Systems and methods for incorporating devices into a medical data network

1. A method for determining a network transmission path for medical data, comprising:

receiving, on a server, a request from a requesting node to transmit medical data to a destination node;

determining a list of nodes qualified (“qualified nodes”) for use in establishing a network for transmitting the medical data to the destination node;

determining at least one transmission path from the requesting node to the destination node using the list of qualified nodes;

deputizing each node in the at least one transmission path by sending to each node in the at least one transmission path credentials that configure each node in the at least one transmission path to communicate the medical data according to a communications standard;

instructing the requesting node to transmit the medical data through the at least one transmission path;

determining whether a plurality of transmission paths share a common node;

determining whether the common node is capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths in response to determining that the plurality of transmission paths share the common node; and

selecting one or more transmission paths in the plurality of transmission paths for the common node to support in response to determining that the common node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising verifying whether the requesting node is qualified to receive or transmit medical data and ignoring the request from the requesting node in response to determining that the requesting node is not qualified to receive or transmit medical data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the list of qualified nodes for use in establishing a network for transmitting the medical data to the destination node comprises:

receiving communication characteristics of each node;

determining whether each node is qualified to transmit the medical data based on communication characteristics of the node and the communications standard; and

adding the node to the list of qualified nodes in response to determining that the node is qualified to transmit the medical data.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the communication characteristics include at least one of a data reception rate, a data transmission rate, a communication interface type, a device type, a communications range, a device identifier, a medium access control address, an interface requirement, a bandwidth capability, a packet redundancy level, a quality of service level, a latency level, a security capability, a link redundancy level, and a power level.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the credentials comprise at least one of a regulatory classification, a priority, a patient identifier, a provider identifier, a channel identifier, a channel status, the at least one transmission path, an identity of a previous node in the at least one transmission path, and an identity of a next node in the at least one transmission path.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising de-deputizing each node in the at least one transmission path when transmission of the medical data is complete, wherein de-deputizing each node comprises disabling the credentials on each node.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a request from an intermediate node in the at least one transmission path to change the at least one transmission path;

determining at least one alternate transmission path from the requesting node to the destination node using the list of qualified nodes;

deputizing each node in the at least one alternate transmission path by sending each node in the at least one alternate transmission path credentials that configure each node in the at least one alternate transmission path to communicate the medical data according to the communications standard; and

instructing the requesting node and the intermediate node to transmit the medical data through the at least one alternate transmission path.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications standard is a medical regulatory standard.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the at least one transmission path from the requesting node to the destination node using the list of qualified nodes comprises determining at least one of a total transmission distance, an available resources of each node in the at least one transmission path, a number of nodes in the at least one transmission path, and a characteristic of the medical data.

10. A method executed by a node of a network for transmitting medical data in the network, comprising:

implementing credentials that configure the node to communicate medical data through a transmission path according to a communications standard;

transmitting the medical data received from a previous node in the transmission path to a next node in the transmission path according to the communications standard,

determining whether the node is shared by a plurality of transmission paths;

determining whether the node is capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths in response to determining that the node is shared by the plurality of transmission paths;

notifying a server that the node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths in response to determining that the node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths; and

receiving an instruction from the server to support one or more transmission paths in the plurality of transmission paths in response to notifying the server that the node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining whether a topology of the network has changed or whether the next node is able to receive the medical data; and

determining an alternate transmission path in response to determining that the topology of the network has changed or that the next node is not able to receive the medical data.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the node receives the credentials from the server in response to sending communication characteristics of the node to the server.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the communication characteristics include at least one of a data reception rate, a data transmission rate, a communication interface type, a device type, a communications range, a device identifier, a medium access control address, an interface requirement, a bandwidth capability, a packet redundancy level, a quality of service level, a latency level, a security capability, a link redundancy level, and a power level.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the credentials comprise at least one of a regulatory classification, a priority, a patient identifier, a provider identifier, a channel identifier, a channel status, the transmission path, an identity of the previous node in the transmission path, and an identity of the next node in the transmission path.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the communications standard is a medical regulatory standard.

