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Many industries are enthusiastic about the possible applications of blockchain technology. Excitement is almost always quickly followed by cautions to avoid being too optimistic, too quickly.
Get the automotive industry: Blockchain could be quite suitable for car manufacturers and insurers. But as Red Hat Technology Evangelist Gordon Haff told us, when we've explored the possibilities, there will be opposing winds fueled by those who might be reluctant to buy, along with considerable government policies and regulatory issues, security and privacy and the like.
[ Where is blockchain making tangible progress? See our related story: Blockchain in action: 5 interesting examples. ]
The automotive industry is not alone in these concerns. A long-standing industry with rooted players? Remarkable government policy and regulatory issues? Security and privacy issues? Try asking a health care professional the following questions: make sure you are not in a hurry to go somewhere else when you do.
Yet, as in the automotive industry, there is a lot of potential for blockchain in the healthcare industry, and more pilot and other projects already under way.
"I believe in huge potential for health care that is moving towards a world of blockchain," says Marta Pierkarska, director of the ecosystem at Hyperledger. "It is one of the industries that has not seen many innovations for a long time and now has the opportunity to make a big update".
Pierkarska notes that the potential does not amount to a guarantee – and that the technicians themselves are not able to correctly identify the urgent problems, and even less to solve them, in health care.
"He is alone [through] a good collaboration with all the participants in the sector – patients, professionals, suppliers, governments, insurers and researchers – that we can build systems that will see adoption, "says Pierkarska.
[ Can you explain blockchain to non-techies? Read our related story, How to explain blockchain in plain English. ]
Data problems everywhere
The biggest opportunity for blockchain in the health sector can be summarized in one word: data. This includes patient data and the way they are recorded, shared and archived, as well as an individual's property and access to their health information. It also understands how all forms of health data go through processes and between organizations, which is anything but optimal today.
"Two of the most important challenges in health care today are interoperability and data quality and the blockchain has the potential to solve them both".
"Two of the most important challenges in the healthcare industry today are interoperability and data quality, and blockchain has the potential to address both," says Jason O & # 39; Meara, senior director of architecture at Quest Diagnostics. "In addition to supporting data exchange, blockchain can be used to improve the quality and completeness of data and create a single source of truth for all participants."
There may be long-term benefits for that "single source of truth" if blockchain allows improved data streams to become a reality in a secure and private way.
Pierkarska notes that some of the main barriers to the standards of information sharing in today's healthcare industry have little to do with technological limitations.
"In today's world, healthcare systems are not centered on the patient," he says. "Blockchain offers a potential [path] to change this, offering solutions that preserve privacy and enable more reliable data exchange, making electronic medical records more efficient and disintermediate ".
Pierkarska is not alone in this perspective.
"Because patients are necessarily at the heart of the healthcare industry, blockchain-based solutions must first deal with identity on the blockchain, and here in particular the rights of an individual to their personal data," says Christian Kameir, managing partner at the company firm Sustany Capital. "Decentralization of treatment data will allow patients to share information between providers and potentially allow anonymous aggregation – big data – that provides large-scale clinical trials to segment populations, manage health and drive 'decisions.
Blockchain health projects in action
We analyze some real applications and pilot projects that offer tangible indicators of how the healthcare industry and the blockchain can adapt over the long term, in four areas:
1. Electronic health documents (EHR):
The transition to EHR was one of the greatest histories of health informatics – or sagas – of this century.
The industry-wide EHR level shift (which is not exactly the same as electronic medical records or EMR) was one of the biggest health informatics stories – or sagas, depending on who you ask – of this century. This is a key area where the concept of "the only source of trust" is not actually a reality and where the secure exchange of information remains problematic.
Pierkarska points to the United Kingdom, where a company called Medicalchain has recently announced a pilot partnership of its blockchain-based EHR system with a London-based medical group, The Groves Medical Group.
