Cloud-based clinical information systems and methods of use

• US 9,959,386 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ohad, Nimrod, Cole, Mark Alan, Sharland, Mike Lowell, Gans, Ronen, Hughes, Patrick Leo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorey, Robert A
• Application Number:
  US14/188,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An example method includes monitoring healthcare information employed by a local information system of a first healthcare entity via an edge device located at a facility of the first healthcare entity and in communication with a local information system. The edge device is to implement a local cloud system. The local cloud system is to be accessible by only the first healthcare entity and healthcare entities affiliated with the first healthcare entity. The example method also includes determining if the healthcare information has a first characteristic via the edge device, determining if the healthcare information has a second characteristic via the edge device, and automatically uploading the healthcare information onto the local cloud system if the healthcare information has the first characteristic. The example method also includes automatically uploading the healthcare information onto a remote cloud system if the healthcare information has the second characteristic.

Claims

1. A hybrid cloud system, comprising:

a remote cloud system at a first site to be accessible via a public network by a plurality of healthcare entities without regard to affiliation; and

an edge device located at a second site with a local healthcare information system, the edge device to implement a local cloud system, the local cloud system configured via the edge device to be accessible only via a private network based on an affiliation between healthcare entities, the edge device in communication with the remote cloud system and the local healthcare information system to mediate between the local healthcare information system and the remote cloud system with respect to healthcare information routed from the local information system through the edge device, wherein the edge device is to;

monitor healthcare information employed by the local healthcare information system between a first healthcare entity and a second healthcare entity routed through the edge device;

analyze the monitored healthcare information to determine if the healthcare information has at least one of a first characteristic or a second characteristic;

determine an affiliation between the first healthcare entity and the second healthcare entity;

when the healthcare information is determined by the edge device to have the first characteristic, upload a first portion of the healthcare information onto the remote cloud system and allocate a first computing task to the remote cloud system based on the first portion of the healthcare information; and

when the healthcare information is determined by the edge device to have the second characteristic and the first healthcare entity is determined to be affiliated with the second healthcare entity, upload a second portion of the healthcare information onto the local cloud system implemented by the edge device and allocate a second computing task to the local cloud system based on the second portion of the healthcare information,

wherein the remote cloud system is to employ the first portion of the healthcare information to perform the first computing task at the remote cloud system based on the first characteristic, and the local cloud system is to employ the second portion of the healthcare information to perform the second computing task at the local cloud system based on the second characteristic.

2. The hybrid cloud system of claim 1, wherein the first characteristic comprises at least one of a content of the healthcare information, a storage destination of the healthcare information in the local healthcare information system, a source of the healthcare information, an information type, a level of confidentiality associated with the healthcare information, an clinical expertise associated with the healthcare information, or a type of clinical case associated with the healthcare information.

3. The hybrid cloud system of claim 1, wherein the second characteristic comprises an association with a patient undergoing a medical procedure performed by a clinician associated with the first healthcare entity, the edge device to store the healthcare information in the local cloud system while the patient undergoes the medical procedure.

4. The hybrid cloud system of claim 3, wherein the edge device is to temporarily store the healthcare information at the local cloud system and remove the healthcare information from the local cloud system at a time after the medical procedure is performed.

5. The hybrid cloud system of claim 1, wherein the remote cloud system is to employ the first portion of the healthcare information by storing the first portion of the healthcare information in the remote cloud system and enabling one of the unaffiliated healthcare entities to access the first portion of the healthcare information.

6. The hybrid cloud system of claim 1, wherein the healthcare information is first healthcare information, and the edge device is to monitor second healthcare information employed by the local cloud system, the edge device to upload the second healthcare information from the local cloud system onto at least one of the local healthcare information system or the remote cloud system if the second healthcare information has a third characteristic.

