Abstract:
Various implementations of a message system may provide secure means of messaging between healthcare professionals in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Prov. App. 61/745,169 filed Dec. 21, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Various aspects of the disclosed technology relate to electronic communications, messaging, and, more particularly, to secure messaging that may comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The Privacy and Security provisions of HIPAA, and its implementing regulations, create a framework of federal law to protect individually identifiable health information (IIHI). HIPAA requires that IIHI only be used and disclosed in a manner that protects the privacy and security of such information. Under the HIPAA Security Regulations, Covered Entities, which includes most healthcare providers, and their Business Associates are required to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic IIHI. These safeguards are designed to: 
         [0004]    1. Ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all electronic IIHI that the Covered Entity or Business Associate creates, receives, maintains, or transmits; 
         [0005]    2. Protect against any reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; 
         [0006]    3. Protect against any reasonably anticipated uses or disclosures of such information that are not permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Regulations; and, 
         [0007]    4. Ensure compliance with the HIPAA Security Regulations by the Covered Entity or Business Associate&#39;s workforce. 
         [0008]    The proliferation and convenience of mobile applications, including, but not limited to texting and email and other means of electronic communication have resulted in electronic IIHI being exchanged among healthcare providers via non-secure means that do not comply with the HIPAA Security Rule requirements. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    There is a need for systems and methods to facilitate messaging related to healthcare in a secure manner that complies with HIPAA. It is to such systems and methods that various implementations of the disclosed technology are directed. 
         [0010]    The message system may be available only to healthcare professionals or other persons who are involved in the healthcare field and who require access to IIHI (Authorized Persons). In some embodiments, the message system may be available to patients as well on a limited basis (for example, to communicate with an established provider known to the patient and the provider knows the patient). To access the system, an Authorized Person may first be required to register. To this end, the Authorized Person may enter information about himself to authenticate his identity, including any asserted medical licenses. Before the registration is approved, an administrator of the message system may confirm the Authorized Person&#39;s identity. Once the Authorized Person&#39;s identity is confirmed and the Authorized Person is permitted to use the message system, such Authorized Person becomes a “user.” For continued access to the message system, the user&#39;s identity and asserted licenses may be confirmed periodically, such as every six months. 
         [0011]    After registration, including administrator approval, the user may access the functions of the message system, which may include an inbox, a search feature, and a message-sending function. Through the inbox, the user may retrieve messages sent to him through the message system. In some implementations, these messages may be stored on a remote server of the message system and not retained locally except as needed to display the messages. 
         [0012]    Each user may be assigned a script for unique identification. The script may be a computer-generated sequence of characters, which may encode various information about the associated user, including, for example: state in which the user is licensed, specialty Board certification, location, and health plan participation or affiliation. If a user performs a search within the message system, or otherwise chooses to view a list of other users registered to the system, the message system may display the scripts of the various other users. The scripts may provide a convenient means for the message system to filter users during a search, and may also provide a convenient means for a user familiar with the system to quickly identify other users with whom the user may want to communicate. 
         [0013]    Additionally, the script provides a convenient and efficient means to facilitate targeted advertisements to users within a specific specialty (e.g., orthopedics) and geographical location (e.g., New York) such that products and services of particular interest (e.g., replacement knee manufacturer representatives for greater New York area) are selected for viewing based upon the unique identification provided in the script. 
         [0014]    Furthermore, the script may also be optionally encoded to facilitate various levels of profiling of the user. For example, “premium” profiling may allow for a user to pay a fee to the service provider to provide customized (or personalized) wording adjacent to the script so that this user can better define themselves to the professional network or other users of the application. 
         [0015]    After using the search feature or other means of selecting a recipient, the user may draft a message to his intended recipient. The message may be securely transmitted to the server for temporary storage. Upon receipt, the server may transmit notification of the new message to the recipient. In an example implementation, the notification may be delivered to the user via email, SMS text, or notification bar on a mobile device. Display of the content of the message itself may be withheld until the recipient is logged into the message system and requests to read the message. 
         [0016]    To reduce the number of messages that could potentially be accessed without permission, for example, if the server is hacked, the message system may employ one or more security measures. These may include standard measures, such as firewalls and data encryption. Additionally, the message system  100  may automatically delete messages from the server when predetermined conditions are met. For example, and not limitation, the message system may purge read messages 72 hours after they are read, and may purge unread messages two weeks after they are sent. 
         [0017]    These and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed technology will become more apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures and appendices. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES AND APPENDICES 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  illustrates a diagram of the message system, according to an example implementation of the disclosed technology. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates an architecture of a computing device for providing some aspects of the disclosed technology, according to an example implementation. 
       
