System for communication of health care data

Abstract

An apparatus for communicating health care data from a sender to a receiver is provided. The apparatus has a first computer system, a second computer system, and a rules engine. The first computer system has health care data stored therein. The second computer system is in operable communication with, and is configured to extract the health care data from, the first computer system. The rules engine normalizes the extracted health care data to a predefined format. The rules engine defines a plurality of health care data fields in the predefined format, as well as a plurality of relationships between fields of normalized data.

1 . A method for facilitating an exchange of information between a patient and a health care provider, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a patient web portal from which a patient can enter personal health data;   storing the personal health data entered via the patient web portal into a database;   receiving an access list from the patient via the patient web portal, wherein the access list is indicative of access rights to a selected portion of the personal health data;   receiving a request for the selected portion of the personal health data from a health care provider of the patient;   detecting whether the health care provider has been granted access to the personal health data based on the access list; and   transmitting the personal health data responsive to the detecting step.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of storing provider data generated by the health care provider in the database, wherein the provider data is indicative of at least one health related parameter of the patient. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of enabling the patient to access at least a portion of the provider data via the patient web portal. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient data is selected from the group consisting of family health history of the patient and over-the-counter medications taken by the patient. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of auditing access to the personal health data. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the access list includes a first set of access rights associated with the health care provider, a second set of access rights associated with an insurer of the patient and a third set of access rights associated with an employer of the patent. 
     
     
         7 . A method for maintaining a personal health record, the method comprising the steps of:
 interacting with a patient web portal to access a database over the Internet;   entering patient data indicative of at least one health related parameter of a patient, wherein the patient enters the patient data using the patient web portal;   storing entered patient data in the database;   wherein the patient data includes at least one of: family health history of the patient and over-the-counter medications taken by the patient.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the database is accessible by a health care provider of the patient. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising entering a security list respective to access rights to patient data in the database, wherein the patient enters the security list using the patient web portal. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the steps of receiving a request from the health care provider for access to a requested portion of the patient data, detecting whether the health care provider has been granted access to the requested portion of the patient data using the security list, and allowing the health care provider to view the requested portion of the patient data responsive to the detecting step. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the steps of receiving a request from an employer of the patient for access to a requested portion of the patient data, detecting whether the employer has been granted access to the requested portion of the patient data using the security list, and allowing the employer to view the requested portion of the patient data responsive to the detecting step. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the database includes information provided by a health care provider of the patient. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the database further includes information provided by at least one outpatient facility. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the outpatient facility is selected from the group consisting of a laboratory, radiology, and pharmacy. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the database further includes information provided by at least one inpatient facility. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the information provided by the health care provider is developed by extracting health care data from a separate database and normalizing the extracted data to a predefined format in accordance with a rules engine that defines a plurality of health care data fields in a predefined format and a plurality of relationships between fields of normalized data. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of accessing at least a portion of the information provided by the health care provider, wherein the patient accesses the information provided by the health care provider using the patient web portal. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the information provided by the health care provider includes at least one of: laboratory test results, radiography test results, medication profile, and referral information. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the patient accesses at least one of the following types of information provided by the health care provider using the patient web portal: laboratory test results, radiography test results, medication profile, and referral information. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of: receiving an electronic application requesting access to at least a portion of the database, wherein the application includes a requested access list and profile and determining whether to grant the application. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the database includes provider data provided by least two health care providers, patient data entered by the patient via the patient web portal, and employer data provided by the employer of the patient.