Secure medical facility report preparation and delivery

• US 7,356,478 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Inc (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Kohli, James F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan; Robert W
• Application Number:
  US09/619,957
• Time in Patent Office: 2,819 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 702/185, 345/807, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A technique is provided for securely generating reports for biomedical equipment in a medical institution. Equipment data is collected, manually or automatically. The data is stored in a centralized database operating in a secure processing space, such as at a service provider location. The database is accessed periodically, or upon request, to generate data files for report generation. The data accessed may be used to derive or calculate other data for the reports, such at trending data, equipment counts, comparisons, and so forth. The data file is then exported through a firewall to a second processing space. The report is compiled in the second processing space, and is formatted in accordance with a report template, such as for transmission to the medical institution. An additional firewall separates the second processing space from intrusion, but permits the report to be accessed by the institution via a network such as the Internet.

Claims

1. A method for generating reports for management of a medical facility, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing data representative of operation of a medical facility in a data repository operative in a first processing space;

(b) accessing data from the repository to populate a report;

(c) transmitting the accessed data to a second processing space separated from the first processing space by a security device; and

(d) generating the report in the second processing space based upon the transmitted data and a predefined report template.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is accessed in accordance with a predetermined reporting schedule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is accessed in response to an operator prompt for report generation.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of generating a report template identifying data to be accessed in the first processing space, and wherein step (b) includes accessing data identified in the report template.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the security device includes a firewall.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessed data is stored in a data file and step (c) includes exporting the data file to a storage medium in the second processing space.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of automatically generating a notification message indicative of availability of the report generated in step (d).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is transmitted to a user, and the report is maintained in the second processing space at least until the user accesses the report to a remote location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second processing space is accessible via a wide area network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second processing space is accessible via the Internet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the report is generated for a subscribing medical facility, and wherein the first processing space is inaccessible to the subscribing facility.

12. A method for securely generating reports of activities of a medical diagnostic facility, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing data representative of activities of the medical diagnostic facility in a secure database operative in a first processing space;

(b) defining a report template, the report template identifying data for presentation in a report;

(c) populating a data file in the first processing space with data from the database as identified by the report template;

(d) exporting the data file to a second processing space separated from the first processing space by a security device; and

(e) generating the report in the second processing space based upon the template and the data file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step (a) includes storing data accessed from the medical diagnostic facility during automated data collection.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first processing space is inaccessible by the medical diagnostic facility.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second processing space is accessible by the medical diagnostic facility.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second processing space is accessible via a wide area network.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the data file is populated in accordance with a predetermined report generation schedule.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the report is stored in the second processing space until accessed by the medical diagnostic facility.

19. A method for securely providing reports relating to activities of a medical diagnostic facility, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing data representative of activities of the medical diagnostic facility in a secure data repository operative in a first processing space;

(b) generating a report data file in the first processing space in accordance with a predefined report template;

(c) exporting the report data file from the first processing space to a second processing space securely separated from the first processing space, the second processing space being accessible by the medical diagnostic facility via a wide area network; and

(d) generating a report based upon the template and the report data file.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising the further step of transmitting the report to the medical diagnostic facility via a wide area network.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the wide area network includes the Internet.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the data stored in step (a) is collected at least partially during automated data collection sessions between the medical diagnostic facility and a remote service provider.

23. A system for generating reports relating to activities of a medical diagnostic facility, the system comprising:

a secure data repository operative in a first processing space for storing data representative of activities of the medical diagnostic facility;

a report template identifying desired data for populating a report;

a data access program module, operative in the first processing space for extracting the desired data from the repository;

a second data repository operative in a second processing space securely separated from the first processing space for storing the desired data extracted by the data access program module; and

a report generation program module, operative in the second processing space for generating a report based upon the desired data the report template.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the data access program is configured to extract the desired data in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the second data repository is configured to store the report.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the second data repository is accessible by the medical diagnostic facility.

27. The system of claim 26, comprising a server coupled to the second data repository for transmitting the report to the medical diagnostic facility.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the server is configured to be coupled to a wide area network, and to transmit the report to the medical diagnostic facility via the wide area network.

29. A system for generating reports for management of a medical facility, the system comprising:

means for storing data representative of operation of a medical facility, the means for storing operative in a first processing space;

means for accessing data from the means for storing to populate a report;

means for transmitting the accessed data to a second processing space securely separated from the first processing space; and

means for generating the report in the second processing space based upon the transmitted data and a predefined report template.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising means for notifying the medical facility of availability of the report.

31. The system of claim 29, further comprising means for transmitting the report to the medical facility.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the means for transmitting the report includes a wide area network.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the first processing space is inaccessible by the medical facility and the second processing space is accessible by the medical facility.

34. A computer program for generating reports for management of a medical facility comprising:

at least one computer readable medium; and

computer code stored on the at least one computer readable medium for carrying out the steps of storing data representative of operation of a medical facility in a data repository operative in a first processing space;

accessing data from the repository to populate a report;

transmitting the accessed data to a second processing space separated from the first processing space by a security device; and

generating the report in the second processing space based upon the transmitted data and a predefined report template.

35. A computer program for securely generating reports of activities of a medical diagnostic facility comprising:

at least one computer readable medium; and

computer code stored on the at least one computer readable medium for carrying out the steps of storing data representative of activities of the medical diagnostic facility in a secure database operative in a first processing space;

defining a report template, the report template identifying data for presentation in a report;

populating a data file in the first processing space with data from the database as identified by the report template;

exporting the data file to a second processing space securely separated from the first processing space;

and generating the report in the second processing space based upon the template and the data file.

36. A computer program for securely generating reports of activities of a medical diagnostic facility comprising:

at least one computer readable medium; and

computer code stored on the at least one computer readable medium for carrying out the steps of storing data representative of activities of the medical diagnostic facility in a secure data repository operative in a first processing space;

generating a report data file in the first processing space in accordance with a predefined report template;

exporting the report data file from the first processing space to a second processing space securely separated from the first processing space, the second processing space being accessible by the medical diagnostic facility via a wide area network; and

generating a report based upon the template and the report data file.