System and method for handling the acquisition and analysis of medical data over a network

• US 7,353,179 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2002
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eResearchTechnology, Inc. (Explorer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Biomedical Systems
• Inventors: Buchanan, Michael R., Kidder, Steven M., Ott, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Florian; Zeender Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frenel; Vanel
• Application Number:
  US10/294,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20040093239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A central server controls the receipt and analysis of patient medical data and patient information. The central server receives patient medical data and patient information from a remote computer. A storage system stores the received patient medical data, patient information, and the associated medical report prepared at analysis workstations at any location after analysis of the patient medical data. A processor controls access to and analysis of the patient medical data by analysis workstations and controls access to the medical report. The central server transmits the patient medical data to and receives the associated medical report from analysis workstations. The central server transmits the medical report associated with the patient medical data to the remote computer. Also, a method controls the acquisition and analysis of patient medical data over a network by a central server from a remote computer operably interconnected by the network with the central server.

Claims

1. A central server for controlling the receipt and analysis of patient medical data and patient information, the central server comprising:

a first communication interface for receiving the patient medical data and the patient information from one or more remote computers associated with the patient;

a storage system remote with respect to at least some of the remote computers for receiving and storing the received patient medical data, patient information, and a medical report;

a processor configured to associate patient medical data with patient information and for transferring the stored patient medical data in the storage system, said processor providing selective access to the patient medical data to one or more analysis workstations, each of the analysis workstations responsive to a medical specialist; and

a second communication interface for transferring received and stored patient medical data to each of the analysis workstations, said communications interface transferring a particular received and stored patient medical data to a particular workstation in response to a selection of the particular received and stored medical data by the medical specialist associated with the particular analysis workstation, wherein said analysis workstations analyzes the patient medical data and prepares the medical report resulting from the analysis of the patient medical data, said second communication interface receiving from the analysis workstations the prepared medical report resulting from the analysis of the transferred patient medical data, wherein at least some of the analysis workstations are remote with respect to the central server and remote with respect to some of the remote computers;

wherein the processor receives and transfers the medical report to the remote computer via the first communication interface.

2. The central server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to host a web page and wherein a remote computer located remotely from the central server accesses the web page and transmits the patient medical data and patient information from the remote computers to the central server through the web page.

3. The central server of claim 2, wherein the central server is configured to receive segmented and compressed patient medical data from the remote computers which is configured to segment the patient medical data, compress the segmented patient medical data and transmit the segmented and compressed patient medical data and user information to the central server and wherein the central server is configured to decompress and recombine the received segmented and compressed patient medical data for storage and controlled access.

4. The central server of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface is configured for communication with a network and wherein each of the remote computers is configured for communication with the network such that central server receives the patient medical data and patient information transmitted by the remote computers via the network.

5. The central server of claim 4, further comprising a remote server configured for hosting a web page, wherein the remote server is operably connected to the network and wherein each of the remote computers is configured with a web browser for accessing the web page and transmitting the patient medical data and patient information through the web page to the remote server, and wherein the remote server transfers the received patient medical data and patient information to the central server via the first communication interface.

6. The central server of claim 1, wherein the central server is configured to receive patient medical data from the remote computers and wherein each of the remote computers and the central server are configured to communicate using a secure access that is a minimum of 128-bit secure socket layer connection.

7. The central server of claim 1, wherein one or more of the analysis workstations is responsive to one or more medical specialists and is associated with the central server, the central server securely transferring the patient medical data to each of the analysis workstations over the second communication interface;

and wherein each of the analysis workstations is configured to analyze the medical data and create a medical report associated with the patient medical data, each of the analysis workstations transferring the medical report to the central server over the second communication interface.

8. The central server of claim 1, wherein the storage system comprises a database for storing and controlling access to the patient medical data, corresponding patient information, and the medical report.

9. The central server of claim 1, wherein the patient medical data is Holter data and wherein the medical report is a Holter analysis report.

10. A system for handling patient medical data over a network, comprising:

one or more remote computers configured to receive patient medical data from a medical sensor associated with the patient and configured to transfer the received patient medical data and patient information corresponding to the patient medical data;

a central server remote with respect to at least some of the remote computers configured to receive and store the transferred patient medical data and corresponding patient information and configured to control access to the patient medical data and its corresponding patient information, said central server configured to provide selective access to the patient medical data to one or more analysis workstations, each responsive to a medical specialist, wherein the analysis workstations analyzing the patient medical data and preparing a medical report resulting from the analysis of the patient medical data; and

wherein the one or more analysis workstations associated with the central server, each of the analysis workstations being operated by a medical specialist to select a particular received and stored patient medical data, and receive and analyze the selected patient medical data, each of the analysis workstations responsive to the medical specialist to create a medical report resulting from the analysis of the selected patient medical data, each of the analysis workstations transmitting the medical report to the central server, wherein at least some of the analysis workstations are remote with respect to the central server and remote with respect to the some of the remote computers;

