Methods, systems, and devices for controlling a permission-based workflow process for transferring medical files

• US 8,195,483 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OneMedNet Corp.
• Original Assignee: OneMedNet Corp.
• Inventors: Maresh, Guy, Yu, Jeffrey N.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US13/149,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

The disclosure herein provides methods, systems, and devices for managing, transferring, modifying, converting and/or tracking medical files and/or medical system messages. In certain embodiments, the foregoing may generally be based on requesting medical files at a first medical facility, identifying the requested medical files at a second medical facility, initiating a secure network connection between the first and second medical facility, modifying a header portion of the medical files based on patient identification information created by the first medical facility, and other processing steps.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling a permission-based workflow process for transferring medical files from a source facility to a destination facility, the method comprising:

reviewing by a computer system an electronic request to transfer at least one medical file from the source facility to the destination facility computing system, wherein the request further comprises criteria for the at least one medical file;

locating by the computer system medical files in a database accessible by the source facility that possibly satisfy the criteria, wherein the database includes at least one of a picture archiving and communication system, an image server database, a radiology information system, and a hospital information system;

causing by the computer system to display to a film librarian the located medical files that possibly satisfy the criteria;

receiving by the computer system from the film librarian a selection of at least one of the located medical files; and

transmitting electronically by the computer system an approval to a main server system to approve a transfer of the at least one selected medical file,

wherein the transmitting electronically causes transferring of the at least one selected medical file from the source facility to the destination facility and modifying the at least one selected medical file by removing a first patient identification and replacing the first patient identification with a second patient identification, wherein the source facility uses the first patient identification for identifying a patient and the destination facility uses the second patient identification for identifying the patient, and

wherein the computer system comprises at least a computer processor and an electronic storage device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an acknowledgement communication indicating that the at least one selected medical file was transferred between the source facility and the destination facility.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a list of matching medical files from one or more source facilities, and receiving from the film librarian at the destination facility a selection of desired medical files from the list of matching medical files.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selection by the film librarian of the at least one of the located medical files and the request are stored in a database storing information for analyzing future requests for medical files.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the locating is performed at a direction of the film librarian.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising using an electronic communication to mark or cause to mark the at least one selected medical file as signed, so that the at least one selected medical file does not appear to a medical professional as unread and/or a new study.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises of one or more computer systems.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the destination facility is a central storage facility.

9. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium having a computer program stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed computing system to process by one or more computer processors computer-program code by performing a method when the computer program is executed on the suitably programmed computing system, the method comprising:

reviewing by a computer system an electronic request to transfer an electronic medical file from a source computing system to a destination computing system, the request including criteria associated with the electronic medical file;

locating by the computer system electronic medical files in a database accessible by the source computing system that possibly satisfy the criteria, wherein the database includes electronic medical files;

causing by the computer system display of the located electronic medical files that possibly satisfy the criteria;

receiving by the computer system a selection of at least one of the located electronic medical files; and

transmitting electronically by the computer system an approval to a main server system to approve a transfer of the at least one selected electronic medical file,

wherein the transmitting electronically the approval causes transfer of the at least one selected electronic medical file from the source computing system to the destination computing system and modification of the at least one selected electronic medical file by removing a first patient identification and replacing the first patient identification with a second patient identification, wherein the source computing system uses the first patient identification for identifying a patient and the destination computing system uses the second patient identification for identifying the patient.

10. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises receiving an acknowledgement communication indicating that the at least one selected electronic medical file was transferred between the source computing system and the destination computing system.

11. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises presenting a list of matching medical files from one or more source computing systems, and wherein the received selection is from the list of matching medical files.

12. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the selection of the at least one of the located medical files and the request are stored in a database storing information for analyzing future requests for medical files.

13. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the locating is performed at a direction of the film librarian.

14. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises using an electronic communication to mark or cause to mark the at least one selected medical file as signed, so that the at least one selected medical file does not appear to a medical professional as unread and/or a new study.

15. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the computer system comprises of one or more computer systems.

16. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the destination computing system resides at or is accessible by a central storage facility.

17. A storage computer system comprising:

a computer processor configured to execute modules comprising at least;

a reviewing module programmed to review an electronic request to transfer at least one medical file from a source facility to a destination facility, wherein the request further comprises criteria for the at least one medical file;

a locating module programmed to locate medical files in a database accessible by a source computing system that satisfy the criteria;

a displaying module programmed to cause at least a portion of the located medical files that satisfy the criteria to be displayed;

a receiving module programmed to receive a selection of at least one of the located medical files; and

an authentication module programmed to send an approval to a server system to approve transfer of the selected at least one medical file from the source computing system to a destination computing system,

wherein sending the approval causes transferring of the selected at least one medical file from the source computing system to the destination computing system and modifying the selected at least one medical file by removing a first patient identification and replacing the first patient identification with a second patient identification, wherein the source computing system uses the first patient identification for identifying a patient and the destination computing system uses the second patient identification for identifying the patient.

18. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising an acknowledgment requesting module programmed to request an acknowledgement communication indicating that the selected medical file has been transferred from the source computing system to the destination computing system.

19. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising a listing module programmed to present a list of matching medical files from at least one source computing systems, and wherein the received selection is included in the list of matching medical files.

20. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising

a storing module programmed to store information associated with the selection of the at least one located medical file and the request;

and

an accessing module programmed to access the stored information for analyzing future requests for medical files.

21. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the locating module is further programmed to locate the medical files in response to user input.

22. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising a marking module programmed to use an electronic communication to mark or cause to mark the at least one selected medical file as signed, so that the at least one selected medical file does not appear to a medical professional as unread and/or a new study.

23. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the destination computing system resides at or is accessible by a central storage facility.