Creating and updating problem lists for electronic health records

A method for maintaining an electronic health records (EHR) system, comprising:

• storing a medical records database in a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to at least one processor device;
• receiving requests for medical data for a patient in a master problem list (MPL) from one or more user devices;
• authenticating one or more users and user devices using multi-factor authentication prior to granting access to the MPL, and, upon successful authentication, determining and granting the authenticated user devices appropriate list permissions for one or more of a plurality of hierarchical derivative problem lists (DPLs);
• implementing a temporal-based data transmission and storage policy that is predetermined or set by a user, the implementing comprising transforming entered data into one or more keywords using natural language processing (NLP) and sending only the keywords from a user device to a server to minimize an amount of data transmitted to the server during updating the MPL during peak usage times;
• determining and granting one or more of the user devices appropriate list permissions for one or more of a plurality of hierarchical derivative problem lists (DPLs) based on the authenticating and the data transmission and storage policy;
• receiving at a server annotated data related to the patient from one or more of the one or more user devices based on annotations made to one or more of the DPLs;
• and
• updating, in real time at the server, one or more hierarchical problem lists (PLs), each including two or more PL levels, with the received annotated data from the one or more user devices, the updating comprising:
• comparing, by the server, the received annotated data with current entries in the MPL using natural language processing (NLP) to categorize updates and identify duplicate entries;
• iteratively detecting and removing the identified duplicate entries from the MPL and storing non-duplicate entries in appropriate authorized DPLs based on the NLP and hierarchical list update permissions for each of the DPLs;
• increasing transmission speed and real-time network capability for the updating by the server by minimizing an amount of data transmitted by the one or more user devices to the server during the updating by associating edits in the annotated data with one or more keywords and transmitting only data for the keywords to the server for the updating the one or more PLs, in accordance with the implemented data transmission and storage policy;
• sending an alert to at least one of a user or user device with approval authority for annotations to be added to the EHR, wherein updates to higher hierarchical levels are prevented from being stored to the server until the edits have been approved for storage in one or more PLs by the at least one of a user or user device with approval authority;
• and
• disabling update buttons for the PL which has been edited/annotated on the device screen of the user who entered the edits/annotations until the previously sent edit/annotation updates have been approved or denied by a user and/or user device with approval authority for storage at the remote server.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer readable program operatively coupled to at least one processor device for maintaining an electronic health records (EHR) system, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform steps of:

• storing a medical records database in a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one processor device;
• receiving requests for medical data for a patient in a master problem list (MPL) from one or more user devices;
• authenticating one or more users and user devices using multi-factor authentication prior to granting access to the MPL, and, upon successful authentication, determining and granting the authenticated user devices appropriate list permissions for one or more of a plurality of hierarchical derivative problem lists (DPLs);
• implementing a temporal-based data transmission and storage policy that is predetermined or set by a user, the implementing comprising transforming entered data into one or more keywords using natural language processing (NLP) and sending only the keywords from a user device to a server to minimize an amount of data transmitted to the server during updating the MPL during peak usage times;
• determining and granting one or more of the user devices appropriate list permissions for one or more of a plurality of hierarchical derivative problem lists (DPLs) based on the authenticating and the data transmission and storage policy;
• receiving at a server annotated data related to the patient from one or more of the one or more user devices based on annotations made to one or more of the DPLs;
• and
• updating, in real time at the server, one or more hierarchical problem lists (PLs), each including two or more PL levels, with the received annotated data from the one or more user devices, the updating comprising:
• comparing, by the server, the received annotated data with current entries in the MPL using natural language processing (NLP) to identify duplicate entries;
• iteratively detecting and removing the identified duplicate entries from the MPL and storing non-duplicate entries in appropriate authorized DPLs based on the NLP and hierarchical list update permissions for each of the DPLs;
• increasing transmission speed and real-time network capability for the updating by the server by minimizing an amount of data transmitted by the one or more user devices to the server during the updating by associating edits in the annotated data with one or more keywords and transmitting only data for the keywords to the server for the updating the one or more PLs, in accordance with the implemented data transmission and storage policy;
• sending an alert to at least one of a user or user device with approval authority for annotations to be added to the EHR, wherein updates to higher hierarchical levels are prevented from being stored to the server until the edits have been approved for storage in one or more PLs by the at least one of a user or user device with approval authority;
• and
• disabling update buttons for the PL which has been edited/annotated on the device screen of the user who entered the edits/annotations until the previously sent edit/annotation updates have been approved or denied by a user and/or user device with approval authority for storage at the remote server.