual'"'"'s categorized personal information into said plurality of hierarchical categories, said least private level being input into said low security category and said most private level being input into said high security category;

E. assigning, by said individual, to each of said categories, one or more of said access security codes, such that said personal information in each category will be released only if the assigned access security codes are received;

F. providing by said individual to one or more requestors, access priority data corresponding to a desired level in said hierarchy;

G. receiving, from a requestor, one or more of said access security codes over said communications network;

H. determining whether said received access security codes match one or more of said assigned access security codes; and

I. transmitting, to said requestor over said communications network, said personal information in said categories in said hierarchy which said received security access codes match said assigned security access codes.

28. The method of distributing personal information for an individual over a network according to claim 27 further comprising the step of designating certain of said security access codes as identification constraints which must be received in step F before access to said personal information is granted.

29. The method of distributing personal information for an individual over a network according to claim 28 wherein, prior to step F, identification information is received from the requester, said identification information being for identifying the individual.

30. The method of distributing personal information for an individual over a network according to claim 29 wherein said identification information is selected from the group consisting of the individual'"'"'s demographic data, information from a smart card that identifies the patient, retinal scans, iris scans and fingerprints.

31. A system for distributing personal information for an individual over a communications network comprising:

a server system including a computer processor and associated memory, said server system having database of a plurality of hierarchical categories for the individual, said categories ranging from a low security category to a high security category, each of said categories having personal information of said individual contained therein, said personal information ranging from least private information to most private information, said least private personal information being contained in said low security category and said most private personal information being contained in said high security category, each of said categories having one or more security access codes assigned thereto;

a request system including a computer processor and associated memory, said request system inputting, in response to a requester, one or more of said security access codes provided to said requester by said individual, to said server system over said communications network; and

an access determining device for transmitting, to said requests system, the personal information in each of said categories in which said input security access codes match said assigned security access codes.

32. The system according to claim 31, further including a setup system, including a computer processor and associated memory, for inputting said personal information to said database.

33. The system according to claim 32 wherein said security access codes are defined by said individual and are assigned to said categories by said individual through said setup system.

34. The system according to claim 31 wherein more of said security access codes are required to access said high security categories than said low security categories.

35. The system according to claim 32 wherein said setup system and said request system are the same system.