What’s Going On with Blockchain in Healthcare?

Keeping up with technologies that are changing how healthcare is delivered.

Can a continuously growing chain of blocks using cryptography have applications in healthcare?  Once written as two words, block chain, now is known as blockchain. But what is it? Why is everyone talking about it? And how can it help healthcare? Stay tuned as we search for answers and report regularly as this technology integrates itself into healthcare. Read more of our posts on Blockchain.

Follow the hashtags: #BlockchainInHealthcare #HealthcareBlockchain

Blockchain at HIMSS19

This year if you are attending HIMSS19, look for several ways to learn more and experience blockchain in healthcare.

Blockchain Forum
Wednesday, February 13
Unlocking Healthcare Data: The Evolution and Ramifications of Blockchain
Session id: 92  – 8:30AM – 9:30AM EST
Presenter – Jim Tate and Chrissa McFarlane
Description
Blockchains show great potential to help healthcare reduce costs, and improve patient engagement, experience, and outcomes by allowing the sharing and access of information. While data sharing and access is important in achieving improved clinical and financial results, it should follow sound regulated and standardized processes to make information visible and accessible to all stakeholders. This session will focus on how blockchain can utilize current health information exchange standards and regulations to improve interoperability.

Blockchain Privacy, Security, Compliance and Regulation
Session id: 109 10:00AM – 11:00AM EST
Improving Provider Data Accuracy with Blockchain
Session id: 126  -11:30AM – 12:30PM EST

The Tate Chronicles

Tune in to HealthcareNOW Radio, weekdays at 11:30am ET, The Tate Chronicles with host Jim Tate. Jim is on the search for disruptive technologies that will change healthcare. His first series of episodes will focus on blockchain in healthcare. In this episode, Jim’s guest is Dr. David Koepsell, CEO & Co-founder of EncrypGen. With a background in law, ethics, and having authored numerous books and articles on genes, ownership, and ethics, as well as a short stint in a software company, David brings his interest and expertise together to guide the development of systems to enhance the value of genomic databases, while protecting donors and making them stakeholders.

News

HSBlox’s Blockchain Technology Automates & Scales Bundled Payments
HSBlox (@HS_Blox), a technology company that is bringing innovation and transparent economics to the healthcare ecosystem, announced the launch of its CuraBlox™ solution. Leveraging blockchain (distributed ledger technology or DLT), CuraBlox enables healthcare organizations to receive bundled payments from contracted Insurers or Employers and orchestrates episode workflows, including movement of funds and data to/from post-acute care team providers.

Blockchain Technology in Healthcare Market to Hit $1,636.7 Mn by 2025: Global Market Insights, Inc.
Germany dominated the Europe blockchain technology in the healthcare market and was valued at around USD 2.9 million in the year 2018. Various companies and cities in the country are turning into a development hub for blockchain technology. Several German firms are planning to integrate and implement blockchain technology due to increased automation, efficiency and speed. Pharma giant Merck is currently investigating the use of blockchain technology in healthcare for setting up registries of vaccines and transactional histories for patients. Growing demand and adoption rate in the country will boost the market growth in the near future. (@GMI_US)

Clinical Trials Planned for Iris-Recognition-Based Patient Identification Software
Patientory Inc. (@patientory) and UK-based IrisGuard (@IrisGuard) announced a collaboration to combine leading iris biometric technology and healthcare focused PTOYNet blockchain network for enhanced security measures. The HIPAA-compliant Patientory App, which already adheres to strict security requirements, will utilize the benefits of iris-recognition software to add another layer of authorization on the blockchain to help eliminate healthcare inefficiencies.

Aetna, other health insurers team up with IBM on blockchain project
CVS Health Corp’s (@CVSHealth) Aetna (@Aetna) and a host of other health insurers said recently they have partnered with IBM Corp to create a blockchain network aimed at cutting costs in the healthcare industry. The companies intend to use blockchain technology, which allows the sharing of databases across a network of computers, for processing claims and payments and to maintain directories, they said in a joint statement.

Timicoin/TimiHealth Launches Best in Class Healthcare Blockchain as a Service Solution in Concert with SWFT Exchange Listing
imicoin/TimiHealth (@timicoin), the first operating blockchain designed to empower every individual through easy to use tools within TimiHealth that allows you to own, control and monetize your personal healthcare information. TimiHealth announced Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) built purposefully to address the most important issues in healthcare.

Events

Blockchain and Healthcare: The Coming Disruption

Blockchain technology is a foundational disruptive electronic force that came to fruition and was birthed during the global economic crisis of 2008/2009. Blockchain’s first breath was taken on January 3, 2009 with the generation of the aptly named Genesis Block.

Download this eBook on who, what, and how blockchain is impacting healthcare today.

The Basics
  • Pixel Privacy – What Is The Blockchain? – The word blockchain is on everyone’s lips right now. Although you might not really understand what “blockchain” means, chances are you’ve heard people talk about it (a lot). Some people believe it will change our world for the better, and it will replace the banks that we currently know – or similar extravagant things. Although the blockchain came to the general public’s attention when the crypto market absolutely exploded, the majority of the people still don’t understand how it works, what it’s used for or what all the fuss is about.
  • Ted Talk –How the blockchain is changing money and business, Don Tapscott. Don Tapscott is here to help, demystifying this world-changing, trust-building technology which, he says, represents nothing less than the second generation of the internet and holds the potential to transform money, business, government and society.
  • From the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, by Alexander W. Peters, MD, Brian M. Till, John G. Meara, MD, DMD, MBA, FACS and Salim Afshar, MD, DMD, FACS, Blockchain technology in health care: A primer for surgeons.
Who We Read
  • Blockchain Healthcare Review – Known for being a trusted resource, digital health adopters flock to their community to connect with free market healthcare delivery applications.
  • Blockchain in Healthcare Today (BHTY), is an open access online, peer review journal where thought leaders and innovators converge to find solutions in a new health technology sector.
  • Founded in 2015, Blockchain News has the goal of educating and informing those curious about Blockchain.
  • From the Blockchain Unleashed: IBM Blockchain Blog, the Blockchain in Healthcare category.
  • Investing News: Blockchain – BIS Research estimates the global blockchain healthcare market will reach $5.61 billion by 2025. A good reason to know who the players are. Here is their intro article.
Who To Follow