Healthcare transaction validation via blockchain, systems and methods

• US 10,340,038 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nant Holdings IP, LLC (NantWorks, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nant Holdings IP, LLC (NantWorks, LLC)
• Inventors: Witchey, Nicholas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fenstermacher, Jason B
• Application Number:
  US14/711,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20150332283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2250/30 Record keeping
• 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: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]

Abstract

Healthcare transaction validation systems and methods are presented. Healthcare transactions associated with a stakeholder are compiled into a chain of healthcare transaction blocks. The chain can be considered a chronicle of person'"'"'s healthcare path through life. When a transaction is conducted, the corresponding healthcare parameters (e.g., inputs, outputs, clinical evidence, outcomes, etc.) are sent to one or more validation devices. The devices establish a validity of the transaction and generate a new block via a proof-of-work principle. Once the new block has been calculated it can be appended to the stakeholder'"'"'s health care blockchain.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium which comprises instructions, that when executed by one or more computer processors of one or more computers coupled to a network, to:

receive health care transaction data corresponding to a plurality of health care transactions, the plurality of health care transactions including transactions corresponding to at least a first transaction participant and a second transaction participant associated with, respectively, a first historical healthcare blockchain and a second historical healthcare blockchain;

generate first validation data for a first not-previously-validated transaction of the first transaction participant;

generate second validation data for a second not-previously-validated transaction of the second transaction participant;

generate a first validity block comprising at least the first validation data, transaction data of the first not-previously-validated transaction, and a hash of at least a portion of a most recent block of the first historical blockchain;

generate a second validity block comprising at least the second validation data, transaction data of the second not-previously-validated transaction, and a hash of at least a portion of a most recent block of the second historical blockchain;

determine acceptance of the first and second validity blocks;

cause the first validity block to be appended to the historical blockchain of the first transaction participant after the first validity block has been accepted; and

cause the second validity block to be appended to the historical blockchain of the second transaction participant after the second validity block has been accepted.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to perform proof-of-work processing.

3. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the proof-of-work processing comprises identifying a nonce to be included in the validity block that, when hashed with at least some other data in the validity block, results in a number meeting pre-determined characteristics.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to generate validation data by using one or more medical data requirements to evaluate health care data in a not-previously validated healthcare transaction.

5. The computer program product of claim 3 wherein the medical data requirement requires that a test result in the not-previously-validated healthcare transaction is compatible with a diagnosis in the not-previously-validated healthcare transaction.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the validation data is generated in response to user input from a trusted user of the one or more computers.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the validation data includes a digital signature proof-of-stake of the trusted user.

8. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the validation data include proof-of-stake data.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the proof-of-stake data comprises a digital signature of a validated stakeholder.

10. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein acceptance of a validity block is based on determining that the validity block has a timestamp earlier than any other validity block generated by the one or more computers comprising transaction data of the same not-previously-validated transaction.

11. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein acceptance of the validity block is based on determining that a majority of computers receiving the validity block have communicated data reflecting agreement to accept the validity block.

12. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the first transaction participant is a healthcare patient in the first not-previously-validated healthcare transaction and the second transaction participant is a health care patient in the second not-previously-validated healthcare transaction.

13. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein:

the first not-previously-validated healthcare transaction and the second not-previously-validated healthcare transaction are the same transaction;

the first transaction participant and the second transaction participants are different entity types; and

the first transaction participant and the second transaction participant are participants in the same transaction.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the first transaction participant is a healthcare patient and the second transaction participant is a healthcare provider.

15. The computer program of claim 3 wherein the medical data requirement requires that a test result in the not-previously-validated healthcare transaction is not incompatible with data of a previously validated healthcare transaction in a historical healthcare blockchain of a patient associated with the test result.