Network architecture for stream-parallel data aggregation

Abstract

A parallel network architecture connects among providers, subscribers, and storage networks to pull clinical records in an automated and verifiable electronic context. Messages, alerts, or data updates from a healthcare event such as a discharge are received, and example embodiment networks calculate patient clinical data target from the same and query the target for the patient to solicit records for the patient of the event, proximate to the event. The received records may be clinical, with diagnostic and treatment records for the patient, to be automatically delivered back to a subscribing user. Example embodiment networks may improve record quality and data match by verifying a target stores records for the patient, timing queries and requested data to those found most successful for a target, and/or not delivering records that contain errors, no clinical data, are duplicative or unreadable, and/or are not for the patient or healthcare event.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A network connected between data sources and electronic health record repositories owned and operated by distinct controllers, the network comprising:
 a notification interface configured to electronically receive information from a plurality of data sources owned and operated by distinct controllers, wherein the plurality of data sources provide the information in real time and in a plurality of different formats, and wherein the notification interface is configured with the plurality of different formats to electronically receive a discharge notification indicating a discharge of a patient from the information provided by the data sources regardless of format;   a plurality of repository interfaces configured to electronically query and receive data from the records repositories owned and operated by distinct controllers;   a persistent memory configured to store the data; and   a processor coupled with the persistent memory and notification and repository interfaces, wherein the processor is configured to, 
 receive and parse the discharge notification to associate the patient with query terms and a record repository of the record repositories, wherein the receiving and parsing are executed in real time with generation of the discharge notification, 
 identify operational characteristics for record retrieval unique to the record repository associated with the patient, 
 query the record repository with the query terms, wherein the querying is executed based on the operational characteristics for the record repository, 
 receive the data from the record repository, wherein the data includes clinical documents describing treatment of the patient, and 
 electronically provide the clinical documents to a subscriber who identifies the patient to the network. 
   
     
     
         2 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge notification includes at least a portion of a discharge-type Health Level 7 (HL7) Admit-Discharge-Transfer (ADT) message generated by a facility discharging the patient. 
     
     
         3 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying operational characteristics includes determining a delay period for the record repository, and wherein the querying is executed only after the delay period. 
     
     
         4 . The network of  claim 3 , wherein the delay period is determined from a database associating the record repositories each with a delay period determined from previous sampling of response success from the associated record repository. 
     
     
         5 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying operational characteristics includes determining a document type for the record repository, and wherein the querying is executed with the query terms including the document type. 
     
     
         6 . The network of  claim 5 , wherein the document type is determined from a database associating the record repositories each with a document type determined from previous sampling of response success from the associated record repository. 
     
     
         7 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the record repository is at least one nationwide network. 
     
     
         8 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, 
 verify the clinical documents correspond to the patient, and/or   verify at least one of the record repositories recognizes the patient.   
     
     
         9 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, 
 verify the clinical documents correspond to the patient and the discharge of the discharge notification by comparing a creation time of the clinical documents to a time of the discharge notification, wherein the electronically providing withholds clinical documents outside of a time threshold determined by the comparing.   
     
     
         10 . A method of configuring network connections between data sources and electronic health record repositories owned and operated by distinct controllers, the method comprising:
 receiving and parsing, with a processor in the network, from the data sources a discharge notification indicating a discharge of a patient to associate the patient with query terms and a record repository of the record repositories, wherein the plurality of data sources provide information in a plurality of different formats, and wherein the processor is configured with the plurality of different formats to receive and parse the discharge notification from the information provided by the data sources regardless of format in real time with generation of the discharge notification;   identifying operational characteristics for record retrieval unique to the record repository associated with the patient;   querying the record repository with the query terms, wherein the querying is executed based on the operational characteristics for the record repository;   receiving the data from the record repository, wherein the data includes clinical documents describing treatment of the patient; and   electronically providing the clinical documents to a subscriber who identifies the patient to the network.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the discharge notification includes at least a portion of a discharge-type Health Level 7 (HL7) Admit-Discharge-Transfer (ADT) message generated by a facility discharging the patient. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the identifying operational characteristics includes determining a delay period for the record repository, and wherein the querying is executed only after the delay period. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the delay period is determined from a database associating the record repositories each with a delay period determined from previous sampling of response success from the associated record repository. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the identifying operational characteristics includes determining a document type for the record repository, and wherein the querying is executed with the query terms including the document type. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the document type is determined from a database associating the record repositories each with a document type determined from previous sampling of response success from the associated record repository. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the record repository is at least one nationwide network. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 verifying, with the processor, wherein the verifying includes at least one of, verifying the clinical documents correspond to the patient, and verifying at least one of the record repositories recognizes the patient.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 verifying, with the processor, the clinical documents correspond to the patient and the discharge of the discharge notification by comparing a creation time of the clinical documents to a time of the discharge notification, wherein the electronically providing withholds clinical documents outside of a time threshold determined by the comparing.   
     
     
         19 . A method of automatically receiving documents, the method comprising:
 identifying a patient to a network connected between data sources and electronic health record repositories owned and operated by distinct controllers, wherein the network is configured to, 
 receive and parse, with a processor in the network, from the data sources a discharge notification indicating a discharge of the patient to associate the patient with query terms and a record repository of the record repositories, wherein the plurality of data sources provide information in a plurality of different formats, and wherein the processor is configured with the plurality of different formats to receive and parse the discharge notification from the information provided by the data sources regardless of format in real time with generation of the discharge notification, 
 identify operational characteristics for record retrieval unique to the record repository associated with the patient, 
 query the record repository with the query terms, wherein the querying is executed based on the operational characteristics for the record repository, and 
 receive the data from the record repository, wherein the data includes clinical documents describing treatment of the patient; and 
   receiving the clinical documents from the network.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the network is further configured to,
 verify, with the processor, the clinical documents correspond to the patient and the discharge of the discharge notification by comparing a creation time of the clinical documents to a time of the discharge notification, wherein the receiving the clinical documents from the network does not include receiving clinical documents outside of a time threshold determined by the comparing.