Technology and innovation, impact the healthcare industry in diverse ways. This could be the inventions of robotic surgery, 3D printing and the possibilities it brings, artificial
intelligence that minimizes human intervention and so forth. All such advances have made diagnostic services more accurate as well as helped to increase the speed of delivering different kinds of health care services. Enhancements in technology have always had a positive impact on how health care services are provided. Today there is a new approach being proposed by Healthureum that is based on the Blockchain technology.
What Can Blockchain technology offer?
Information flow is one of the main impediments to health care, both in private and public
healthcare sectors. This gap is where the Blockchain technology can come in and make a
difference. Disparities exist in infrastructure, expertise and quality of medical care as well.
Healthureum proposes a unique ecosystem whereby data is stored in a decentralized
manner, but securely and in a chronological manner. Data gets stored in a network system
which is captured and saved on different servers and devices. Hence, the data remain
tamper proof and secure. The data cannot be changed without access rights. This is a unique
method of storing data of different transactions which can be patient records, diagnostic
records, treatment plans, billing and other kinds of data. Blockchain technology adds a date
stamp to every such record creation or change in the same as well as helping to standardize
processes and systems.
Challenges of the healthcare industry
The healthcare industry across the globe faces certain challenges among which health care
provision and funding are the primary ones. As per a Deloitte study, medical trends
showcase that expenditure for the healthcare sector will reach $8.7 trillion in 2020 from $7
trillion in 2015. The trigger would be several factors like increase in the aging population,
obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases, dementia, HIV, AIDs and others. The study
showcases that about $4 trillion would be spent on treating cardiovascular, respiratory
diseases as well as cancer, which come on by sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits.
Systemization of data in healthcare
The existing health care systems usually have separate and centralized systems for storing
data that is usually limited to the needs of different departments or health care providers.
This leads to a fragmented approach. Data storage is not uniform and sharing information
becomes a hindrance due to different systems being put to use. The bottlenecks that are
created lead to frustration between providers, patients as well as regulators. It also prevents
proactive measures from being taken which can come of much use to prevent epidemic
diseases for large population groups.
How Can Blockchain technology make a difference?
The Blockchain technology that Healthureum proposes is a decentralized approach. No
single entity controls data storage or how it is to be shared. Those who participate in the
network will have their roles to play in creating transaction records and maintaining data
integrity. The Blockchain framework includes time stamp technology that authenticates as
well as tracks the changes that happen in such data and when. This way of managing data is
also suitable for EHR systems and helps to track records for any user as well as when edits
are done.
Healthureum proposes a resolution in the form of a dynamic and multifunctional ecosystem.
Those who become users on this system that is based on cryptocurrency will have access to
telehealth services for consultation with registered physicians and specialists on the
network. There would be opportunities open for stakeholders to monitor progress on
medical infrastructure programs and so forth. Healthureum will provide a conglomerate of
services for health care providers as well as for individual users. It is based on a smart
contract system whereby transactions would take place with the ethereum tokens that are available to purchase and use on the system. Users who come on the system can save their data, control access to such data and securely store all kinds of medical data and records.
They can provide access to such data to their medical practitioners instead of being
dependent on such professionals or institutions to generate their records.
The above system can help break away from the dilemma of having incorrect medical
records being generated that leave people at the mercy of institutions and health care
providers. Also, the data can be shared with different providers as and when required.
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