    
    
       [0020]    Appendices are enclosed describing particular implementations of the disclosed technology and are incorporated herein by reference. It will be understood that these implementation descriptions are provided for illustration only and do not limit the various potential implementations of the disclosed technology. 
         [0021]    Appendix A provides a list of abbreviations used in identifiers representing users of a message system according to an example implementation of the disclosed technology. 
         [0022]    Appendix B provides various details related to an example implementation of the disclosed technology. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    To facilitate an understanding of the principles and features of the disclosed technology, illustrative implementations are explained below. Various implementations of the disclosed technology are message systems and methods for delivering messages in compliance with HIPAA. Implementations of the disclosed technology, however, are not limited to this context. Rather, implementations may facilitate secure messaging for a variety purposes, inside or outside a healthcare context. For example, and not limitation, an implementation of the message system may be used to exchange secure messages between business associates regarding strictly confidential, non-healthcare-related matters. 
         [0024]    The components described hereinafter as making up various elements of the disclosed technology are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many suitable components that would perform the same or similar functions as components described herein are intended to be embraced within the scope of the message systems and methods. Such other components not described herein may include, but are not limited to, components developed after the disclosed technology. 
         [0025]    Referring now to the figures, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the views, various implementations of the message systems and methods will be described in detail. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates a diagram of the message system  100 , according to an example implementation of the disclosed technology. As shown, the message system  100  may be contained, in whole or in part, in a server assembly  110  in communication with a plurality of remote computing devices  50  over a network  10 . The computing devices  50  may be various types of devices capable of accessing the server assembly  110 , including, for example, mobile phones, tablets, desktop computers, and notebook computers. 
         [0027]    In an example implementation, the server assembly  110  may be distributed across multiple server devices, which may be positioned in geographically different locations. The various servers may store redundant data to reduce the possibility that messages on the server assembly  110  are lost or corrupted. Alternatively, the servers may each contain different data, thus ensuring that all servers must be hacked in order for the message system&#39;s complete data to be maliciously retrieved. 
         [0028]    Various security measures may be employed to protect data on the server assembly  110 . Multiple layers of hacker protection may be used, including, for example, web application firewalls, intrusion detection systems, log management, hardened server configurations, and a robust patch-management regimen. Maintenance to the message system  100  may be performed via virtual private network (VPN), for example, using two-factor authentication. Regular vulnerability scans, penetration testing, and other security assessments may be performed. A rigorous backup regimen may include multiple generations of backup using multiple technologies. Additionally, for providing functionality of the message system  100 , the server assembly  110  may include a web application and one or more databases, which may be stored on separate servers for security purposes. It will be understood that the term “database,” as used herein, is not limited to a relational database, but may include various mechanisms for storing or organizing data. 
         [0029]    The message system  100  may include an installable application  150  that may be used on each computing device  50 , independently of its use on other computing devices  50 . Some implementations of the message system  100  may alternatively be web-based, thus enabling users to access and send secure messages without having performed an installation (for instance, utilizing the concept of “cloud” computing for secure messaging rather than device based). Even when installed, in some implementations, the application  150  may be configured to use an internal web browser to access the message system  100  as a web application. In some implementations, the internal web browser does not cache any pages, so when it closes, no data from the application  150  remains on the computing device  50 . 
         [0030]    In an example implementation, a user at a computing device  50  may be required to authenticate himself to the message system  100 , such as through the application  150 , before beginning a session of transmitting or receiving messages. To enable authentication, the user may first be required to register with the message system  100  to initiate his account. During registration, the message system  100  may prompt the user to enter his name and, if applicable, license information, as well as various other information applicable to verifying the user&#39;s identity and eligibility. 
         [0031]    An administrator of the message system  100  may receive notification of new registrations. Before granting access to a user, the administrator may verify the user&#39;s identity, such as by placing one or more telephone calls, sending one or more emails, or checking one or more databases for verification. For security reasons, in some implementations, full functionality of the message system  100  may be limited to Authorized Persons. 
         [0032]    Patients may have limited access to the message system  100 , for retrieving and sending messages related to their own care. Patients may be charged a fee for this service, and part of that fee may be delivered to the healthcare professionals interacting with the patients, in return for their time. As will be described later in this disclosure, messages may be removed from the message system  100  after predetermined periods of time, so as to reduce the amount of potentially confidential data stored by the message system  100  at any one time. Thus, to keep accurate records for charging patients, the message system  100  may retain information about when and between whom messages are sent, even after discarding the content of the messages. 
         [0033]    If a registering individual claiming to be an Authorized Person cannot be verified as such, the message system  100  may transmit an email or other message to the individual informing the individual that access to the message system  100  is not permitted. Alternatively, if the individual is verified, the administrator may confirm the registration and transmit initial login instructions, e.g., an initial password, to the individual, who then becomes a new user. After the user is logged in for the first time, the application  150  may require or ask the user to accept an End User License Agreement and to provide new data for authentication in future sessions. This new data may be, for example, a password or a pattern behaving as a password to identify the user. 
