Network-based collaboration for secure data interchange for image data records having confidential components

A method for collaborating transmission and receiver nodes for secure data interchange for radiological image data records including confidential components, the method comprising:

• provisioning an image data record on a transmission node;
• determining a degree of pseudonymizing such that different components of the image data record are pseudonymized based on the degree of pseudonymizing;
• applying a pseudonymization function to the image data record to produce a pseudonymized image data record based on the degree of pseudonymizing;
• determining receiver nodes for the image data record and producing a receiver node message that defines the determined receiver nodes;
• storing the image data record locally to a security domain at an image data record specific protected health information (PHI) share address in a PHI share memory local to the security domain;
• transmitting the pseudonymized image data record, the receiver node message and the PHI share address associated with the image data record to a cloud-based processing node;
• provisioning a set of virtual clients that virtualize respective receiver nodes such that (i) no Internet connection exists between an image data server and the set of virtual clients, (ii), a respective one of the set of virtual clients is associated with the respective receiver node to virtually provide the pseudonymized image data intended for the respective receiver node, (iii) the set of virtual clients each have a collaboration client installed thereon that is compatible with the respective receiver node and accessible by the respective receiver node via a client software installation portal without a viewer application installed on the respective receiver node to view the pseudonymized image data;
• determining which one of a first connection message and a second connection message to send to the respective receiver node as a transmittable connection message based on whether the respective receiver node is situated inside or outside a security domain of the transmission node, the first connection message containing an address of a virtual client having the PHI share address and the second connection message containing an address to a virtual client having the respective pseudonymized image data record
• sending the transmittable connection message from the cloud-based processing node to the respective receiver node;
• receiving the transmittable connection message on the respective receiver node;
• and
• activating a reference contained in the transmittable connection message for the provision of the pseudonymized image data record by way of the virtual client, if the receiver node is situated outside a security domain of the transmission node such that a user associated with the receiver node uses the client software installation portal to collaborate with other users within the security domain to perform a diagnosis on a patient associated with the image data record without the user associated with the receiver node having an indication of protected health information associated with the patient or
• activating the reference contained in the transmittable connection message for the provision of the image data record by way of the PHI share address in the PHI share memory local to the security domain, if the receiver node is situated inside the security domain of the transmission node.

A transmission node for collaboration with receiver nodes for secure data interchange for radiological image data records including confidential components, comprising:

• a memory and processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to,
• exchange an image data record with an imaging facility,
• determine a degree of pseudonymizing such that different components of the image data record are pseudonymized based on the degree of pseudonymizing,
• pseudonymize the image data record and to produce a pseudonymized image data record based on the degree of pseudonymizing,
• determine receiver nodes for the image data record and to generate a receiver node message therefrom,
• send the pseudonymized image data record, an image data record specific protected health information (PHI) share address and the receiver node message to a cloud-based processing node, the cloud-based processing node configured to determine which one of a first connection message and a second connection message to send to the respective receiver node as a transmittable connection message based on whether the respective receiver node is situated inside or outside a security domain of the transmission node, the first connection message containing an address of a virtual client having the PHI share address and the second connection message containing an address to a virtual client having the respective pseudonymized image data record, the virtual client being one of a plurality of virtual clients virtualizing respective receiver nodes such that (i) no internet connection exists between an image data server and the plurality of virtual clients, (ii) a respective one of the virtual clients is associated with the respective receiver node to provide the pseudonymized image data record intended for the respective receiver node, (iii) the plurality of virtual clients each have a collaboration client installed thereon that is compatible with the respective receiver node and accessible by the respective receiver node via a client software installation portal without a viewer application installed on the respective receiver node to view the pseudonymized image data, and
• store the respective image data record at the PHI share address in a PHI share memory local to the security domain.

A method for operating a transmission node for collaborating transmission and receiver nodes for secure data interchange for radiological image data records including confidential components, the method comprising:

• provisioning an image data record on a transmission node;
• determining a degree of pseudonymizing such that different components of the image data record are pseudonymized based on the degree of pseudonymizing;
• applying a pseudonymization function to the image data record to produce a pseudonymized image data record based on the degree of pseudonymizing;
• determining receiver nodes for the image data record and producing a receiver node message that defines the determined receiver nodes;
• storing the image data record locally to a security domain at an image data record specific protected health information (PHI) share address in a PHI share memory local to the security domain;
• and
• transmitting the pseudonymized image data record, the receiver node message and the PHI share address associated with the image data record to a cloud-based processing node, the cloud-based processing node configured to determine which one of a first connection message and a second connection message to send to the respective receiver node as a transmittable connection message based on whether the respective receiver node is situated inside or outside a security domain of the transmission node, the first connection message containing an address of one of the plurality of virtual clients having the PHI share address and the second connection message containing an address to one of the plurality of virtual clients having the respective pseudonymized image data record, the virtual client being one of a plurality of virtual clients virtualizing respective receiver nodes such that (i) no internet connection exists between an image data server and the plurality of virtual clients, (ii) a respective one of the virtual clients is associated with the respective receiver node to provide the pseudonymized image data record intended for the respective receiver node, (iii) the plurality of virtual clients each have a collaboration client installed thereon that is compatible with the respective receiver node and accessible by the respective receiver node via a client software installation portal without a viewer application installed on the respective receiver node to view the pseudonymized image data.

A cloud-based processing node for collaborating transmission and receiver nodes for secure data interchange for radiological image data records including confidential components, the cloud-based processing node comprising:

• a memory and processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to,
• receive a pseudonymized image data record from a transmission node,
• generate a plurality of virtual clients virtualizing respective receiver nodes such that (i) no internet connection exists between an image data server and the plurality of virtual clients, (ii) a respective one of the virtual clients is associated with a respective receiver node to provide the pseudonymized image data record intended for the respective receiver node, (iii) the plurality of virtual clients each have a collaboration client installed thereon that is compatible with the respective receiver node and accessible by the respective receiver node via a client software installation portal without a viewer application installed on the respective receiver node to view the pseudonymized image data,
• receive a receiver node message and a protected health information (PHI) share address for the pseudonymized image data record from the transmission node,
• determine which one of a first connection message and a second connection message to send to the respective receiver node as a transmittable connection message based on whether the respective receiver node is situated inside or outside a security domain of the transmission node, the first connection message containing an address of one of the plurality of virtual clients having the PHI share address and the second connection message containing an address to one of the plurality of virtual clients having the pseudonymized image data record, and
• send the transmittable connection message to the respective receiver node.

A method for operating a cloud-based processing node for collaborating transmission nodes and receiver nodes for secure data interchange for radiological image data records including confidential components, the method comprising:

• receiving a pseudonymized image data record, a receiver node message and a protected health information (PHI) share address associated with the radiological image data record;
• provisioning a set of virtual clients virtualizing respective receiver nodes such that (i) no internet connection exists between an image data server and the plurality of virtual clients, (ii) a respective one of the set of virtual clients being associated with a respective receiver node to virtually provide the pseudonymized image data record intended for each respective virtual client, (iii) the plurality of virtual clients each have a collaboration client installed thereon that is compatible with the respective receiver node and accessible by the respective receiver node via a client software installation portal without a viewer application installed on the respective receiver node to view the pseudonymized image data;
• determining which one of a first connection message and a second connection message to send to the respective receiver node as a transmittable connection message based on whether the respective receiver node is situated inside or outside a security domain of the transmission node, the first connection message containing an address of one of the plurality of virtual clients having the PHI share address and the second connection message containing an address to one of the plurality of virtual clients having the pseudonymized image data record;
• and
• sending connection message to the respective receiver node.