Method of Providing Web Based Access To Clinical Records

Abstract

A system and method for providing access to clinical data over the Internet. The system includes a server, and a database in communication with the server. The database stores clinical data sets. The system further includes a thin client, a communication link between the server and the Internet, and a communication link between the thin client and the Internet. Software executing on the server receives a request for one or more clinical data sets, retrieves the requested clinical data sets, and transmits the clinical data sets to the thin client.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of providing web access to clinical data to one or more hospitals, the method comprising:
 providing a central server facility, comprising one or more servers;   providing at least one database in communication with said server facility, said database comprising a plurality of clinical data sets;   providing a network communication link between said server facility and one or more hospital networks;   processing said one or more clinical data sets at said server facility in response to a request from said one or more hospital networks;   determining if a client that sent the request is authorized to access the one or more clinical data sets requested based on one or more unique identifiers;   transmitting said processed one or more clinical data sets to said one or more hospital networks if said authorization is allowed;   transmitting a notice of unauthorized request and blocking access to said one or more clinical data sets if the client is unauthorized to access the one or more clinical data sets; and   charging said one or more hospitals on a subscription basis for providing web-based access to clinical records over the Internet.   
     
     
         2 . A method of providing web access to clinical data to one or more hospitals:
 providing a central server facility, comprising one or more servers;   providing at least one database in communication with said server facility, said database comprising a plurality of clinical data sets;   providing a network communication link between said server facility and one or more hospital networks;   processing said one or more clinical data sets at said server facility in response to a request from said one or more hospital networks;   determining access to said processed clinical data set; and   transmitting said processed clinical data to said one or more hospital networks if access is granted to said processed clinical data set.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further including the step of:
 charging said one or more hospitals on a subscription basis for providing web-based access to clinical records over the Internet.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the server facility is hosted remote from the one or more hospital networks. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the central server facility serves multiple hospitals in multiple geographic locations. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising transmitting said processed clinical data to an electronic device connected to said one or more hospital networks. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said electronic device is provided to a patient or to a physician. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said electronic device provided to said physician is limited to accessing processed clinical data related to one or more patients of the physician. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising displaying said processed clinical data on said electronic device. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said processed clinical data is displayed on a dashboard on the electronic device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising software executing on said server facility to retrieve the requested clinical data from said at least one database in response to the request. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said processed clinical data is transmitted via the network communication link. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the request is generated by an electronic device connected to said one or more hospital networks. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein software executing on the one or more servers provides a web browser in a window pane of a dashboard of an electronic device connected to said one or more hospital networks. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the request is associated with a unique identifier. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein software executing on the one or more servers determines whether the electronic device is authorized to access the processed clinical data based upon the unique identifier. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein software executing on the one or more servers determines whether the user is authorized to access the processed clinical data based upon the unique identifier.