         [0034]    For pattern entry with a touch-sensitive device, the application  150  may provide a predetermined layout of symbols, such as circles arranged in a three-by-three grid. In some implementations, an image may be overlaid on each circle, or other symbol. For example, a caduceus may be displayed inside each symbol. Through a touch-sensitive surface, the user may trace a pattern connecting two or more of the symbols. Such a pattern may be used in place of, or in addition to, a password for authentication purposes. While the use of a touch-sensitive surface on a portable device may be used, other devices such as personal computers which are typically not readily portable may also be used. In such cases, patterns may be traced on the screen of the device (e.g., via an input device like a computer mouse) or through a separate peripheral device which may optionally incorporate a touch-sensitive surface. 
         [0035]    The message system  100  may have predetermined requirements for the password or pattern, to ensure that the password or pattern is sufficiently strong to reduce the chance of malicious access. Built-in password complexity rules may ensure strong passwords, which reduces the viability of brute force attacks. Furthermore, the message system  100  may require that a password be changed periodically, such as every six months. Password history may be maintained to ensure that passwords are not recycled. 
         [0036]    After the user sets his authentication data for future logins, the application  150  may transmit this data to the server assembly  110 , where it may be stored securely. For example, the application  150  may encrypt the authentication data before transmission, and the server assembly  110  may store the encrypted version. In the future, the user may use the authentication data to begin each session with the message system  100 . 
         [0037]    To facilitate authentication in the future, the application  150  may present one or more fields for the user to fill out, such as a user name field and a password field or, alternatively, a pattern entry field. When the user completes the required fields and submits the associated data, the application  150  may then confirm that the user&#39;s entry matches the authentication data on the server assembly  110 . If a match is found, the user may be granted access to the functionality of the application  150  and, thus, the message system  100 . 
         [0038]    Some alternative implementations of the message system  100  may optionally provide a single sign-on option. For example, if a user is logged into his healthcare facility&#39;s medical records system, the message system  100  may receive authentication data from the medical records system. In that case, the user need not provide his login information to the message system  100  to begin a secure messaging session. 
         [0039]    Some implementations may require two-factor authentication, where the user may be required to provide a password or pattern, in addition to providing biometric data (e.g., a fingerprint) or confirming that he has an authentication device, such as a secure flash drive inserted into the local computing device  50 . 
         [0040]    After a user is authenticated according to whatever standards are implemented, the message system  100  may allow the user access to one or more of an inbox, a search function, and a message-sending function. When the user views the inbox, the message system  100  may display one or more messages sent to the user through the system  100 . 
         [0041]    The messages appearing in the inbox may be stored on the server assembly  110  and, in some implementations, not on the local computing device  50 . The benefit of this is that the message system  100  may exert more control over message security when they are not stored on the local computing device  110 . When the user selects a message to read, the application  150  may display a view of the message in its internal web browser, or by some other appropriate means. The message system  100  may then mark the message as read. 
         [0042]    In an example implementation, read messages in the inbox may be automatically deleted from the message system  100  if one or more predetermined conditions are met. For example, the message system  100  may delete all of the user&#39;s messages flagged as read after the user&#39;s current session ends. Alternatively, the message system may delete read messages after a predetermined timeframe, such as 72 hours. Unread messages may be deleted after a predetermined timeframe as well, such as two weeks. This latter timeframe may be chosen to provide adequate time for the user to read all messages, while at the same time limiting the number of messages stored on the server assembly  110  in case of malicious access. 
         [0043]    Each user registered with the message system  100  may have a profile page displaying information about the user, including, for example, name, demographic information, photo, licensure, specialties, and health plan participation or affiliation. The profile page may also include a link that enables the user to send a message to the user associated with the profile page. 
         [0044]    Each user may also be associated with a unique identifier, or script, generated and assigned by the message system  100 . The identifier may be a computer-generated sequence of characters encoding various information about the user, such as name, state of licensure, and location. In some implementations, the location may be provided by the healthcare professional for inclusion in the script or other purposes. Alternatively, if the computing device  50  used by the user is capable of providing location data, such as through a GPS tracker, the message system  100  may use this data to determine the user&#39;s location. In some implementations, such location data may be used to further confirm a user&#39;s identity. 
         [0045]    Various mechanisms for generating identifiers may be used by the message system  100 . In some implementations, the identifier may be a string comprising two or more substrings ordered in a predetermined manner. For example, and not limitation, the identifier may comprise three substrings. The substrings may be separated from one another with an intervening period, or other appropriate character, between each adjacent pair of substrings. 
         [0046]    The substrings may each have predetermined meanings known to the message system  100 . In some implementations, the first substring of the identifier may be a concatenation of the first name and last name of the associated user. The second substring may be an abbreviation or other representation of the user&#39;s role in the healthcare profession. For example, this substring may indicate that the user is a medical student, pharmacist, nurse practitioner, social worker, administrator, or physician&#39;s assistant, etc. but not limited to these user types. If the user is a physician, this second substring may indicate the user&#39;s specialty. The third substring may indicate the user&#39;s location, such by providing the user&#39;s state of operation or, if the user is a medical student, an indication of the user&#39;s medical school. Each substring may be abbreviated according to predetermined abbreviations. Thus, the message system  100  may be capable of parsing each identifier to determine information about the associated user. Appendix A provides a list of abbreviations that may be used as the second and third substrings of the identifiers, according to this example implementation. 
