Privacy entitlement protocols for secure data exchange, collection, monitoring and/or alerting

• US 7,827,234 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2005
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McCulloch, Edgar H. III, Eisenberger, George, Richards, Thomas L. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell; Robert B
• Application Number:
  US11/032,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,122 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• 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 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Methods, systems and related computer products for providing entitlement controlled levels of collaborative exchange of data using a computer network of Subscribers and Publishers, are configured to: (a) define a set of different privacy levels, each privacy level having associated data sharing parameters that control a participating Publisher'"'"'s ability to send and a participating Subscriber'"'"'s ability to receive content specific data; and (b) provide an electronic privacy level register that defines the different data sharing parameters for each of the different privacy levels and identifies an associated at least one privacy level for each participating Subscriber and Publisher.

Claims

1. A method for providing controlled levels of collaborative exchange of data using a computer network of registered participating Subscribers and Publishers, comprising:

defining a set of different privacy levels, each privacy level having associated data sharing parameters that electronically control a participating Subscriber'"'"'s ability to receive content specific data from each participating Publisher;

providing an electronic privacy level register that identifies for each participating Subscriber what approved privacy levels are as selected from the set of different privacy levels with respect to each participating Publisher to thereby provide an entitlement based on controlled electronic data sharing protocol between Subscribers and Publishers;

providing an electronic topic catalog of healthcare topics, the topic catalog being a global catalog of all selectable topics at all different privacy levels, each topic having an assigned privacy level corresponding to one of the set of different privacy levels so that Subscribers can only request data for those topics at their respective privacy entitlement level and Publishers can only publish data for those topics at their privacy entitlement level;

automatically electronically routing a Subscriber topic data request for a selected healthcare topic initiated by a Subscriber from an Administrative Server to at least one Publisher if the requesting Subscriber has a privacy level that entitles the Subscriber to have access to healthcare data from the at least one Publisher;

selectively generating a web portal display for each Publisher that displays only requests for selected healthcare publication topics from Subscribers having a privacy level that is authorized for a respective Publisher;

wherein each Publisher has at least one defined privacy level selected from the set of different privacy levels that controls what data that Publisher can publish to Subscribers;

wherein the collaborative exchange of data is provided using a web based computer network with the electronic privacy level register associated with an Administrative Server Web Application that acts as a gatekeeper intermediary between participating Subscribers and Publishers to control data sharing between Publishers and Subscribers;

wherein the Administrative Server is configured to display only those healthcare topics in the electronic, topic catalog, to a respective Subscriber at a respective web portal that correspond with a Subscriber'"'"'s privacy level;

wherein the Administrative Server Web Application communicates with the Message Flow Server to selectively forward Publisher healthcare data sent from Publishers only to entitled Subscribers based on Publisher-specific privacy levels defined in the privacy register for each Subscriber;

wherein the privacy level registry comprises a compatibility correlation matrix that correlates a defined privacy level for each healthcare data topic for each Subscriber and for each Publisher;

wherein the plurality of different privacy levels comprise a first privacy level that allows only patient de-identified data to be shared between a Publisher and Subscriber, a second privacy level that allows limited patient data to be shared between a Publisher and Subscriber, and a third privacy level that is non-restrictive as to data content between a Publisher and Subscriber; and

wherein each Publisher comprises a Publisher Gateway that retains its own repository of electronic patient data records and electronically provides electronic healthcare data to a Message Flow Server that selectively forwards electronic healthcare data from a respective Publisher only to those Subscribers having an appropriate privacy level.