1. Introduction

Welcome!

We are introducing a novel technology that offers a simple, transparent way to exchange information securely and economically between any software applications and data stores via asynchronous, publish/subscribe, node-to-node networks using our patented CP Split™ software method.

This unique software technology is especially useful for industries in which loosely connected networks of people and computers analyze & exchange information from disparate sources in a variety of communication & working environments. It accommodates the needs of all users, from people with continuous broadband to occasionally-connected individuals using low speed dial-up service. And it facilitates collaboration across all organizational and physical boundaries (e.g., from functional unit to functional unit, company to company, and country to country).

The unique value proposition of our technology is it:

• Saves businesses time, money, resources and hassle by:
  • Being non-disruptive to existing I.T. systems and networks
  • Reducing complexity and problems since it requires no VPN configuration, avoids firewall issues and needs little if any ongoing I.T. support
  • Reducing demands central servers and conserving precious resources
  • Enhancing network resiliency
  • Providing uniquely powerful security methods
  • Being fully compatible with XML and able to maintain hierarchical relationships, yet operates more efficiently.

• Fosters learning, knowledge-building, and collaborative decision-making by:
  • Tailoring reports and just-in-time instructional materials to end-users' particular roles, responsibilities and needs
  • Enabling exceptionally rich and responsive portable reporting
  • Enabling networks of individuals across organizational boundaries to share diverse experiences, data sources, knowledge, ideas and insights to increase innovation and more effective decision-making.

The primary purpose of this blog is to make people aware of our innovation and its unique set of benefits in order to expand our collaborative network of information technology experts, software companies, and government agencies. While the discussion on this site focuses on use cases in healthcare, the technology can be used in any knowledge worker industry and profession.

Overview

Let's begin by defining key components and processes in a node-to-node network.

1. What is a node and a node-to-node network?

A node is a software application, with publisher and subscriber functionality, that manages the transfer of information between two or more computers in an asynchronous manner. A node on one computer is the publisher (sender) of information, and at least one other computer in its network is the subscriber (recipient) of that information. This node-to-node (N2N) information exchange is, in effect, an application-to-application data transfer process.

The data transfer process requires each computer in a network of nodes to support an operating system and a connection to the Internet via broadband, dial-up, or other communication service. At one end of the connection, the Publishing node must authorize the information transfer by authenticating that the Subscribing node is allowed to receive the information. At the other end of the connection, each Subscribing node must allow the Publishing node to deposit the information in an accessible place.

2. What other technologies do similar things (such as TCP/IP, an Internet protocol suite used by e-mail that includes the application file transfer protocol, FTP)?

The term File Transfer means copying a file from one machine to another. FTP allows authorized users to log into a remote system, identify themselves, list remote directories, copy files to or from the remote machine, and execute a few simple commands remotely. Although FTP allows direct interactive use by humans, the protocol is designed for program manipulation at the application layer for automating the file transfer process. FTP allows a user to access multiple machines in a single "session" and maintains separate TCP connections.

FTP can handle third party transfers. A client opens a control connection to servers on two remote machines, A and B. The client must have permission to transfer a file from A and permission to transfer a file to B. The client asks the server on A to transfer the file to B. The server on A forms a direct TCP connection with server B and transfers the data across the Internet to B. The client retains control of the transfer, but does not participate in moving data.

3. What are CP Split™ (CPS) Nodes?

A CPS Nodes leverage the CP Split™ software method as explained below and in subsequent posts. Briefly, CPS Nodes use automated data grid template (spreadsheet) software to interact with each other at the presentation level. A CPS Publisher Template (PT) retrieves data from the requisite data stores and assembles the data in an organized (meaningful/logical) way to form preplanned data structures in the cells of the grid template. The Publisher Node then ships the data to it subscribing nodes by automatically taking the data from the grid template and storing them in an encrypted delimited CPS Data File and sending the file. This creates an interoperable platform for the simple, secure, fluid exchange of information between disparate system architectures through the transmission of content stored in highly efficient data files. 

Upon receipt, the CPS Subscriber Nodes use their corresponding Subscriber Templates to render & present (and/or export) the contents of the CPS Data Files.

