METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING DISTRIBUTED DIGITAL MEDICAL DATA

• US 20090164255A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hx Technologies, Inc. (Health Care Service Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hx Technologies, Inc. (Health Care Service Corporation)
• Inventors: Corio, Christopher R., Menschik, Elliot D., Davis, Wayne F., Didizian, Haig C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,615,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A network for mediating the peer-to-peer transfer of digital patient medical data includes a plurality of distributed agents each associated with a health care provider and connected to a central system. Periodically the agents collect local information relating to patient medical files and/or data streams, for example diagnostic images and associated reports, and process that information into metadata files acting as pointers to the original files. The metadata files are transmitted to the central system where they are parsed and the attributes are stored on the central system in patient records with records from the same patient grouped together whenever possible. Registered users can search the central system, even in the absence of a unique identifier, to identify patient records pointing to the remote patient medical files. Upon finding a patient medical file, the invention provides a streamlined process for communicating access authorization from the patient to the hospital or facility storing the medical files. Once patient authorization is received, secure processes are provided for transferring the data in its entirety to or for viewing by the user in a peer-to-peer fashion.

Claims

1. A method operable on a computer for managing distributed medical data, comprising the steps of:

identifying, periodically on a programmed basis, a plurality of patient medical files each containing digital medical data relating to a patient;

creating, for each of the plurality of patient medical files, a metadata file containing attributes relating to the contents of the patient medical file and the location of the patient medical file;

packaging each of the metadata files for transmission to a remote central computer; and

transmitting, in a secure manner, each of the metadata files to the remote central computer.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the step of identifying includes using a software broker to facilitate communications with a medical information system.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein the software broker retrieves data from the medical information system.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein the software broker receives data transmitted by the medical information systems.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting includes transmitting over a digital virtual private network.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the transmitting step includes securely transmitting the metadata file to the central computer over a digital physical private network.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the step of creating a metadata file includes the steps of:

parsing each of the patient medical files to extract attributes relating to the patient medical file;

standardizing the attributes; and

storing the standardized attributes in the metadata file.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 and further including the step of transmitting to the central computer a summary file identifying the plurality of metadata files.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of the metadata files further includes attributes relating to the identity of a patient.

10. A system for managing distributed medical data, comprising:

a processor;

a memory connected to the processor and storing instructions for controlling the operation of the processor;

the processor operative with the instructions in the memory to perform the steps of;

identifying, periodically on a programmed basis, a plurality of patient medical files each containing digital medical data relating to a patient;

creating, for each of the plurality of patient medical files, a metadata file containing attributes relating to the contents of the patient medical file and the location of the patient medical file;

packaging each of the metadata files for transmission to a remote central computer; and

transmitting, in a secure manner, each of the metadata files to the remote central computer.

11. A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the step of identifying includes using a software broker to facilitate communications with a medical information system.

12. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the software broker retrieves data from the medical information system.

13. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the software broker receives data transmitted by the medical information systems.

14. A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the step of transmitting includes transmitting over a digital virtual private network.

15. A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the transmitting step includes securely transmitting the metadata file to the central computer over a digital physical private network.

16. A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the step of creating a metadata file includes the steps of:

parsing each of the patient medical files to extract attributes relating to the patient medical file;

standardizing the attributes; and

storing the standardized attributes in the metadata file.

17. A system in accordance with claim 10 and further including the step of transmitting to the central computer a summary file identifying the plurality of metadata files.

18. A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein each of the metadata files further includes attributes relating to the identity of a patient.

19. A method for managing distributed medical data, comprising the steps of:

identifying, periodically on a programmed basis, a plurality of patient medical files each containing digital medical data relating to a patient;

creating, for each of the plurality of patient medical files, a metadata file containing attributes relating to the contents of the patient medical file and the location of the patient medical file;

packaging each of the metadata files for transmission to a remote central computer; and

transmitting, in a secure manner, each of the metadata files to the remote central computer.

20. A system for managing distributed medical data, comprising:

means for identifying, periodically on a programmed basis, a plurality of patient medical files each containing digital medical data relating to a patient;

means for creating, for each of the plurality of patient medical files, a metadata file containing attributes relating to the contents of the patient medical file and the location of the patient medical file;

means for packaging each of the metadata files for transmission to a remote central computer; and

means for transmitting, in a secure manner, each of the metadata files to the remote central computer.

21. A program product including a storage media containing control instructions operative on a computer, comprising:

the control instructions operative on a computer to perform the steps of;

identifying, periodically on a programmed basis, a plurality of patient medical files each containing digital medical data relating to a patient;

creating, for each of the plurality of patient medical files, a metadata file containing attributes relating to the contents of the patient medical file and the location of the patient medical file;

packaging each of the metadata files for transmission to a remote central computer; and

transmitting, in a secure manner, each of the metadata files to the remote central computer.