Patent Issued for De-identifying medical history information for medical underwriting (USPTO 11804288): Vigilytics LLC

2023 NOV 22 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, a patent by the inventors Paris, III, Andrew L. (Victor, NY, US), filed on October 1, 2020, was published online on October 31, 2023.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11804288, is Vigilytics LLC (Victor, New York, United States).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “The present disclosure relates to processing and transmitting personal data, the dissemination of which is restricted by federal law.

“Due to federal privacy laws, companies that offer health insurance to small and midsize groups (containing 10-1000 individuals) are often unable to obtain the health history data they need to estimate the risk of insuring such groups commonly referred to as “experience rating”. This frequently leads to less than optimal pricing for the companies, the groups, or both. Healthcare providers such as pharmacies and hospitals generate private healthcare data about patients, including medical and prescription drug history, and administrative healthcare claims data. Data that associates patient identity with health information is known as protected health information (PHI). Healthcare providers can store protected health information in electronic databases for future use in patient care and insurance claims processing. Insurance companies have developed techniques to estimate their risk from insuring a group of people by processing the protected health information about the group. Federal privacy laws, however, prevent the insurance companies from obtaining protected health information without individual authorizations from the each person in the group.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The systems and techniques described here relate to de-identifying medical history information.

“In one aspect, a computer-implemented method includes producing information that characterizes a group of individuals from a set of private data representing characteristics of the individuals. The identity of the individuals is unattainable from the produced information. The method also includes providing the produced information to report the characteristics of the group.

“Implementations may include any of all of the following features. Producing information that characterizes the group may include producing a request token for each individual included in the group. Producing such a request token for each individual may include encrypting respective data that identifies each individual. Producing information that characterizes the group may include comparing the request tokens to tokens associated with the information to be produced. The tokens associated with the information to be produced and the request tokens may be similarly encrypted. Producing information that characterizes the group may includes determining if the comparison provides at least a minimum number of matches. Producing information that characterizes the group may include requesting a predefined portion of the information. Additionally, producing information that characterizes the group may include determining if the group includes at least a minimum number of individuals. The private data may represent medical related information associated with the individuals of the group.

“In another aspect a system includes an encryption server for producing a request token of each individual included in a group identified in a request for information that characterizes the group. The system may also include a data server for producing the information that characterizes the group from a set of private data representing characteristics of the individuals. The identity of the individuals is unattainable from the produced information. The data server is also configured to provide the produced information to report the characteristics of the group.

“Implementations may include any of all of the following features. The data server may provide a request token for each individual included in the group to produce the information that characterizes the group. The request token for each individual may represent encrypted data that identifies the corresponding individual. The data server may be configured to compare the request tokens to tokens associated with the information to be produced. The tokens associated with the information to be produced and the request tokens may be similarly encrypted. The data server may be configured to determine if the comparison provides at least a minimum number of matches. The request may represent a predefined portion of information to use for producing the information that characterizes the group. The encryption server may be configured to determine if the group includes at least a minimum number of individuals. The private data may represent medical related information associated with the individuals of the group.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, at an encryption server, a request from a user device for healthcare information that characterizes a first group composed of multiple individuals, wherein at least one of the multiple individuals has not authorized provision of personal healthcare information at any time; determining that the first group comprises at least a defined minimum number of individuals; subsequent to determining that the first group comprises at least the defined minimum number of individuals, producing, by a processor of the encryption server, one or more request tokens from a first set of personally identifiable information associated with the multiple individuals, wherein the first set of personally identifiable information is provided in the request and wherein each of the one or more request tokens is unique to a corresponding individual of the multiple individuals; comparing the request tokens to tokens generated independently of the request tokens to find matching tokens, wherein the independently generated tokens are generated from a second set of personally identifiable information associated with a second group of individuals, each of the independently generated tokens being unique to a corresponding individual from the second group and associated with de-identified healthcare information about the corresponding individual from the second group, and wherein at least a portion of the independently generated tokens match at least a portion of the request tokens if the portion of the independently generated tokens and the portion of the request tokens correspond to the same individuals; producing the de-identified healthcare information associated with the independently generated tokens that were matched to the request tokens; and providing the produced de-identified healthcare information to report characteristics of the first group.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provided de-identified healthcare information is provided in conformity with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, in which producing the one or more request tokens includes encrypting at least a portion of the first set of personally identifiable information associated with the multiple individuals.

