Maybe you can relate to this.
Recently I went to a local medical laboratory here in Orlando, Florida, for my annual medical check-up. Since this was a new lab for me, I was warned of the need to complete several forms of “paperwork.”
Well, being the on-time kind of guy I am, I showed up 20 minutes early and was given a clipboard with several pages to complete.
Each form required re-entering common information. Ugh!After taking the time to complete these forms by hand, I was informed that now I had to take the papers physically back to my doctor’s office! This added to the delay as the forms were processed in a 1930s style. Once you’ve seen a new technology in one area, you realize it can be used in other areas.
When Amazon can deliver packages in two days, sometimes one, and sometimes even the same day, why should we have to wait eight weeks for other items to be delivered by mail? This reduced-time principle applies to medical records and other needs. We need instant access through an internet-accessible, HIPAA-compliant (based on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) way to get information from one health care provider to the other.
In health care, as in many other industries, we are seeing an emergence of permission-granted networks so that approved professionals can access records under specified protocols. This is where blockchain works. And, with a little research, I was able to see several distinct advantages of this new technology being implemented for health care.
Think of blockchain technology as a distributed database with the ability to have write-once, never-change (immutable) records kept. Blockchain serves as a “middleman” in the supply chain of information; it is a digital ledger of transactions.Blockchain is often associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dash and others. These are monetary instruments but they also keep an immutable record of transactions. One of the blockchain applications is health care information.
Here are some applications where blockchain is being used now and will be used even more in the future:
Blockchain can eliminate the frustration I had with completing multiple forms with identical information and the physical delivery to my doctor’s office. Blockchain would provide that secure, HIPAA-compliant record that would be controlled by me, the patient.I would authorize key health care professionals to access it with strong limits on when and how it is accessible. This would speed up processing and medical analysis and would vastly reduce the possibility of errors through human entry or sabotage.
There is a large percentage of medical waste in the United States due to medical billing-related frauds. When all charges are coordinated through blockchain, there is a record created that is made available to authorized personnel for processing. This not only will speed up the processing of transactions, but it will also greatly reduce medical costs. That is becoming more and more urgent in today’s health care environment.
Blockchain can help to track where a drug was first created, how it was distributed and where it was received by the patient. This process will ensure a more reliable tracking of legitimate drugs and tracking to ensure patients get the right drugs for their individual needs. Professionals would be able to track proof of ownership to ensure better healthcare quality.
IoMT is the Internet of Medical Things to enhance the interoperability of various devices. This way information would be available on a desktop for a physician as well as in a portable tablet for a lab technician who needed confidential information.
With increased concern about cybersecurity, blockchain can provide additional security using the write-once, never-change hallmark technology built into it.These and other features are providing and will continue to provide more ways for use of blockchain technology in health care. Yes, it was a bit frustrating for me to hand-deliver paper, but I lived — a good thing in medical issues.
Someday blockchain will help speed up the processing, and perhaps you and I won’t have to complete numerous pages of...continue reading: https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2017/08/how-blockchain-can-improve-...
Recently I went to a local medical laboratory here in Orlando, Florida, for my annual medical check-up. Since this was a new lab for me, I was warned of the need to complete several forms of “paperwork.”
Well, being the on-time kind of guy I am, I showed up 20 minutes early and was given a clipboard with several pages to complete.
Each form required re-entering common information. Ugh!After taking the time to complete these forms by hand, I was informed that now I had to take the papers physically back to my doctor’s office! This added to the delay as the forms were processed in a 1930s style. Once you’ve seen a new technology in one area, you realize it can be used in other areas.
When Amazon can deliver packages in two days, sometimes one, and sometimes even the same day, why should we have to wait eight weeks for other items to be delivered by mail? This reduced-time principle applies to medical records and other needs. We need instant access through an internet-accessible, HIPAA-compliant (based on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) way to get information from one health care provider to the other.
In health care, as in many other industries, we are seeing an emergence of permission-granted networks so that approved professionals can access records under specified protocols. This is where blockchain works. And, with a little research, I was able to see several distinct advantages of this new technology being implemented for health care.
Think of blockchain technology as a distributed database with the ability to have write-once, never-change (immutable) records kept. Blockchain serves as a “middleman” in the supply chain of information; it is a digital ledger of transactions.Blockchain is often associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dash and others. These are monetary instruments but they also keep an immutable record of transactions. One of the blockchain applications is health care information.
Here are some applications where blockchain is being used now and will be used even more in the future:
Information exchange between medical professionals
Blockchain can eliminate the frustration I had with completing multiple forms with identical information and the physical delivery to my doctor’s office. Blockchain would provide that secure, HIPAA-compliant record that would be controlled by me, the patient.I would authorize key health care professionals to access it with strong limits on when and how it is accessible. This would speed up processing and medical analysis and would vastly reduce the possibility of errors through human entry or sabotage.
Billing and claims issues
There is a large percentage of medical waste in the United States due to medical billing-related frauds. When all charges are coordinated through blockchain, there is a record created that is made available to authorized personnel for processing. This not only will speed up the processing of transactions, but it will also greatly reduce medical costs. That is becoming more and more urgent in today’s health care environment.
Origin and tracking of drugs used
Blockchain can help to track where a drug was first created, how it was distributed and where it was received by the patient. This process will ensure a more reliable tracking of legitimate drugs and tracking to ensure patients get the right drugs for their individual needs. Professionals would be able to track proof of ownership to ensure better healthcare quality.
IoMT and device tracking
IoMT is the Internet of Medical Things to enhance the interoperability of various devices. This way information would be available on a desktop for a physician as well as in a portable tablet for a lab technician who needed confidential information.
With increased concern about cybersecurity, blockchain can provide additional security using the write-once, never-change hallmark technology built into it.These and other features are providing and will continue to provide more ways for use of blockchain technology in health care. Yes, it was a bit frustrating for me to hand-deliver paper, but I lived — a good thing in medical issues.
Someday blockchain will help speed up the processing, and perhaps you and I won’t have to complete numerous pages of...continue reading: https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2017/08/how-blockchain-can-improve-...