System and method for monitoring and displaying radiology image traffic
First Claim
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1. A method for monitoring performance of a medical data network without violating patient confidentiality comprising:
- receiving a stream of data at a network interface of a computing device, the stream of data including confidential medical images, the confidential medical images conforming to a medical image standard in which each image includes a non-confidential header portion, a patient identifier portion, and an image body portion, the stream of data being transferred between a medical data network and the computing device;
monitoring the stream of data for non-confidential header portions of confidential medical images conforming to the medical image standard;
maintaining an image receipt database including receipt times associated with previously received non-confidential header portions;
recording, for each non-confidential header portion detected in the stream of data, a receipt time in the image receipt database associated with the non-confidential header portion; and
generating, substantially immediately after detection of a non-confidential header portion of a confidential medical image, a graphical user interface displaying a current flowrate of confidential medical images through the network interface, wherein generating the graphical user interface includes periodically revising the graphical user interface based on receipt times currently in the image receipt database.
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Abstract
A system and method for detecting and monitoring confidential and DICOM image traffic on a computing device in a PACS network, protecting patient confidentiality by preventing the simultaneous display of confidential images and patient identification information when measuring and displaying the image data. The system detects and measures the transfer of confidential images and stores and displays information included in only the non-confidential headers of the images. The system monitors and warns (such as via email and/or pagers) PACS administrators of system slowdowns as a result of the data gathered.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring performance of a medical data network without violating patient confidentiality comprising:
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receiving a stream of data at a network interface of a computing device, the stream of data including confidential medical images, the confidential medical images conforming to a medical image standard in which each image includes a non-confidential header portion, a patient identifier portion, and an image body portion, the stream of data being transferred between a medical data network and the computing device; monitoring the stream of data for non-confidential header portions of confidential medical images conforming to the medical image standard; maintaining an image receipt database including receipt times associated with previously received non-confidential header portions; recording, for each non-confidential header portion detected in the stream of data, a receipt time in the image receipt database associated with the non-confidential header portion; and generating, substantially immediately after detection of a non-confidential header portion of a confidential medical image, a graphical user interface displaying a current flowrate of confidential medical images through the network interface, wherein generating the graphical user interface includes periodically revising the graphical user interface based on receipt times currently in the image receipt database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification