Health Record Access Control via Distinct Encryption Parameters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for managing patient health records lack secure and efficient access control, leading to challenges in protecting patient privacy and reducing the effort required for users to manage access permissions.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that configure secure access to patient health record data by using distinct access encryption parameters, allowing patients to control access based on consent, with features such as encryption, decryption, and revocation of access permissions for specific users and data fields, and implementing secure access protocols for upload, download, and sharing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If patient health records are encrypted with storage encryption parameters, then patient privacy protection is improved, but access management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the health record data into multiple data fields and applies different encryption parameters to different segments. Each data field can have its own access control policies, allowing fine-grained management of who can access what information. This segmentation enables the system to protect patient privacy while managing access complexity through modular, field-level control rather than all-or-nothing access management.
2Adaptability or versatility
If distinct access encryption parameters are configured for each data field, then selective access control is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by configuring distinct access encryption parameters for each data field based on its specific access requirements. Each data field can have customized access controls tailored to its sensitivity and usage needs, rather than applying a uniform access policy across all data. This allows the system to achieve high adaptability for selective access control while managing complexity through localized, context-specific configurations.
3Reliability
If patients manually manage access permissions for each provider, then access control security is improved, but user effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling patients to automatically manage their own access permissions through the system. Patients can configure which providers have access to which data fields, and these permissions are automatically enforced through the encryption parameter system. This eliminates the need for manual permission management while maintaining strong access control security, as the system automatically handles the complex permission enforcement that would otherwise require significant user effort.
4Adaptability or versatility
If access permissions are revoked when consent is withdrawn, then patient ownership control is improved, but access management overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring access encryption parameters and permission structures before access requests occur. When patients withdraw consent, the system automatically revokes access by referencing these pre-configured parameters, eliminating the need for manual intervention or complex real-time permission management. This preliminary setup enables efficient automatic permission revocation while maintaining strong patient ownership control, as the system is already prepared to enforce permission changes immediately when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and associated methods relate to configuring secure access to a patient's stored health record data, in response to receiving the patient's consent to a health record data access request, and providing the secure access to a specific user at a location and time related to the request. The access request may be received from a provider. The provider may be a doctor. Secure access by a specific user to a discrete health record data field may be configured, granted, or revoked based on patient consent status, permitting the patient selective control over access to their personal health record data. Access encryption parameters distinct from the storage encryption parameters securing the stored health record may be configured to permit specific user access to a specific data field. The access encryption parameters may be revoked by the patient withdrawing consent, permitting the patient to assert ownership control of their health records.