         [0047]    The users&#39; identifiers may be used for various purposes, some of which may be for the convenience of the message system&#39;s processes, and some of which may be for the convenience of the users. For example, and not limitation, a first user may be able to search for other users with one or more filters provided by the application  150 . When the filters are applied to all users, the application  150  may return search results in a display of the users satisfying the first user&#39;s search. Because of the form of the identifiers, the messaging system  100  may apply the filters to the identifiers themselves. For example, if the identifier encodes the location, the messaging server  100  may determine a user&#39;s location based only on the identifier. Thus, the identifiers may make search performance more efficient. In some implementations, however, search filters may be applied to a database maintaining data related to the various systems users, instead of or in addition to being applied to the identifiers. 
         [0048]    Search results may include a list of Authorized Persons, who are users of the message system  100 , represented by their unique identifiers. When the first user views the list of returned search results, he can almost immediately determine information about each user on the list based on the identifiers and the information encoded within. When the first user clicks on a particular search result, the application  150  may in response display the associated user&#39;s profile page, or may enable the first user to send a message to the selected user. 
         [0049]    The identifiers may also be used to direct advertising at the users. Similar to how filters may be applied during searches, filters may also be applied to the identifiers for advertising purposes. For example, and not limitation, the messaging system  100  may identify users who practice certain healthcare specialties, based on the identifiers. The application  150  may then display advertising related to those specialties only to those users. For another example, the messaging system may identify users who practice or are currently located in a certain geographic area, and may display local ads to those users. 
         [0050]    The application  150  may provide a means for a user to compose a message to one or more other users registered with the message system  100 . The user may select message recipients, for example, by searching or by selecting the recipients from a list of previously saved users. When the user submits a message to the message system  100 , directed at one or more particular recipients, the application  150  may securely transmit the message to the server assembly  110 . In some implementations, the application  150  may encrypt the message before transmission. 
         [0051]    After receiving a new message, the server assembly  110  may store the encrypted message, including any associated attachments, in association with its recipient and sender. The message system  100  may send to the recipient a notification that a new message has been received. In some implementations of the application  150 , some processes of the application  150  may run in the background of the recipient&#39;s computing device  50 , so as to present the new message notification to the recipient user when the message is received. However, the application  150  may display the message content only after the recipient user is engaged in an authenticated session with the application  150 . In some implementations, the message system  100  may allow a user to download to the local computing device  50  messages he has sent or received. Other implementations, however, may disallow messages from being stored locally. 
         [0052]    A user may exit a session with the message system  100  by timeout, logout, or other means. If the user is inactive within the application  150  for a predetermined period of time, the application  150  may automatically log the user out. This can prevent unauthorized access if someone else picks up the user&#39;s computing device  50  after the user has stopped using, but not logged out of, the application  150 . The user may alternatively log out manually, such as by selecting a logout option provided in the application  150 . 
         [0053]    As needed, the message system  100  may remove certain data from the computing device  50  after the user&#39;s session has ended. For example, and not limitation, the application  150  may clear some or all of its application data from the computing device  50 , so as to remove any healthcare-related messages that might remain in memory. Accordingly, this data would not remain on the computing device  50  where it might be seen or accessible by unauthorized people. 
         [0054]    Various implementations of the message systems  100  and methods may be embodied in transitory or non-transitory computer-readable media for execution by a computer processor.  FIG. 2  is a diagram of an example architecture of a portion of the server assembly  110 , which supports functionality of the message system  100  as described above. 
         [0055]    As shown, the server assembly  110  may include a bus  210 , a processor  220 , a main memory  230 , a read only memory (ROM)  240 , a storage device  250 , one or more input devices  260 , one or more output devices  270 , and a communication interface  280 . The bus  210  may include one or more conductors that permit communication among the components of the server assembly  110 . 
         [0056]    The processor  220  may be one or more conventional processors or microprocessors that interpret and execute instructions, such as instructions for providing aspects of the disclosed technology. The main memory  230  may include a random access memory (RAM) or another dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for execution by the processor  220 . The ROM  240  may include a conventional ROM device or another type of static storage device that stores static information or instructions for use by the processor  220 . The storage device  250  may include a magnetic or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive. 
         [0057]    The input devices  260  may include one or more mechanisms that permit an operator to input information to the server assembly  110 , such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, voice recognition, biometric mechanisms, or any other medium which allows for data entry. The output devices  270  may include one or more mechanisms that output information to an operator, including a display, a printer, or a speaker. The communication interface  280  may include any transceiver-like mechanism that enables the server assembly  110  to communicate with remote devices or systems, such as the computing devices  50  employed by the various system users. For example, the communication interface  280  may include mechanisms for communicating over the network  10 . 
         [0058]    As discussed above, the server assembly  110  may manage message delivery to a plurality of computing devices  50 . The server assembly  110  may perform tasks to that end in response to the processor  220  executing software instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such as memory  230 . The software instructions may be read into memory  230  from another computer-readable medium, such as the data storage device  250 , or from another device via the communication interface  280 . Alternatively, or additionally, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement processes consistent with the disclosed technology. Thus, the disclosed technology is not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
         [0059]    While the message systems  100  and methods have been disclosed in illustrative examples, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the systems, methods, and their equivalents. 
       APPENDIX A 
     Abbreviations that May be Used in the Identifiers for System Users 
     Abbreviations for Physicians 
       [0060]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Anesthesiology 
                 ANES 
               