16. A server, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to:

receive a request from a requesting node to transmit medical data to a destination node;

determine a list of nodes qualified (“qualified nodes”) for use in establishing a network for transmitting the medical data to the destination node;

determine at least one transmission path from the requesting node to the destination node using the list of qualified nodes;

deputize each node in the at least one transmission path by sending to each node in the at least one transmission path credentials that configure each node in the at least one transmission path to communicate the medical data according to a communications standard;

instruct the requesting node to transmit the medical data through the at least one transmission path;

determine whether a plurality of transmission paths share a common node;

determine whether the common node is capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths in response to determining that the plurality of transmission paths share the common node; and

select one or more transmission paths in the plurality of transmission paths for the common node to support in response to determining that the common node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths.

17. The server of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to verify whether the requesting node is qualified to receive or transmit medical data and ignore the request from the requesting node in response to determining that the requesting node is not qualified to receive or transmit medical data.

18. The server of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine the list of qualified nodes for use in establishing a network for transmitting the medical data to the destination node by:

receiving communication characteristics of each node;

determining whether each node is qualified to transmit the medical data based on communication characteristics of the node and the communications standard; and

adding the node to the list of qualified nodes in response to determining that the node is qualified to transmit the medical data.

19. The server of claim 18 , wherein the communication characteristics include at least one of a data reception rate, a data transmission rate, a communication interface type, a device type, a communications range, a device identifier, a medium access control address, an interface requirement, a bandwidth capability, a packet redundancy level, a quality of service level, a latency level, a security capability, a link redundancy level, and a power level.

20. The server of claim 16 , wherein the credentials comprise at least one of a regulatory classification, a priority, a patient identifier, a provider identifier, a channel identifier, a channel status, the at least one transmission path, an identity of a previous node in the at least one transmission path, and an identity of a next node in the at least one transmission path.

21. The server of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to de-deputize each node in the at least one transmission path when transmission of the medical data is complete, wherein de-deputizing each node comprises disabling the credentials on each node.

22. The server of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

receive a request from an intermediate node in the at least one transmission path to change the at least one transmission path;

determine at least one alternate transmission path from the requesting node to the destination node using the list of qualified nodes;

deputize each node in the at least one alternate transmission path by sending each node in the at least one alternate transmission path credentials that configure each node in the at least one alternate transmission path to communicate the medical data according to the communications standard; and

instruct the requesting node and the intermediate node to transmit the medical data through the at least one alternate transmission path.

23. The server of claim 16 , wherein the communications standard is a medical regulatory standard.

24. The server of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine the at least one transmission path from the requesting node to the destination node using the list of qualified nodes by determining at least one of a total transmission distance, an available resources of each node in the at least one transmission path, a number of nodes in the at least one transmission path, and a characteristic of the medical data.

25. A node, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to:

implement credentials that configure the node to communicate medical data through a transmission path according to a communications standard;

transmit the medical data received from a previous node in the transmission path to a next node in the transmission path according to the communications standard;

determine whether the node is shared by a plurality of transmission paths;

determine whether the node is capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths in response to determining that the node is shared by the plurality of transmission paths;

notify a server that the node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths in response to determining that the node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths; and

receive an instruction from the server to support one or more transmission paths in the plurality of transmission paths in response to notifying the server that the node is not capable of supporting the plurality of transmission paths.

26. The node of claim 25 , wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine whether a topology of the network has changed or whether the next node is able to receive the medical data; and

determine an alternate transmission path in response to determining that the topology of the network has changed or that the next node is not able to receive the medical data.

27. The node of claim 25 , wherein the node receives the credentials from the server in response to sending communication characteristics of the node to the server.

28. The node of claim 25 , wherein the communications standard is a medical regulatory standard.