Encryption scheme for making secure patient data available to authorized parties

One or more computer memories collectively storing a sharing package data structure for the secure maintenance and sharing of information relating to a person with two or more parties, the data structure comprising:

• a version of the data that has been encrypted in such a way that a data decryption key is needed to decrypt it;
• a hash on the data decryption key;
• and
• access control list entries each containing a version of the data decryption key that has been encrypted with a public key associated with a different party authorized to access the data, such that the contents of the data structure are usable to provide access to a decrypted version of the data to a party that is able to decrypt the encrypted data decryption key stored in one of the access control entries.

One or more computer-readable devices having contents that, when executed by a processor, cause one or more computing devices to perform a method for authorizing sharing of user data, the method comprising:

• receiving an indication that data relating to a user should be shared;
• accessing information identifying two or more parties with whom the data is to be shared;
• encrypting the data such that a data decryption key is needed to decrypt the encrypted data;
• storing the encrypted data;
• computing a hash against the data decryption key;
• storing the computed hash in connection with the stored encrypted data;
• for each of the identified parties:
• encrypting the data decryption key with a public key associated with the party;
• and
• storing the encrypted data decryption key in connection with the stored encrypted data.