System for enabling data processing while maintaining confidentiality

• US 7,127,432 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2003
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adheris, Inc. (MedAdvisor Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Adheris, Inc. (MedAdvisor Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rubin, Daniel E., Higer, Bruce, Rotsart, James, Glaser, Matthew, Leighton, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGWUMEZIE, CHARLES C
• Application Number:
  US10/667,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20040059605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 705/74, 705/2, 705/3, 705/57, 705/80, 709/206, 709/224, 709/212, 709/218
• US Class Current: 705/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

A method for processing transactions while maintaining a customer'"'"'s confidentiality includes receiving a customer'"'"'s identity information and transaction information at a local server. The customer'"'"'s identity information is substituted with a unique generic ID at the local server. The generic ID and the transaction information are forwarded from the local server to a distinct compliance system while the customer'"'"'s identity information is retained at the local server. The transaction information is processed at the distinct compliance system to obtain compliance information using the transaction information and the generic ID. The compliance information and the generic ID are forwarded from the distinct compliance system to the local server. The customer'"'"'s identity information is retrieved using the generic ID at the local server.

Claims

1. A method for processing transactions while maintaining a customer'"'"'s confidentiality within a system, the method comprising:

receiving a customer'"'"'s identity information and transaction information, from a local system, at a local server;

substituting the customer'"'"'s identity information with a unique generic ID at the local server;

forwarding the generic ID and transaction information from the local server to a distinct compliance system while retaining the customer'"'"'s identity information at the local server, the transaction information being processed at the distinct compliance system to obtain compliance information by determining whether the transaction information is for a new transaction and, if the transaction information is for a new transaction, using the generic ID to determine whether the transaction information is for an existing customer;

receiving the compliance information and the generic ID, from the distinct compliance system, at the local server;

retrieving the customer'"'"'s identity information using the generic ID at the local server; and

merging the received compliance information and the customer'"'"'s identity information to obtain transaction fulfillment information.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the retrieving the customer'"'"'s identity information further comprises storing the customer'"'"'s identity information and the generic ID in a table residing on the local server, and utilizing the generic ID in the table to find the corresponding customer'"'"'s identity information.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the local server and the distinct compliance system are located at the same site.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting the compliance information into intervention types and timing associated with the customer'"'"'s identity information and generating preformatted letters.

5. An apparatus for processing data including specific identity information and corresponding substantive information, the apparatus comprising:

a server that stores the data and transmits the data to a data processor, the server substituting the specific identity information with generic identity information before transmitting so that the specific identity information is not transmitted to the data processor, the data processor receiving the data, including the substituted generic identity information, without receiving the specific identity information, the data processor analyzing the substantive information to obtain results by determining whether the substantive information is an update for an existing record and, if the substantive information is not an update for an existing record, determining, using the substituted generic identity information, whether the data processor has an existing record for the generic identity information, the server receiving the results along with the associated generic identity information from the data processor;

wherein the server associates the generic identity information with the corresponding specific identity information so that the results are associated with the specific identity information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the specific identity information comprising a name and an address.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, the results comprising intervention types and timing.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the server receiving the results and adding a name and address to the results so that correspondence can be generated in accordance with the intervention types and timing for the name.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the server forwarding the results, including the specific identity information, to a fulfillment system.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, the data being transmitted via a T1 connection.

11. The apparatus of claim 5, the server transmitting the results to a fulfillment system.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, the server processing the results and transmitting correspondence in accordance with the results.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, the server cleaning the data before transmitting the data to the data processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, the server cleaning the data by removing undesired predetermined information from the data before transmitting the data to the data processor.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the server and the data processor are located at the same site.

16. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the server and the data processor are located at different sites.

17. The apparatus of claim 5, the server residing at a pharmacy.

18. An apparatus for processing data including generic identity information and corresponding substantive information, the apparatus comprising:

a data processor that receives data, including generic identity information and corresponding substantive information, from a server that generates the generic identity information, without receiving specific identity information corresponding to the generic identity information, the data processor analyzing the substantive information to obtain results by determining whether the substantive information is an update for an existing record and, if the substantive information is not an update for an existing record, determining, using the generic identity information, whether the data processor has an existing record for the generic identity information, the data processor exporting the results along with the associated generic identity information back to the server, the server associating the generic identity information and the substantive information with the corresponding specific identity information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the specific identity information comprising a name and an address.