Method and apparatus for managing personal medical information in a secure manner

1. A computer implemented method for managing a person's medical information, the method comprising:

receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given person, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given person;

enabling access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the first request;

receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given person responsive to enabling access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

enabling access to the second tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the second request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second request is authenticated only if the first request has been authenticated.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising authenticating the first and second requests responsive in part to the portable secure medium associated with the given person being connected to a processing device, the processing device being used as a client to communicate with a server.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enabling access to the second tier information includes receiving the second tier information stored in a server at a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enabling access to the second tier information further includes receiving a decryption key at a client from a server to access the second tier information, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a first decryption key at a client at which the first request has been received once the first request has been authenticated; and

receiving a second decryption key at the client in response to the second request once the second request has been authenticated.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first request is received by a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled, the client being used to communicate with a remotely located server, and wherein the first tier information is stored in the portable secure medium in encrypted form.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second tier information is stored in a server and received by a client after the second request has been authenticated, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first request is received after the portable secure medium associated with the given person has been coupled to a client configured to communicate with a server that is provided at a remote location from the client.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the portable secure medium serves as a security key that enables the first request to be processed by the server.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

enabling display of non-confidential information about the given person without requiring security information input.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the enabling display is performed after the portable secure medium is coupled to a processing device.

13. A server comprising:

a network interface to communicate with clients;

a storage device to store medical information of users; and

a computer readable medium including code for receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given user, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given user;

code for providing access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given user upon authenticating the first request;

code for receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given user responsive to providing access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

code for providing access to the second tier of information associated with the medical information of the given user upon authenticating the second request.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying computer-readable instructions that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given person, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given person;

enabling access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the first request;

receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given person responsive to enabling access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

enabling access to the second tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the second request.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the second request is authenticated only if the first request has been authenticated.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise authenticating the first and second requests responsive in part to the portable secure medium associated with the given person being connected to a processing device, the processing device being used as a client to communicate with a server.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise enabling access to the second tier information by receiving the second tier information stored in a server at a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise enabling access to the second tier information by receiving a decryption key at a client from a server to access the second tier information, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a first decryption key at a client at which the first request has been received once the first request has been authenticated; and

receiving a second decryption key at the client in response to the second request once the second request has been authenticated.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the first request is received by a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled, the client being used to communicate with a remotely located server, and wherein the first tier information is stored in the portable secure medium in encrypted form.

21. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the second tier information is stored in a server and received by a client after the second request has been authenticated, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

22. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the first request is received after the portable secure medium associated with the given person has been coupled to a client to communicate with a server that is provided at a remote location from the client.

23. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 22 , wherein the portable secure medium serves as a security key that enables the first request to be processed by the server.

24. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:

enabling display of non-confidential information about the given person without requiring security information input.

25. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 24 , wherein the operations further comprise enabling display of the non-confidential information after the portable secure medium is coupled to a processing device.

26. A system comprising:

means for receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given person, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given person;

means for enabling access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the first request;

means for receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given person responsive to enabling access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

means for enabling access to the second tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the second request.

27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the means for receiving the first request comprises means for receiving the first request after the portable secure medium associated with the given person has been coupled to a client configured to communicate with a server that is provided at a remote location from the client.

28. The system of claim 26 , further comprising:

means for receiving a first decryption key at a client at which the first request has been received once the first request has been authenticated; and

means for receiving a second decryption key at the client in response to the second request once the second request has been authenticated.