Unified Patient Record File Structure for EHR Data Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic health record (EHR) systems face challenges in data accessibility and storage efficiency due to scattered patient records across different systems, leading to 'silos' of health data, inefficient data aggregation, and costly redundant testing.
Innovation Solution
A computer-readable file system that creates and modifies records by identifying parent and child file records, using markers, pointers, access permissions, and checksums to optimize data storage and retrieval, allowing multiple healthcare organizations to access and update patient records securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If patient records are stored in separate EHR systems across different healthcare organizations, then each organization can maintain its own data independently, but data accessibility and sharing between organizations becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges data from multiple EHR systems into a unified patient record structure. The file structure consolidates patient encounters, observations, and data from different healthcare organizations into a single accessible file, eliminating silos while maintaining data integrity from source systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified file structure serves multiple healthcare organizations simultaneously, allowing any authorized organization to access and contribute to the same patient record. This universal structure replaces the need for separate organizational-specific record systems.
2Loss of information
If data is aggregated from multiple EHR system databases over extended periods, then comprehensive patient history is achieved, but data entries become bifurcated and require multiple queries across different databases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the patient record into distinct file records, each representing a specific patient encounter or data set. Each file record is a self-contained unit that can be independently managed yet linked to form the complete patient history, avoiding bifurcation while maintaining organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where file records are contained within a main patient record file. Each file record can contain nested observations, encounters, and data elements, creating a hierarchical organization that simplifies access while preserving comprehensive history.
3Loss of information
If multiple queries are executed over multiple databases to retrieve complete patient data, then all necessary information is obtained, but the process becomes computationally expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary organization of patient data into a unified file structure during data ingestion, rather than retrieving and assembling data from multiple databases at query time. This pre-structuring eliminates the need for multiple runtime queries and reduces retrieval time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a consolidated copy of patient data from source EHR systems into a unified file structure. This copy contains all necessary patient information in an accessible format, eliminating the need to query multiple original databases during retrieval operations.
4Ease of operation
If summary rollups are generated to consolidate patient data, then data accessibility is improved, but detailed information is lost and may require additional redundant testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests detailed patient encounter data within the unified file structure, allowing both summary-level and detailed-level access. The hierarchical organization enables users to view aggregated information while drilling down to specific encounter details without losing information or requiring redundant testing.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are various technologies pertaining to creating and modifying a computer-readable file for a patient in response to receiving data about the patient. The computer-readable file is modified by appending a child file record to the computer-readable file, identifying a parent file record for the child file record in the computer-readable file, and storing a pointer in the parent file record to the child file record. The child file record comprises the data about the patient, an initially empty pointer portion, and an attribute of a user that has permission to access the data about the patient. The pointer portion may be later modified to include pointers to subsequently added file records in the computer-readable file.