HIPAA Compliant Distributed Data Storage System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data storage systems face challenges in maintaining confidentiality of medical information, particularly when data is hacked or compromised, as seen in the storage of medical records and research data.
Innovation Solution
The system involves storing patient medical information on a local processing device, anonymizing a portion of it, and storing it on a second processing device. This anonymized data is then exposed to a third processing device through a network, while ensuring that only HIPAA-compliant medical information is accessed, with alarms in place to detect improper data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If medical information is stored in a centralized data store, then data accessibility is improved, but data security and confidentiality are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized data store into multiple distributed data stores across different locations and institutions. Each data store holds a portion of the medical records, eliminating the single point of failure and reducing the risk of comprehensive data breaches while maintaining accessibility through distributed query capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cryptographic intermediaries including public-key infrastructure, digital signatures, and homomorphic encryption schemes that enable secure access to distributed medical records without centralizing the actual data. These cryptographic layers act as intermediaries that verify authenticity and enable computation on encrypted data.
2Loss of information
If personal identification information is stored with medical records, then data completeness is improved, but patient privacy is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts personally identifiable information (PII) from medical records and stores it in separate, securely protected locations. The medical records themselves are stored with de-identified or pseudonymized data, while the PII is kept in isolated vaults with strict access controls, thereby maintaining data completeness for medical purposes while protecting patient privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different levels of identification and anonymity to different portions of the data based on their purpose. Full PII is retained locally at the patient's choosing for their own records, while shared records use pseudonymization or encryption that provides local anonymity. This allows data completeness where needed while protecting privacy where appropriate.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If data is anonymized before sharing, then patient privacy is improved, but data utility for research is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs advanced cryptographic transformations including homomorphic encryption and secure multi-party computation that allow mathematical operations to be performed on encrypted data without decryption. This changes the parameter state of the data from plaintext to ciphertext, enabling privacy protection while maintaining computational utility for research analytics, statistical analysis, and pattern recognition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary cryptographic processing and pseudonymization of data before it is shared across the distributed network. Data is pre-prepared with embedded cryptographic structures that enable future research queries and analytics to be performed on the anonymized data without requiring re-identification, thus maintaining both privacy and long-term research utility.
4Reliability
If multiple data stores are distributed across networks, then data security is improved, but system complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal cryptographic protocol suite that handles multiple functions across the distributed system including authentication, data encryption, query routing, and access control. This multi-functional approach reduces the number of separate systems and interfaces needed, thereby managing complexity while maintaining the security benefits of distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the distributed data stores continuously communicate metadata, access patterns, and system state information to a coordinating layer. This feedback enables automatic load balancing, security policy enforcement, and conflict resolution, reducing the manual complexity of managing distributed systems while maintaining their security advantages.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for storing patient medical information on a local processing device, anonymizing a portion of that medical information and storing it on a second processing device, exposing that anonymized medical information to a third processing device coupled to the second processing device through a network, and restricting users of the third processing device to only accessing HIPAA compliant medical information. Alarms are included for indicating the improper transfer of HIPAA data.