I will show how the CP Split method provides the only software codec (coder-decoder) that enables an encoder to organize data elements into configurations from which a decoder locates content elements for processing (e.g., formatting) based solely on their positions within the configurations, without using database queries or markup tags.

4. What is CPS Universal Translation?

Universal translation is a process by which a Subscribing Node notifies a Publishing Node as to how the information must be formatted or translated to accommodate the requirements of the subscribing node. This enables the Publishing Node to transform the information as necessary, so it can be used by different Subscribing Nodes (e.g., performing language translations, terminology replacements, data set modifications, and data format transformations).

5. What are CPS Composite Reports?

Composite reports are generated when (a) a Publishing Node accesses information from disparate sources, integrates the information into a single CPS Data File, and sends it to its subscribers where a composite report is generated or when (b) a subscribing node receives CPS Data Files containing different information from multiple publishing nodes and integrates it all into a composite report.

Exceptionally high-level security is maintained end-to-end using encrypted data and template files, virtual drives, and MultiCryption™ technology (discussed in a subsequent post).

Introducing the CP Split™ Technology

CP Split refers to the way our patented technology splits content (data & information) from presentation (reports) using grid software (spreadsheets). Separating content from presentation is familiar to all of us from XML and HTML, but only the CP Split does it with grid software templates and configurations of content in delimited files.

I will show how the CP Split technology -- interoperating with any Health IT tools -- enables mesh networks of nodes to composite comprehensive patient profile reports from disparate sources, while delivering these powerful benefits:

• Saves time, money and resources by minimizing data transmission and storage costs, while consuming minimal bandwidth.
  
• Has minimal impact on existing IT systems and networks, so current operations can continue without disruption.
  
• Reduces complexity and hassle by requiring no VPN configuration, avoiding firewall issues, and needing little if any IT support.
  
• It tailors reports to end-users' needs by supporting both report compositing whereby different reports can be combined into an integrated report of the "big picture," and report fragmenting whereby components of a single report can be divided into multiple smaller ones.
  
• It tailors instructional materials to end-users' particular needs by enabling competency-based and just-in-time eLearning, whereby the curriculum content delivered to an individual is determined by the person's current level of knowledge and/or particular knowledge needs.
  
• Allows people to obtain, compute, distribute and present information asynchronously using local resources and only brief, occasional network connectivity, which reduces demands central servers, speeds reporting, increases mobility/portability, and enhances network resiliency (i.e., the network keeps working even when individual nodes are disrupted, which is unlike central sever disruption that brings its entire network down).
  
• Enables loosely coupled networks of individuals across organizational boundaries to share diverse experiences, data sources, information, knowledge, expertise, perspectives, ideas and insights, which increase innovation and more effective decision-making.
  
• Is fully compatible with XML and able to maintain hierarchical relationships, but it does not require markup tags, namespaces, schemas, XSLT, stylesheets, etc.

When applied to Health IT, it provides a flexible, economical, robust, secure, and open information architecture that supports the broad information management needs of clinicians, researchers, and the public. It fosters the acquisition, analysis, organization, dissemination, and reporting of comprehensive content relevant to:

• Biomedical informatics, including managing healthcare delivery information, reducing medical errors, providing decision support for clinicians, extracting outcome and public health information from large datasets, and predicting health events and
  
• Bioinformatics involving managing and interpreting scientific research data.

I will discuss all of this in subsequent posts and welcome your questions and comments.

Steve Beller, PhD

Comments

[Gerard Szatvanyi]

This is a very interesting topic. Actually, Gartner analysts predict that, by 2009, healthcare investments in IT will increase by more than 50 percent, which could enable clinicians to reduce the level of preventable deaths by 50 percent by 2013. Of course, nowadays most healthcare organizations have already invested in IT outsourcing, for anything from Telco and Wireless, to Application Data Development (i.e. LIMS, SOA), or even Business Process Management.
We’ve put together a detailed white paper on these subjects: http://www.outsourcing-factory.com/en/stay-informed/white-papers/outsourcing-healthcare.html . What is your experience with IT outsourcing in healthcare? Are these figures close to your personal experience or do you think there are certain issues we’ve missed covering? I strongly appreciate your professional opinions.