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, in which the independently generated tokens and the request tokens are similarly encrypted.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, in which the healthcare information that characterizes the first group of multiple individuals represents medical related information associated with the multiple individuals of the first group.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein producing the one or more request tokens comprises producing the one or more request tokens in a reproducible manner.

“7. A system comprising: one or more computing devices comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising: receiving a request from a user device for healthcare information that characterizes a first group composed of multiple individuals, wherein at least one of the multiple individuals has not authorized provision of personal healthcare information at any time; determining that the first group comprises at least a defined minimum number of individuals; subsequent to determining that the first group comprises at least the defined minimum number of individuals, producing one or more request tokens from a first set of personally identifiable information associated with the multiple individuals, wherein the first set of personally identifiable information is provided in the request and wherein each of the one or more request tokens is unique to a corresponding individual of the multiple individuals; comparing the request tokens to tokens generated independently of the request tokens to find matching tokens, wherein the independently generated tokens are generated from a second set of personally identifiable information associated with a second group of individuals, each of the independently generated tokens being unique to a corresponding individual from the second group and associated with de-identified healthcare information about the corresponding individual from the second group, and wherein at least a portion of the independently generated tokens match at least a portion of the request tokens if the portion of the independently generated tokens and the portion of the request tokens correspond to the same individuals; producing the de-identified healthcare information associated with the independently generated tokens that were matched to the request tokens; and providing the produced de-identified healthcare information to report characteristics of the first group.

“8. The system of claim 7, wherein the provided de-identified healthcare information is provided in conformity with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

“9. The system of claim 7, in which producing the one or more request tokens includes encrypting at least a portion of the first set of personally identifiable information associated with the multiple individuals.

“10. The system of claim 7, in which the independently generated tokens and the request tokens are similarly encrypted.

“11. The system of claim 7, in which the healthcare information that characterizes the first group of multiple individuals represents medical related information associated with the multiple individuals of the first group.

“12. The system of claim 7, wherein producing the one or more request tokens comprises producing the one or more request tokens in a reproducible manner.

“13. One or more computer readable storage devices storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising: receiving, at an encryption server, a request from a user device for healthcare information that characterizes a first group composed of multiple individuals, wherein at least one of the multiple individuals has not authorized provision of personal healthcare information at any time; determining that the first group comprises at least a defined minimum number of individuals; subsequent to determining that the first group comprises at least the defined minimum number of individuals, producing, by a processor of the encryption server, one or more request tokens from a first set of personally identifiable information associated with the multiple individuals, wherein the first set of personally identifiable information is provided in the request and wherein each of the one or more request tokens is unique to a corresponding individual of the multiple individuals; comparing the request tokens to tokens generated independently of the request tokens to find matching tokens, wherein the independently generated tokens are generated from a second set of personally identifiable information associated with a second group of individuals, each of the independently generated tokens being unique to a corresponding individual from the second group and associated with de-identified healthcare information about the corresponding individual from the second group, and wherein at least a portion of the independently generated tokens match at least a portion of the request tokens if the portion of the independently generated tokens and the portion of the request tokens correspond to the same individuals; producing the de-identified healthcare information associated with the independently generated tokens that were matched to the request tokens; and providing the produced de-identified healthcare information to report characteristics of the first group.

“14. The computer readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the provided de-identified healthcare information is provided in conformity with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

“15. The computer readable storage devices of claim 13, in which producing the one or more request tokens includes encrypting at least a portion of the first set of personally identifiable information associated with the multiple individuals.

“16. The computer readable storage devices of claim 13, in which the independently generated tokens and the request tokens are similarly encrypted.

“17. The computer readable storage devices of claim 13, in which the healthcare information that characterizes the first group of multiple individuals represents medical related information associated with the multiple individuals of the first group.

“18. The computer readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein producing the one or more request tokens comprises producing the one or more request tokens in a reproducible manner.”

For more information, see this patent: Paris, III, Andrew L. De-identifying medical history information for medical underwriting. U.S. Patent Number 11804288, filed October 1, 2020, and published online on October 31, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11804288)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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