Patient-controlled access to medical records: US Pat. No. 7,664,753

U.S. Patent No. 7,664,753, issued on February 16, 2010  to Private Access, Inc. of Irvine, CA, discloses a system to control access to a database containing highly confidential records.

As described in the abstract of the patent, the central premise of the system is that patients have “a fundamental right to the confidentiality of their personal medical records and should control that right through specific, informed consent each time that a party requests to receive them.”  A general object of the ’753 patent is to provide an opportunity for the patient’s informed consent for their medical records to be made available to healthcare providers and trustees, such as health insurance payers, auditors, and the like.

Private Access, Inc. was included in Forbes’ 2009 list of “America’s Most Promising Companies.”  Forbes cited two previously-issued patents  as a significant factor in Private Access’ inclusion in the list (I presume that these are US Pat. Nos. 6,345,260 and 7,028,049), and the ’753 patent may further provide support for this honor. 

In 2009, Private Access entered into a collaboration with Pfizer, Inc. to create a new online community aimed at increasing clinical trial awareness and participation which focuses on patient privacy rights.  Patient concerns regarding the use of their confidential medical records can be a barrier to their participation in clinical trials, and the Private Access-Pfizer collaboration seeks to address these concerns to facilitate finding and enrolling patients for these clinical trials.