Methods and systems for retrieval and digitization of records

• US 6,651,060 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2000
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cotiviti Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediConnect.net, Inc.
• Inventors: Cottrell, Matthew Doxey, Harper, Travis Kelly, Stout, Benjamin Clark, Schade, Fred Bergstedt Jr., Colemere, Michael Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Choules, Jack M.
• Application Number:
  US09/703,999
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/9, 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

Process and system for locating, copying and sending requested records, such as medical records. The system includes a data processing center which acts as a central clearing house for processing the requests, requesters that generate the requests, and providers in possession of the requested records. The data processing center associates requests and related authorization forms generated by the requestor and transmits them to a provider in possession of the requested record. The provider then locates and copies the requested record and sends a copy of the record to the data processing center. The data processing center encrypts a digital copy of the requested medical record and sends it to the requestor. The communication linkages between the various parties advantageously include the Internet. A call center may be employed to ensure provider compliance with the request.

Claims

1. In a data processing center, included in a system that also includes one or more requestors of records and a plurality of providers that generate or have custody of records, a method for processing requests for records comprising:

receiving from a requestor a request for a record in the custody of a provider;

receiving from the requestor or other party an authorization for release of the requested record;

associating the request received from the requestor with the authorization received from the requester or other party from among other authorizations and requests received by the data processing center by comparing and finding a relationship between identifying information associated with the request and identifying information associated with the authorization;

identifying a provider from among other providers that has custody of the requested record;

transmitting the request and authorization to the provider;

receiving a copy of the requested record together with identifying information associated therewith;

associating the copy of the requested record with the request from among other copies and requests received by the data processing center by comparing and finding a relationship between the identifying information associated with the copy of the requested record and the identifying information associated with the request;

storing a digital copy of the requested record; and

transmitting a copy of the requested record to a party authorized to receive the copy,

wherein the data processing center comprises one or more computers and wherein at least a portion of the information received and transmitted by the data processing center is communicated through the Internet.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center receives the request in digital form.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the data processing center receives the request as an HTML document that includes at least one of text or graphic information.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the data processing center receives the request by means of an application program interface linking the data processing center with a computer system of the requestor, the request including at least one of text or graphic information.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center receives the authorization in digital form together with a digital signature.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center receives the authorization as facsimile information representative of a signed tangible authorization form together with facsimile information representative of a bar code graphically depicting the identifying information associated with the authorization, wherein the data processing center reads the facsimile information representative of the bar code as part of associating the authorization with the request.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the data processing center enhances the bar code image using an image enhancement algorithm.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the data processing center scans the facsimile information representative of the bar code multiple times and in different orientations in order to confirm a correct reading of the bar code.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the bar code received by the data processing center includes bar code lines having thicknesses so as to at least partially decrease degradation of bar code quality resulting from facsimile transmission.

10. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the authorization received by the data processing center includes multiple bar codes associated therewith in different locations and orientations so as to at least partially decrease degradation of bar code quality of at least one of the bar codes resulting from facsimile transmission, each of the bar codes graphically depicting the identification code associated with the authorization.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center transmits the request and authorization to a computer system of the provider together with identifying information to be associated with the copy of the requested record.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center transmits the request and authorization to the provider as facsimile information representative of the request and authorization together with facsimile information representative of a bar code graphically depicting identifying information to be associated with the copy of the requested record.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein upon receiving the copy of the requested record the data processing center reads the bar code graphically depicting the identifying information associated with the copy of the requested record as part of associating the copy of the record with the request.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the data processing center enhances the bar code image using an image enhancement algorithm.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the act of transmitting the request to a call center at approximately the same time that the request is transmitted to the provider.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the request is assigned to a person having a pre-existing relationship with the provider having access to the requested record.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center receives the copy of the requested record as digital graphic information representative of the requested record.

18. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center accesses an electronic database of the provider containing the requested record.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data processing center performs an encryption process on a digital copy of the requested record in order to protect private information contained in the requested record.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the copy of the requested record is sent to the party authorized to receive the record as at least one of a facsimile, a tangible copy, or an encrypted digital copy.

21. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein any nonencrypted digital copies of the requested record are deleted from the data processing center.

22. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is repeated for additional requests for other records.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the method further comprises the data processing center receiving at least one request from at least one additional requestor and at least one copy of a requested record from at least one additional provider.

