Medical information anonymizing system and anonymizing method setting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11880485-B2
Application number	US-201916718456-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Jan 23, 2024
Grant date	Jan 23, 2024

Abstract

A medical information anonymizing system includes a processing circuitry. The processing circuitry acquires medical information generated in a format based on a communication standard for a medical image and including a medical image and supplementary information. The processing circuitry adds the anonymization reference information indicating an anonymizing method for anonymizing the medical information to the supplementary information in the medical information. The processing circuitry configured to receive the medical information in which the anonymization reference information is added to the supplementary information and, based on the anonymization reference information added to the medical information, anonymize at least one of the medical image and the supplementary information included in the medical information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medical information anonymizing system, comprising:
an anonymizing method setting device comprising first processing circuitry; and
an anonymizing device comprising second processing circuitry,
wherein the first processing circuitry is configured to
acquire medical information generated in a format based on a communication standard for a medical image and including a medical image and supplementary information,
select anonymization reference information related to a recipient of medical information from anonymization list information that includes recipient information and anonymization reference information in relation to each other, the recipient information representing recipients of the medical information, the anonymization reference information representing anonymizing methods for anonymizing the medical information, and
add the selected anonymization reference information to the medical information, and

the second processing circuitry is configured to
receive the medical information, and, based on the anonymization reference information added to the medical information, anonymize the medical information, and
transmit the medical information having components including the anonymized medical image, the anonymized supplementary information, and the anonymization reference information to the recipient of the medical information.

2. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to add the anonymization reference information to the medical information, if consent has been acquired from a subject.

3. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein the second processing circuitry is further configured to anonymize the medical information based on the anonymization reference information added to the medical information, if consent has been acquired from a subject.

4. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to add the anonymization reference information to the medical information, if consent to anonymization of the medical information has been acquired from a subject.

5. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein the second processing circuitry is further configured to anonymize the medical information based on the anonymization reference information added to the medical information, if consent to disclosure of the medical information has been acquired from a subject.

6. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the anonymization list information further includes usage purposes of the medical information in relation to the recipient information and the anonymization reference information, and
the first processing circuitry is further configured to select the anonymization reference information related to the recipient and a usage purpose of the medical information from the anonymization list information and add the selected anonymization reference information to the medical information.

7. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to
perform a communication with a digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) standard as a communication standard for the medical image, and
add the anonymization reference information to a private tag or a standard tag based on the DICOM standard.

8. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to
acquire the anonymization reference information from a recipient, and
add the acquired anonymization reference information to the medical information.

9. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 8 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to acquire medical information including a dummy medical image, dummy supplementary information, and the anonymization reference information.

10. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 8 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to receive the anonymization reference information generated in the DICOM format.

11. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 8 , wherein when the anonymization reference information acquired from the recipient conflicts with the anonymization reference information selected from the anonymization list information, the second processing circuitry is further configured to anonymize the medical information by using a selected one of the anonymizing methods based on a priority determined for each anonymizing method.

12. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 11 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to generate log information indicating which one of the anonymization reference information selected from the anonymization list information and the anonymization reference information acquired from the recipient has been selected.

13. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to display a specification screen for specifying an anonymization target when the anonymizing method indicated by the anonymization reference information has a setting such that the anonymization target is specified by an operator.

14. The medical information anonymizing system according to claim 13 , wherein the first processing circuitry is further configured to
store the anonymization target specified on the specification screen, and
when the medical information includes information identical to the stored anonymization target, display the specification screen in which the information identical to the anonymization target is specified as the anonymization target.

Assignees

• Canon Medical Systems Corp

Inventors

• Takagi Shingo
• Yamaji Kei
• Nakano Shinichi
• Tada Hideki
• Okuyama Satoshi
• Ishigami Hidetoshi
• Mikami Seiji
• Muroi Norimasa
• Kurosawa Hiroshi
• Kaneko Takumi

Classifications

• G06F21/6245 Primary

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• G06F21/6254

  by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification · CPC title

• G16H10/60 Primary

  for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records · CPC title

• G16H30/20

  for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS · CPC title

• H04L63/0421

  Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer · CPC title