“Interoperability Test Environment” in Patent Application Approval Process (USPTO 20200379885)

2020 DEC 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent application by the inventors Englehart, Matthew (East Lansing, MI); Pletcher, Timothy (Mount Pleasant, MI), filed on November 11, 2019, was made available online on December 3, 2020, according to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by NewsRx correspondents.

This patent application is assigned to Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (East Lansing, Michigan, United States).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “The demand for using synthetic patient data that is highly realistic, and clinically relevant, continues to increase for use in interoperability testing of healthcare-related services since there is no risk of disclosing protected health information (PHI), the transfer of which, is highly regulated, for example under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HiPAA), to protect the privacy of individuals. For instance, large scale synthetic patient data is useful for powering interoperability testing of services such as clinical quality measures and population health activities, while small scale bespoke ‘persona’ data may be useful to power case driven interoperability testing of services such as medication reconciliation and gaps-in-care. Often, interoperability testing requires collaboration across multiple organizations and stake holders, such as, without limitations, physicians and physicians’ groups, health care service providers, health insurance plans, hospital networks/companies, pharmacies, laboratories, government agencies, etc. As a result, before interoperability testing starts, there are often significant legal and governance hurdles that must be cleared between the collaborators prior to engaging in multi-organization interoperability testing. While Connectathon-like events provide exceptional venues for promoting interoperability between organizations, these events include a number of drawbacks. For instance, Connectathons typically have a set duration (e.g., two days) and may be cost prohibitive due to costs associated with marketing, fees to host venue, travel costs to host venue, test environment configuration, etc. Moreover, participants at Connectathons are typically required to be physically present at a same facility, while attendance is limited to those individuals that are able to travel to the host venue and capacity of the host venue.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent application, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “One aspect of the disclosure provides a method that includes receiving, at data processing hardware of a collaboration platform, from a client device, configuration data for creating a collaboration environment for building and testing a software application. Based on the configuration data: the method includes generating, by the data processing hardware a simulated network of simulated services; and generating, by the data processing hardware, synthetic patient data configured to progress through the simulated network of simulated services. Each simulated service within the simulated network of services includes a set of resources. The method also includes transmitting, by the data processing hardware, visualization data associated with execution of the software application in the collaboration environment to the client device. The client device is configured to display the visualization data on a user interface.

“Implementations of the disclosure may provide one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the method also includes receiving, at the data processing hardware, one or more invitations from the client device inviting corresponding organizations access to the collaboration environment for building and testing the software application; and for each invitation of the one or more invitations, transmitting, by the data processing hardware, the invitation to the corresponding organization. The invitation includes authorization/authentication credentials for use by the corresponding organization to access the collaboration environment. The at least one of the simulated services executes on a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based server.

“In some examples, the method also includes exposing, by the data processing hardware, a proprietary services to the collaboration environment through a corresponding sandbox. The proprietary service is configured to execute securely within the corresponding sandbox without exposing its contents to the collaboration platform.

“In some implementations, generating the synthetic patient data includes generating a population of synthetic patients. The population of synthetic patients may be generated during a probability run. In additional implementations, the method also includes progressing, by the data processing hardware, one or more of the synthetic patients of the population through the simulated network of simulated services.

“In some examples, generating the synthetic patient data includes obtaining one or more synthetic personas from a synthetic patient library, each synthetic persona comprising a synthetic representation of an individual. In these examples, the method may further include, for at least one synthetic persona of the one or more synthetic personas obtained from the synthetic patient library, receiving, at the data processing hardware, modification inputs from the client device to modify the synthetic representation of the individual of the at least one synthetic persona. In other examples, generating the synthetic patient data includes building one or more synthetic personas. Here, each synthetic persona includes synthetic representations of an individual specifically tailored for testing the software application.

“Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a system that includes data processing hardware and memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware and storing instructions, that when executed on the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations that include receiving from a client device, configuration data for creating a collaboration environment for building and testing a software application. Based on the configuration data: the operations include generating a simulated network of simulated services; and generating synthetic patient data configured to progress through the simulated network of simulated services. Each simulated service within the simulated network of services includes a set of resources. The operations also include transmitting visualization data associated with execution of the software application in the collaboration environment to the client device. The client device is configured to display the visualization data on a user interface.

“This aspect of the disclosure may provide one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the operations also include receiving one or more invitations from the client device inviting corresponding organizations access to the collaboration environment for building and testing the software application; and for each invitation of the one or more invitations, transmitting the invitation to the corresponding organization. The invitation includes authorization/authentication credentials for use by the corresponding organization to access the collaboration environment. The at least one of the simulated services executes on a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based server.