               
                   
                 Dermatology 
                 DERM 
               
               
                   
                 Emergency medicine 
                 EMERG 
               
               
                   
                 Family medicine 
                 FMED 
               
               
                   
                 Internal medicine 
                 INTMED 
               
               
                   
                 Adolescent medicine 
                 ADLMED 
               
               
                   
                 Cardiology 
                 CARD 
               
               
                   
                 Critical care medicine 
                 CRCARE 
               
               
                   
                 Endocrinology, diabetes &amp; 
                 ENDO 
               
               
                   
                 metabolism 
               
               
                   
                 Gastroenterology 
                 GI 
               
               
                   
                 Geriatric medicine 
                 GRMED 
               
               
                   
                 Hematology 
                 HEME 
               
               
                   
                 Hospice and palliative medicine 
                 HPMED 
               
               
                   
                 Infectious disease 
                 ID 
               
               
                   
                 Oncology 
                 ONC 
               
               
                   
                 Nephrology 
                 RENAL 
               
               
                   
                 Pulmonary 
                 PULM 
               
               
                   
                 Rheumatology 
                 RHEUM 
               
               
                   
                 Sleep medicine 
                 SLPMD 
               
               
                   
                 Sports medicine 
                 SPORTS 
               
               
                   
                 Transplant hepatology 
                 HEPA 
               
               
                   
