Blockchain technology can dramatically transform health care delivery

Blockchain technology has the potential to dramatically transform health care delivery by facilitating data exchange between providers and electronic health record (EHR) systems. A decentralized and transparent platform, blockchain technology provides an authenticated platform that applies a consensus-driven approach to facilitate the interaction of multiple entities through a shared ledger. For the health care sphere, blockchain is simply the sharing of medical information through EHRs across numerous hospital systems that are part of the same distribution group. Any health care organization, regardless of their native EHR system, would be able to exchange medical information when participating in a blockchain consortium. Despite the fact that there is still some hesitation surrounding the widespread adoption of blockchain technology within health care, including questions about how it will integrate with existing technology and the difficulty in changing cultural norms, there are several key benefits that blockchain can provide health care systems. One of the most widely accepted benefits is the fact that blockchain supports the use of a single, longitudinal patient record. All patient data, including problem lists, progress notes, lab results, treatments, etc. can be compiled using blockchain technology and shared among providers. Blockchain technology can also be used to develop master patient indexes, in which a provider can search for a patient using multiple keys and a...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Tech Health IT Hospital-Based Medicine Primary Care Source Type: blogs