System and method for medical device authentication

A secure patient care system comprising:

• a central medical information computer;
• a wireless access point operatively coupled to the central medical information computer;
• a medical device equipped to facilitate wireless communication with the central medical information computer via the wireless access point, the medical device being structured to securely communicate with the central medical information computer using a first digital certificate;
• and
• a user interface device equipped to facilitate wireless communication with the central medical information computer via the wireless access point, the user interface device being structured to securely communicate with the central medical information computer using a second digital certificate.

A machine-readable medium storing instructions structured to cause a central medical information computer to:

• create a first account on the central medical information computer for a medical device;
• generate a first digital certificate for the medical device;
• map the first digital certificate to the first account;
• transfer the first digital certificate to the medical device;
• create a second account on the central medical information computer for a user interface device;
• generate a second digital certificate for the user interface device;
• map the second digital certificate to the second account;
• transfer the second digital certificate to the user interface device;
• receive medical data from the medical device using the first digital certificate;
• and
• send the medical data to the user interface device using the second digital certificate.

A method of securely transmitting medical data generated by a medical device, the method comprising:

• providing for creating a first account on a central medical information computer for the medical device;
• providing for generating a first digital certificate for the medical device;
• providing for mapping the first digital certificate to the first account;
• providing for transferring the first digital certificate to the medical device;
• providing for creating a second account on the central medical information computer for a user interface device;
• providing for generating a second digital certificate for the user interface device;
• providing for mapping the second digital certificate to the second account;
• providing for transferring the second digital certificate to the user interface device;
• providing for receiving medical data at the central medical information computer using the first digital certificate, the medical data being generated by the medical device;
• and
• providing for transmitting the medical data from the central medical information computer to the user interface device using the second digital certificate.

A method of securely communicating with a medical device, the method comprising:

• creating an account on a central medical information computer for the medical device;
• generating a digital certificate for the medical device;
• mapping the digital certificate to the account;
• transferring the digital certificate to the medical device;
• and
• assigning a role to the account, the role being selected from a plurality of medical device roles.