                 Genetics 
                 GENE 
               
               
                   
                 Neurosurgery 
                 NSURG 
               
               
                   
                 Nuclear medicine 
                 NMED 
               
               
                   
                 Obstetrics 
                 OB 
               
               
                   
                 Gynecology 
                 GYN 
               
               
                   
                 Obstetrics &amp; gynecology 
                 OBGYN 
               
               
                   
                 Ophtalmology 
                 OPTH 
               
               
                   
                 Otolaryngology 
                 ENT 
               
               
                   
                 Anatomic pathology 
                 APATH 
               
               
                   
                 Clinical pathology 
                 PATH 
               
               
                   
                 Pediatrics 
                 PED 
               
               
                   
                 Physical medicine and rehab 
                 PMR 
               
               
                   
                 Plastic surgery 
                 PLSURG 
               
               
                   
                 Preventive medicine 
                 PRVMED 
               
               
                   
                 Psychiatry 
                 PSYCH 
               
               
                   
                 Neurology 
                 NEURO 
               
               
                   
                 Child neurology 
                 pNEURO 
               
               
                   
                 Radiology 
                 RAD 
               
               
                   
                 Surgery 
                 SURG 
               
               
                   
                 Cardiothoracic 
                 CTSURG 
               
               
                   
                 Urology 
                 URO 
               
               
                   
                 Orthopedics 
                 ORTHO 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       Abbreviations for Roles Other than Physician 
       [0061]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Physician 
                 md 
               
               
                   
                 Physician Assistant 
                 pa 
               
               
                   
                 Nurse Practitioner 
                 np 
               
               
                   
                 Nurse 
                 nurse 
               
               
                   
                 Social Worker 
                 socwrk 
               
               
                   
                 Medical Assistant 
                 medast 
               
               
                   
                 Pharmacist 
                 pharm 
               
               
                   
                 Administrator 
                 admin 
               
               
                   
                 Medical Student 
                 mdstud 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       Abbreviations for Medical Schools 
       [0062]      
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Emory University School of Medicine 
                 emory 
               
               
                   
                 Georgia Health Sciences University 
                 ghsu 
               
               
                   
                 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 
                 jhusom 
               
               
                   
                 Morehouse School of Medicine 
                 msm 
               
               
                   
                 U of Alabama 
                 UAB 
               
               
                   
                 U of South Alabama 
                 USA 
               
               
                   
                 AT Still University - Arizona 
                 StillAZ 
               
               
                   
                 Midwestern University - Arizona 
                 MidAZ 
               
               
                   
                 U of Arizona 
                 UAriz 
               
               
                   
                 U of Arkansas 
                 UArk 
               
               
                   
                 USC - Keck 
                 Keck 
               
               
                   
                 Loma Linda University 
                 Loma 
               
               
                   
                 Stanford University 
                 Stnfrd 
               
               
                   
                 Touro University - California 
                 TouroCA 
               
               
                   
                 UC San Diego 
                 UCSD 
               
               
                   
                 UC Davis 
                 UCDavis 
               
               
                   
                 UC Irvine 
                 UCI 
               
               
                   
                 UC Los Angeles 
                 UCLA 
               
               
                   
                 UC San Francisco 
                 UCSF 
               
               
                   
                 Western University of Health Sciences 
                 Pomona 
               
               
                   
                 Rocky Vista University 
                 RockyV 
               
               
                   
                 U of Colorado 
                 Denver 
               
               
                   
                 U of Connecticut 
                 UConn 
               
               
                   
                 Yale University 
                 Yale 
               
               
                   
                 George Washington University 
                 GWU 
               
               
                   
                 Georgetown 
                 Gtown 
               
               
                   
                 Howard University 
                 Howard 
               
               
                   
                 Florida International University 
                 FLIntl 
               
               
                   
                 Florida State University 
                 FLState 
               
               
                   
                 Lake Erie COM - FL 
                 LECOMFL 
               
               
                   
                 U of Miami 
                 Miami 
               
               
                   
                 Florida Atlantic University 
                 FAU 
               
               
                   
                 Nova Southeastern University 
                 Nova 
               
               
                   
                 U of Central Florida 
                 UCF 
               
               
                   
                 U of Florida 
                 UF 
               
               
                   
                 U of South Florida 
                 USF 
               
               
                   
                 Medical College of Georgia 
                 MCG 
               
               
                   
