Leland Brewster, director of strategic investments at Healthbox in Chicago, a health consulting service company, discusses the use of the blockchain to put patients under control of their data and its predictions about the imminent shift of technology into the 39; area of health.
The answers have been slightly modified for clarity and length.
Question: where is now the blockchain in the health sector and how will it develop in 2019?
Leland Brewster: Blockchain technology has aroused considerable interest in the healthcare sector and much of the attention has been given to patient data, trying to help patients access, monetize, share and / or control them. Placing patients in the control of their data is an important goal that should be pursued.
The challenge, however, with these approaches is information asymmetry. For example, the company that acquires a patient's genetic data in a blockchain-driven market probably has much more information about its value than the patient who sells it, and these problems will become more evident over time. I do not expect that patient-centric blockchain initiatives will disappear in 2019, but I expect corporate initiatives to see more traction.
Q: What do you think will be the most significant blockchain applications in the healthcare sector over the next five years?
LB: Emphasis will shift to addressing infrastructure and operational challenges rather than storing or exchanging patient data. Any data entered on a blockchain ledger will remain there forever; it can not be canceled. This fact does not go well with an industry full of privacy and safety regulations. In the short term, it makes more sense to start tackling problems that do not concern protected health information. An area like the supply chain presents a more obvious opportunity in a sector as risk-averse as healthcare. Within the next five years, I expect that we will see blockchain making a significant contribution to activities such as instrumentation and resource sharing or monitoring and auditing the provenance of drugs, among others.
To attend the future Becker question and answer session, contact Jackie Drees at [email protected].
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