“In some examples, the operations also include exposing a proprietary services to the collaboration environment through a corresponding sandbox. The proprietary service is configured to execute securely within the corresponding sandbox without exposing its contents to the collaboration platform.

“In some implementations, generating the synthetic patient data includes generating a population of synthetic patients. The population of synthetic patients may be generated during a probability run. In additional implementations, the operations also include progressing one or more of the synthetic patients of the population through the simulated network of simulated services.

“In some examples, generating the synthetic patient data includes obtaining one or more synthetic personas from a synthetic patient library, each synthetic persona comprising a synthetic representation of an individual. In these examples, the operations also include, for at least one synthetic persona of the one or more synthetic personas obtained from the synthetic patient library, receiving modification inputs from the client device to modify the synthetic representation of the individual of the at least one synthetic persona. In other examples, generating the synthetic patient data includes building one or more synthetic personas. Here, each synthetic persona includes synthetic representations of an individual specifically tailored for testing the software application.

“The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A method comprising: receiving, at data processing hardware of a collaboration platform, from a client device, configuration data for creating a collaboration environment for building and testing a software application; based on the configuration data: generating, by the data processing hardware, a simulated network of simulated services, each simulated service within the simulated network of services comprising a set of resources; and generating, by the data processing hardware, synthetic patient data configured to progress through the simulated network of simulated services; and transmitting, by the data processing hardware, visualization data associated with execution of the software application in the collaboration environment to the client device, the client device configured to display the visualization data on a user interface.

“2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the data processing hardware, one or more invitations from the client device inviting corresponding organizations access to the collaboration environment for building and testing the software application; and for each invitation of the one or more invitations, transmitting, by the data processing hardware, the invitation to the corresponding organization.

“3. The method of claim 2, wherein the invitation comprises authorization/authentication credentials for use by the corresponding organization to access the collaboration environment.

“4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the simulated services executes on a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based server.

“5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, exposing, by the data processing hardware, a proprietary services to the collaboration environment through a corresponding sandbox, the proprietary service configured to execute securely within the corresponding sandbox without exposing its contents to the collaboration platform.

“6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating synthetic patient data comprises generating a population of synthetic patients during a probability run.

“7. The method of claim 6, further comprising progressing, by the data processing hardware, one or more of the synthetic patients of the population through the simulated network of simulated services.

“8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating synthetic patient data comprises obtaining one or more synthetic personas from a synthetic patient library, each synthetic persona comprising a synthetic representation of an individual.

“9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, at the data processing hardware, modification inputs from the client device to modify the synthetic representation of the individual.

“10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating synthetic patient data comprises building one or more synthetic personas, each synthetic persona comprising synthetic representations of an individual specifically tailored for testing the software application.

“11. A system comprising: data processing hardware of a collaboration platform; and memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a client device, configuration data for creating a collaboration environment for building and testing a software application; based on the configuration data: generating a simulated network of simulated services, each simulated service within the simulated network of services comprising a set of resources; and generating synthetic patient data configured to progress through the simulated network of simulated services; and transmitting visualization data associated with execution of the software application in the collaboration environment to the client device, the client device configured to display the visualization data on a user interface.

“12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving one or more invitations from the client device inviting corresponding organizations access to the collaboration environment for building and testing the software application; and for each invitation of the one or more invitations, transmitting the invitation to the corresponding organization.

“13. The system of claim 12, wherein the invitation comprises authorization/authentication credentials for use by the corresponding organization to access the collaboration environment.

“14. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the simulated services executes on a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based server.

“15. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise exposing a proprietary services to the collaboration environment through a corresponding sandbox, the proprietary service configured to execute securely within the corresponding sandbox without exposing its contents to the collaboration platform.

“16. The system of claim 11, wherein generating synthetic patient data comprises generating a population of synthetic patients during a probability run.

“17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise generating one or more of the synthetic patients of the population through the simulated network of simulated services.

“18. The system of claim 11, wherein generating synthetic patient data comprises obtaining one or more synthetic personas from a synthetic patient library, each synthetic persona comprising a synthetic representation of an individual.

“19. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise receiving modification inputs from the client device to modify the synthetic representation of the individual.

“20. The system of claim 11, wherein generating synthetic patient data comprises building one or more synthetic personas, each synthetic persona comprising synthetic representations of an individual specifically tailored for testing the software application.”

URL and more information on this patent application, see: Englehart, Matthew; Pletcher, Timothy. Interoperability Test Environment. Filed November 11, 2019 and posted December 3, 2020. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220200379885%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20200379885&RS=DN/20200379885

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