Computing system that facilitates digital rights management for healthcare records
Described herein are various technologies pertaining to facilitating digital rights management of patient healthcare records. A computing system executing an electronic health records application (EHR) receives an attribute of a healthcare worker and a patient identifier from a client computing device. The computing system retrieves a computer-readable file for the patient, the computer-readable file comprising a plurality of file records and a file access portion. A file record in the plurality of file records comprises a data portion and an access portion. The computing system transmits data in the data portion to the client computing device only when both the file access portion of the computer-readable file and the access portion of the file record include the attribute of the healthcare worker.
1. A computing system comprising:
a processor; and
memory that stores an electronic health records application (EHR) that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform acts comprising:
receiving at least one attribute of a healthcare worker from a client computing device executing a client EHR;
receiving a patient identifier for a patient from the client computing device;
responsive to receiving the patient identifier, retrieving a computer-readable file for the patient based on the patient identifier, wherein the computer-readable file for the patient comprises:
a plurality of file records, the plurality of file records comprising a file record including a data portion and an access portion, the access portion in the file record comprises an attribute, wherein access to data in the data portion is restricted to healthcare workers who have the attribute in the access portion, wherein the attribute in the access portion does not include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker;
a file access portion including the attribute and a date associated with the attribute, wherein access to the computer-readable file is restricted to healthcare workers who have the attribute in the file access portion; and
a timestamp indicative of when the file record was created;
responsive to retrieving the computer-readable file for the patient, comparing the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker to the attribute included in the file access portion, comparing the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker to the attribute included in the access portion of the file record, and transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device only when the file access portion and the access portion include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker and only when the timestamp is after the date in the file access portion;
receiving an indication from the client computing device that access to the file record has been granted to the healthcare worker; and
responsive to receiving the indication, modifying the access portion of the file record to include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker.
2. The computing system of claim 1 , the acts further comprising:
subsequent to receiving the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker from the client computing device, retrieving a second attribute of the healthcare worker by executing a search over a data store accessible to the EHR based on the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker.
3. The computing system of claim 1 , the acts further comprising:
when the file access portion does not include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker, transmitting a message to the client computing device indicating that the healthcare worker lacks permission to access the computer-readable file.
4. The computing system of claim 1 , the acts further comprising:
when the access portion in the file record does not include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker, transmitting a message to the client computing device indicating that the healthcare worker lacks permission to access the file record in the computer-readable file.
5. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker is an identity of a healthcare organization to which the healthcare worker belongs, wherein the attribute in the file access portion is the identity of the healthcare organization.
6. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker is an identifier for the healthcare worker, wherein the attribute in the access portion of the file record is the identifier for the healthcare worker.
7. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the access portion further comprises a second attribute, the acts further comprising:
receiving an indication from the client computing device that the patient wishes to remove access to the file record for persons possessing the second attribute;
responsive to receiving the indication, removing the second attribute from the access portion.
8. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable file is encrypted, the acts further comprising:
prior to transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device, decrypting the computer-readable file.
9. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable file is compressed, the acts further comprising:
prior to transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device, decompressing the computer-readable file.
10. A method executed by a computing system executing an electronic health records application (EHR), the method comprising:
receiving at least one attribute of a healthcare worker from a client computing device executing a client EHR;
receiving a patient identifier for a patient from the client computing device;
responsive to receiving the patient identifier, retrieving a computer-readable file for the patient based on the patient identifier, wherein the computer-readable file for the patient comprises:
a plurality of file records, the plurality of file records comprising a file record including a data portion and an access portion, the access portion in the file record comprises an attribute, wherein access to data in the data portion is restricted to healthcare workers who have the attribute in the access portion, wherein the attribute in the access portion does not include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker; and
a file access portion, the file access portion comprises a second attribute, wherein access to the computer-readable file is restricted to healthcare workers who have the second attribute in the file access portion;
responsive to retrieving the computer-readable file for the patient, comparing the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker to the second attribute included in the file access portion, comparing the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker to the attribute included in the access portion of the file record, and transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device only when the file access portion and the access portion include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker;
receiving an indication from the client computing device that access to the file record has been granted to the healthcare worker; and
responsive to receiving the indication, modifying the access portion of the file record to include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the computer-readable file further includes a timestamp indicative of when the file record was created, wherein the file access portion further includes a date associated with the second attribute in the file access portion, the method further comprising:
transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device only when the timestamp is after the date in the file access portion.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the computer-readable file further includes a timestamp indicative of when the file record was created, wherein the file access portion further includes a date associated with the second attribute in the file access portion, the method further comprising:
transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device only when the timestamp is before the date in the file access portion.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker is an identity of a healthcare organization to which the healthcare worker belongs, wherein the second attribute in the file access portion is the identity of the healthcare organization.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker is an identifier for the healthcare worker, wherein the attribute in the access portion in the file record is the identifier for the healthcare worker.
15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
when the file access portion does not include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker, transmitting a message to the client computing device indicating that the healthcare worker lacks permission to access the computer-readable file.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:
receiving at least one attribute of a healthcare worker from a client computing device;
receiving a patient identifier for a patient from the client computing device;
responsive to receiving the patient identifier, retrieving a computer-readable file for the patient by executing a search based on the patient identifier over a data store comprising computer readable files for a plurality of patients, wherein the computer-readable file for the patient comprises:
a plurality of file records, the plurality of file records comprising a file record, the file record including a data portion and an access portion, an access portion in the file record comprises an attribute, and further wherein access to data in the data portion is restricted to healthcare workers who have the attribute in the access portion, wherein the attribute in the access portion does not include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker; and
a file access portion, the file access portion comprises a second attribute, wherein access to the computer-readable file is restricted to healthcare workers who have the second attribute in the file access portion;
responsive to retrieving the computer-readable file for the patient, comparing the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker to the second attribute in the file access portion, comparing the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker to the attribute included in the access portion of the file record, and transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device only when the file access portion and the access portion include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker;
receiving an indication from the client computing device that access to the file record has been granted to the healthcare worker; and
responsive to receiving the indication, modifying the access portion of the file record to include the at least one attribute of the healthcare worker.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the access portion further comprises a third attribute, the acts further comprising:
receiving an indication from the client computing device that the patient wishes to restrict access to the file record for persons possessing the third attribute; and
responsive to receiving the indication, removing the third attribute from the access portion.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the computer-readable file further includes a timestamp indicative of when the file record was created, wherein the file access portion further includes a date associated with the second attribute in the file access portion, the acts further comprising:
transmitting the data portion of the file record to the client computing device only when the timestamp is before the date in the file access portion.