                 Mercer University 
                 Mercer 
               
               
                   
                 Philadelphia COM - Georgia 
                 GAPCOM 
               
               
                   
                 U of Hawaii 
                 Hawaii 
               
               
                   
                 U of Chicago 
                 Chicago 
               
               
                   
                 Northwestern University 
                 NWU 
               
               
                   
                 Midwestern University - Chicago 
                 MidChi 
               
               
                   
                 U of Chicago - Pritzker 
                 Pritzke 
               
               
                   
                 Rush Medical College 
                 Rush 
               
               
                   
                 Southern Illinois University 
                 SIU 
               
               
                   
                 Loyola University 
                 Loyola 
               
               
                   
                 U of Illinois 
                 UIC 
               
               
                   
                 Indiana University 
                 Indiana 
               
               
                   
                 U of Iowa 
                 Iowa 
               
               
                   
                 Des Moines University 
                 Dmoines 
               
               
                   
                 U of Kansas 
                 Kansas 
               
               
                   
                 U of Kentucky 
                 UKen 
               
               
                   
                 U of Louisville 
                 Klouis 
               
               
                   
                 U of Pikeville 
                 Kpike 
               
               
                   
                 Louisiana State University 
                 LSU 
               
               
                   
                 Tulane University 
                 Tulane 
               
               
                   
                 U of New England 
                 NewEng 
               
               
                   
                 U of Maryland 
                 UMary 
               
               
                   
                 Uniformed Services U of the Health Sciences 
                 USUHS 
               
               
                   
                 Boston University 
                 Boston 
               
               
                   
                 Harvard University 
                 Harvard 
               
               
                   
                 Tufts University 
                 Tufts 
               
               
                   
                 U of Massachusetts 
                 UMass 
               
               
                   
                 Michigan State University - MD 
                 MichMD 
               
               
                   
                 Michigan State University - DO 
                 MichDO 
               
               
                   
                 U of Michigan 
                 UMich 
               
               
                   
                 Oakland University 
                 Oakland 
               
               
                   
                 Wayne State University 
                 Wayne 
               
               
                   
                 Mayo Clinic 
                 Mayo 
               
               
                   
                 U of Minnesota 
                 UMinn 
               
               
                   
                 U of Mississippi 
                 UMiss 
               
               
                   
                 William Carey University 
                 Carey 
               
               
                   
                 AT Still University - Missouri 
                 StillMO 
               
               
                   
                 Kansas City University 
                 KCU 
               
               
                   
                 Saint Louis University 
                 StLouis 
               
               
                   
                 University of Missouri - Columbia 
                 UMCol 
               
               
                   
                 University of Missouri - Kansas City 
                 UMKC 
               
               
                   
                 Washington University 
                 WashU 
               
               
                   
                 Creighton University 
                 Creigh 
               
               
                   
                 University of Nebraska 
                 UNeb 
               
               
                   
                 Touro University - Nevada 
                 TouroNV 
               
               
                   
                 U of Nevada 
                 Nevada 
               
               
                   
                 Dartmouth College 
                 Geisel 
               
               
                   
                 U of Medicine &amp; Dentistry of NJ - New Jersey 
                 UMDNJ 
               
               
                   
                 U of Medicine &amp; Dentistry of NJ - Robert 
                 UMDNJRW 
               
               
                   
                 Wood 
               
               
                   
                 Rowan University - Cooper 
                 Cooper 
               
               
                   
                 U of Medicine &amp; Dentistry of NJ - DO 
                 UMDNJDO 
               
               
                   
                 U of New Mexico 
                 UNewMex 
               
               
                   
                 Albany Medical College 
                 Albany 
               
               
                   
                 Albert Einstein COM of Yeshiva U 
                 AlbEin 
               
               
                   
                 Columbia University 
                 Columbi 
               
               
                   
                 Hofstra University 
                 Hofstra 
               
               
                   
                 Mount Sinai 
                 MtSinai 
               
               
                   
                 New York Institute of Technology 
                 NYCOM 
               
               
                   
                 New York Medical College 
                 NYMC 
               
               
                   
                 New York University 
                 NYU 
               
               
                   
                 SUNY - Stony Brook 
                 StonyBr 
               
               
                   
                 SUNY - Upstate 
                 SUNYus 
               
               
                   
                 SUNY - Downstate 
                 SUNYds 
               
               
                   