wherein the central server is configured to receive from each of the analysis workstations the medical report resulting from the analysis of the patient medical data and corresponding patient information, and is configured to transmit the medical report to each of the remote computers.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sensor configured to sense a parameter of the patient'"'"'s body and store data corresponding to the sensed parameter as the patient medical data, the sensor being configured to transfer the patient medical data to each of the remote computers and each of the remote computers being configured to receive the transferred patient medical data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a Holter monitor and the patient medical data comprises Holter data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor and each of the remote computers are each configured with a USB interface wherein the sensor transfers the stored patient medical data to each of the remote computers via the USB interface.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor is equipped with a PCMCIA flashcard, the sensor storing the patient medical data on the PCMCIA flashcard and wherein each of the remote computers is configured to receive a PCMCIA flashcard and retrieve the patient medical data stored on the PCMCIA flashcard by the sensor.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the remote computers is configured to receive the patient medical data from the sensor, segment the received patient medical data, compress the segmented patient medical data, and communicate the compressed patient medical data to the centralized server, the centralized server being configured to receive and store the compressed medical data.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the remote computers is configured with a patient medical data acquisition, compression and transmission program for receiving patient medical data from a medical sensor, storing the patient medical data on each of the remote computers, compressing the medical data, and transferring the patient medical data from each of the remote computers to the central server.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the remote computers is configured for communication via a network and for transmitting the patient medical data and its corresponding patient information to the central server via the network.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the central server hosts a web page and wherein each of the remote computers is configured with a web browser for accessing the web page and transmitting the patient medical data from each of the remote computers to the central server via the web page.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising a remote server hosting a web page which is remote from the central server and interconnected by a network, wherein each of the remote computers is configured with a web browser for accessing the web page and wherein the transfer of patient medical data and patient information from each of the remote computers is provided through the web page to the remote server and then transmitted by the remote server to the central server.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the patient medical data is accessible by the medical specialist from each of the analysis workstations to perform analysis of the patient medical data, wherein each of the analysis workstations is configured to receive a medical report created by the medical specialist and analyze the medical data and transmit the medical report to the central server, and wherein the central server is configured to receive the medical report transmitted by each of the analysis workstations.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a display associated with each of the remote computers, wherein the central server is configured to transmit the medical report associated with the patient medical data to each of the remote computers and wherein each of the remote computers is configured to receive the medical report and display the medical report on the display.

22. A method of controlling the acquisition and analysis of patient medical data, the method comprising:

receiving at a central server patient medical data and corresponding patient information from each of the remote computers, wherein the central server is remote with respect to at least some of the remote computers;

controlling at the central server access to and analysis of the received patient medical data by providing secure access by one or more analysis workstations, wherein at least some of the analysis workstations are remote with respect to the central server and remote with respect to some of the remote computers, said one or more analysis workstations being operably interconnected by a network with the central server;

transferring a particular received and stored patient medical data to a particular analysis workstation in response to a selection of the particular received and stored patient medical data by a medical specialist associated with the particular analysis workstation, wherein each of the analysis workstations is responsive to its associated medical specialist for analyzing the selected patient medical data and for creating a medical report associated with the received patient medical data;

transferring the medical report to the central server from each of the analysis workstations;

receiving from each of the analysis workstations the medical report associated with the patient medical data and corresponding patient information; and

transmitting the medical report to each of the remote computers over the network.

23. A method according to claim 22, further comprising:

hosting a web page by the central server;

wherein receiving the patient medical data from each of the remote computers and transmitting the medical report to each of the remote computers are via the web page.

24. A method for managing the receipt and analysis of Holter monitor patient medical data, the method comprising:

At a patient site remote with respect to analysis workstations, said analysis workstations analyzing the Holter monitor patient medical data;

recording the Holter monitor patient medical data on a medical sensor;

storing the Holter monitor patient medical data on a local storage medium;

transmitting the stored patient medical data to a remote computer;

At the remote computer site;

creating patient information corresponding to the Holter monitor patient medical data;

receiving the Holter monitor patient medical data from the medical sensor;

storing the Holter monitor patient medical data on the remote computer;

compressing the Holter monitor patient medical data;

transmitting the compressed patient medical data and corresponding patient information to the central server;

At a central server site remote with respect to the remote computer site;

receiving the compressed patient medical data and corresponding patient information;

decompressing the Holter monitor patient medical data;

storing the Holter monitor patient medical data and patient information;

controlling access to the Holter monitor patient medical data and patient information;

transferring a particular patient medical data to a particular analysis workstation in response to a selection of the particular medical data by a medical specialist at the particular analysis workstation;

At the particular analysis workstation site remote with respect to the central server site and remote with respect to the remote computer site and the patient site;

receiving the selection from the medical specialist;

receiving the particular patient medical data from the central server;

analyzing the Holter monitor patient medical data;

generating a medical report associated with the Holter monitor patient medical data;

transferring the medical report to the central server;

At the central sewer site;

receiving the medical report from the analysis workstation;

storing the medical report;

controlling access to the medical report;

transmitting the medical report to the remote computer;

At the remote computer site;

receiving the medical report from the central server; and

displaying the medical report.