24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein digital copies of the additional requested records are stored within an electronic database accessible to the data processing center.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, further comprising the steps of determining whether a subsequently requested record has been previously stored within the electronic database, obtaining a digital copy of the subsequently requested record from the database, and sending the digital copy or a tangible copy of the digital copy to an authorized party.

26. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the requested record includes at least one medical record.

27. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the requested record is at least one of a police record, a billing record, a subpoena, an insurance claim history, a fire report or a pharmacy record.

28. A computerized system comprising means for implementing the method recited in claim 1.

29. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for instructing a data processing center to perform the acts of:

receiving from a requestor a request for a record in the custody of a provider;

receiving from the requestor or other party an authorization for release of the requested record;

associating the request received from the requestor with the authorization received from the requestor or other party from among other authorizations and requests received by the data processing center by comparing and finding a relationship between identifying information associated with the request and identifying information associated with the authorization;

identifying a provider to from among other providers that has custody of the requested record;

transmitting the request and authorization to the provider;

receiving a copy of the requested record together with identifying information associated therewith;

associating the copy of the requested record with the request from among other copies and requests received by the data processing center by comparing and finding a relationship between the identifying information associated with the copy of the requested record and the identifying information associated with the request;

storing a digital copy of the requested record; and

transmitting a copy of the requested record to a party authorized to receive the copy.

30. A computer-readable medium as defined in claim 29, father having computer-executable instructions for enhancing a bar code image using an image enhancement algorithm.

31. A computer-readable medium as defined in claim 29, father having computer-executable instructions for accessing an electronic database of the provider containing the requested record.

32. A computer-readable medium as defined in claim 29, father having computer-executable instructions for encrypting a digital copy of the requested record.

33. A computer-readable medium as defined in claim 32, father having computer-executable instructions for deleting any nonencrypted digital copies of the requested record from the data processing center.

34. A data processing center, included in a system that also includes one or more requestors of records and a plurality of providers that generate or have custody of records, the data processing center having one or more modules for carrying out one or more of the acts comprising:

receiving from a requestor a request for a record in the custody of a provider;

receiving from the requestor or other party an authorization for release of the requested record;

associating the request received from the requester with the authorization received from the reguestor or other party from among other authorizations and requests received by the data processing center by comparing and finding a relationship between identifying information associated with the request and identifying information associated with the authorization;

identifying a provider from among other providers that has custody of the requested record;

transmitting the request and authorization to the provider;

receiving a copy of the requested record together with identifying information associated therewith;

associating the copy of the requested record with the request from among other copies and requests received by the data processing center by comparing and finding a relationship between the identifying information associated with the copy of the requested record and the identifying information associated with the request;

storing a digital copy of the requested record; and

transmitting a copy of the requested record to a party authorized to receive the copy,

wherein the data processing center comprises one or more computers and wherein at least a portion of the information received and transmitted by the data processing center is communicated through the Internet.

35. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for carrying out the act of receiving the request in digital form.

36. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for receiving the request as an HTML document that includes at least one of text or graphic information.

37. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for receiving the request by means of an application program interface linking the data processing center with a computer system of the requestor, the request including at least one of text or graphic information.

38. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for receiving the authorization in digital form together with a digital signature.

39. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for receiving the authorization as facsimile information representative of a signed tangible authorization form together with facsimile information representative of a bar code graphically depicting the identifying information associated with the authorization, wherein the data processing center reads the facsimile information representative of the bar code as part of associating the authorization with the request.

40. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for transmitting the request and authorization to a computer system of the provider together with identifying information to be associated with the copy of the requested record.

41. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for transmitting the request and authorization to the provider as facsimile information representative of the request and authorization together with facsimile information representative of a bar code graphically depicting identifying information to be associated with the copy of the requested record.

42. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for assigning the request to a person having a pre-existing relationship with the provider having access to the requested record.

43. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for receiving the copy of the requested record as digital graphic information representative of the requested record.

44. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for performing an encryption process on a digital copy of the requested record and to delete any nonencrypted digital copies of the requested record from the data processing center.

45. A data processing center as defined in claim 34, the data processing center having one or more modules for sending the copy of the requested record to the party authorized to receive the record as at least one of a facsimile, a tangible copy, or an encrypted digital copy.