7. A method to manage information flow between a local information system, a local cloud system and a remote cloud system via an edge device, comprising:

monitoring, via the edge device, healthcare information employed by the local information system between a first healthcare entity and a second healthcare entity, the edge device implementing the local cloud system, the local cloud system configured via the edge device to be accessible only via a private network based on an affiliation between healthcare entities, the edge device in communication with the remote cloud system and the local healthcare information system to mediate between the local healthcare information system and the remote cloud system with respect to healthcare information routed from the local information system through the edge device;

analyzing, via the edge device, the monitored healthcare information to determine if the healthcare information has at least one of a first characteristic or a second characteristic;

when the healthcare information is determined to have the first characteristic, automatically uploading the healthcare information onto the local cloud system and allocating a first computing task to the local cloud system to be performed at the local cloud system based on the first portion of the healthcare information and the first characteristic; and

when the healthcare information is determined to have the second characteristic and the first healthcare entity is determined to be affiliated with the second healthcare entity, automatically uploading the healthcare information onto the remote cloud system and allocating a second computing task to the remote cloud system to be performed at the remote cloud system based on the second portion of the healthcare information and the second characteristic,

the remote cloud system accessible by the first healthcare entity via the edge device and accessible by healthcare entities via a web application without regard to affiliation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the healthcare information is first healthcare information, and further comprising:

monitoring second healthcare information employed by the local cloud system;

determining if the second healthcare information has a third characteristic; and

downloading the second healthcare information from the local cloud system onto the local information system if the second healthcare information has the third characteristic.

9. The method of claim 8 further, wherein the healthcare information is first healthcare information, and further comprising:

monitoring second healthcare information employed by the local cloud system;

determining if the second healthcare information has a third characteristic; and

uploading the second healthcare information from the local cloud system onto the remote cloud system via the edge device if the second healthcare information has the third characteristic.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first characteristic comprises an association with clinical care of a patient of the first healthcare entity.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first characteristic is an agreement between the first healthcare entity and a second healthcare entity being stored on at least one of the local cloud system, the remote cloud system or the local information system, the agreement relating to accessing the healthcare information, the second healthcare entity to have access to the healthcare information via the local cloud system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second characteristic is a lack of the agreement being stored on at least one of the local cloud system, the remote cloud system or the local information system.

13. A non-transitory, computer readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed, implement a method to manage information flow between a local information system, a local cloud system and a remote cloud system via an edge device, the method comprising:

monitoring, via the edge device, healthcare information communicated between a first healthcare entity and a second healthcare entity via the local cloud system, the local cloud system implemented by the edge device and configured via the edge device to be accessible only via a private network based on an affiliation between healthcare entities, the edge device in communication with the remote cloud system and the local healthcare information system to mediate between the local healthcare information system and the remote cloud system with respect to healthcare information routed from the local information system through the edge device;

analyzing, via the edge device, the monitored healthcare information to determine if the healthcare information has at least one of a first characteristic or a second characteristic, the edge device included in the local cloud system and in communication with the local information system and the remote cloud system, the remote cloud system accessible by a plurality of healthcare entities via a public network without regard to affiliation;

when the healthcare information is determined to have the first characteristic, automatically uploading the healthcare information onto the remote cloud system via the edge device and allocating a first computing task to the remote cloud system to be performed at the remote cloud system based on the first portion of the healthcare information and the first characteristic; and

when the healthcare information is determined to have the second characteristic and the first healthcare entity is determined to be affiliated with the second healthcare entity, automatically downloading the healthcare information onto the local information system via the edge device and allocating a second computing task to the local information system to be performed at the local information system based on the second portion of the healthcare information and the second characteristic.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein monitoring the healthcare information comprises periodically querying at least one of the local cloud system or the local information system via the edge device.

15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the healthcare information is first healthcare information, and wherein the method further comprises:

monitoring second healthcare information stored in the local information system;

determining if the second healthcare information has a second characteristic; and

uploading the second healthcare information from the local information system onto the local cloud system if the second healthcare information has the second characteristic.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises;

determining if the second healthcare information has a third characteristic; and

uploading the second healthcare information from the local information system onto the remote cloud system if the second healthcare information has the third characteristic.