                 Touro University - New York 
                 TouroNY 
               
               
                   
                 SUNY - Buffalo 
                 Buffalo 
               
               
                   
                 U of Rochester 
                 URoch 
               
               
                   
                 Cornell University 
                 Cornell 
               
               
                   
                 East Carolina University 
                 Brody 
               
               
                   
                 Duke University 
                 Duke 
               
               
                   
                 U of North Carolina 
                 UNC 
               
               
                   
                 Wake Forest University 
                 Wake 
               
               
                   
                 U of North Dakota 
                 UND 
               
               
                   
                 Wright State University 
                 Wright 
               
               
                   
                 Case Western Reserve University 
                 Case 
               
               
                   
                 Cleveland Clinic 
                 Lerner 
               
               
                   
                 Northeast Ohio Medical University 
                 NEOMED 
               
               
                   
                 Ohio University 
                 OhioU 
               
               
                   
                 Ohio State University 
                 OSU 
               
               
                   
                 U of Cincinnati 
                 UCinn 
               
               
                   
                 U of Toledo 
                 Toledo 
               
               
                   
                 Oklahoma State U 
                 OKState 
               
               
                   
                 U of Oklahoma 
                 OU 
               
               
                   
                 Oregon Health &amp; Science University 
                 OHSU 
               
               
                   
                 The Commonwealth Medical College 
                 TCMC 
               
               
                   
                 Drexel University 
                 Drexel 
               
               
                   
                 Thomas Jefferson University 
                 JMC 
               
               
                   
                 Lake Erie COM - Pennsylvania 
                 LECOMPA 
               
               
                   
                 Pennsylvania State University 
                 PenStat 
               
               
                   
                 U of Pennsylvania 
                 UPenn 
               
               
                   
                 Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine 
                 PCOM 
               
               
                   
                 Temple U 
                 Temple 
               
               
                   
                 U of Pittsburgh 
                 Pitt 
               
               
                   
                 Universidad Central del Caribe 
                 Caribe 
               
               
                   
                 Ponce School of Medicine 
                 Ponce 
               
               
                   
                 San Juan Bautista School of Medicine 
                 SJB 
               
               
                   
                 U of Puerto Rico 
                 Rico 
               
               
                   
                 Brown University 
                 Brown 
               
               
                   
                 Medical University of South Carolina 
                 MUSC 
               
               
                   
                 U of South Carolina 
                 USCaro 
               
               
                   
                 Virginia COM - South Carolina 
                 VCOMSC 
               
               
                   
                 U of South Dakota 
                 SDakota 
               
               
                   
                 East Tennessee State University 
                 Etenn 
               
               
                   
                 Lincoln Memorial University 
                 LMU 
               
               
                   
                 Meharry Medical College 
                 Meharry 
               
               
                   
                 U of Tennessee 
                 UTenn 
               
               
                   
                 Vanderbilt University 
                 Vandy 
               
               
                   
                 Baylor University 
                 Baylor 
               
               
                   
                 Texas A&amp;M University 
                 TexasAM 
               
               
                   
                 Texas Tech University 
                 TXTech 
               
               
                   
                 U of North Texas 
                 NorthTX 
               
               
                   
                 U of Texas - Houston 
                 Houston 
               
               
                   
                 U of Texas - San Antonio 
                 UTSA 
               
               
                   
                 U of Texas - Galveston 
                 UTMB 
               
               
                   
                 U of Texas - Dallas 
                 Dallas 
               
               
                   
                 U of Utah 
                 Utah 
               
               
                   
                 U of Vermont 
                 Vermont 
               
               
                   
                 East Virginia Medical School 
                 EVMS 
               
               
                   
                 U of Virginia 
                 UVA 
               
               
                   
                 Virginia COM - Virginia 
                 VCOMVA 
               
               
                   
                 Edward Via Virginia COM 
                 EdVia 
               
               
                   
                 Virginia Tech Carilion SOM 
                 VATech 
               
               
                   
                 Pacific Northwest University 
                 PacNW 
               
               
                   
                 U of Washington 
                 UWash 
               
               
                   
                 West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine 
                 WVSOM 
               
               
                   
                 West Virginia University SOM 
                 WVU 
               
               
                   
                 Marshall University 
                 Marsh 
               
               
                   
                 Medical College of Georgia 
                 MCW 
               
               
                   
                 U of Wisconsin 
                 Wisc