By Connor Walsh
Blockchain technology is the future. From developing decentralized currencies to decentralized applications and finance, the concept of “Web 3.0” is rapidly approaching, and health care is not exempt from this overhaul. Full of “middle-men” and various inefficient processes, health care is poised as an amazing use case for blockchain adoption. This article will look at some benefits that blockchain can bring to health care and real-world use cases.
Described as “a distributed database that is shared among the nodes of a computer network, storing information electronically in digital format,” blockchain ensures confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data exchanged on the network and generates trust without the need of a third party. When one thinks of blockchain, the word “Bitcoin” might come to mind. Bitcoin is only one small component/benefit of blockchain technology, and there are so many other real world use cases including but not limited to records of property, identification, smart contracts, voting and health care.
To better help paint the picture of some of the benefits blockchain can provide to the health care industry, here are two possible scenarios to compare:
Scenario 1: The year is 2022, and a new patient arrives at a medical facility for treatment. At check-in, they are handed several different forms to fill in, and the patient can’t help but think “I filled these same forms out at my last health care facility.” After the forms are complete, the receptionist asks to see ID and proof of insurance which is handed over in the form of printed cards. The receptionist copies all documents into their local database and the patient is admitted.
Scenario 2: The year is 2042, and a new patient arrives at a medical facility for treatment. At check-in, the patient scans a QR barcode on their phone, that communicates via Bluetooth to an external hardware wallet in their pocket. The user confirms the transaction on this hardware wallet, with their private keys never leaving the wallet, and all required unique patient identification and previous health histories are pulled to the computer screen and the patient is checked in. No patient data is stored locally in a facility database.
Reviewing these scenarios, it is not hard to see which one is more efficient. However, identifying which one is more secure might be more difficult. Looking at scenario two, however, what is this hardware wallet in the patient’s pocket? This device’s main goal is to store a user’s blockchain assets’ private keys (i.e digital identity and previous medical histories in this case) with complete isolation from your computer or smartphone. From a cyber perspective, this means that a bad actor cannot access or transact any of your data stored on a blockchain without physical access to the user’s hardware wallet (or if the user publicly broadcasts their wallet’s private keys). This dramatically increases security over data that is stored in a facility database or online, as is currently done in Scenario 1.
Blockchain provides the required digital identity, tracking and user-controlled data to ensure a patient’s medical record is always accurate, never changed and only accessible to certain individuals. Processes such as hospital enrollment, medical insurance and pharmacy orders can all be streamlined. And the good news, work towards Scenario 2 has already started; dHealth Network, with big partners such as Roche, has started building decentralized infrastructure to completely overhaul the existing health care landscape. And various other questions such as, “Why do we still have printed SSN/ID cards in 2021?” and “Why do I have to fill in the same forms at every health care facility I go to?” will soon be addressed. These archaic processes that have for so long slowed down health care can be solved with proper education and adoption of blockchain technology.
Thankfully the shift has already begun.
– Connor Walsh works for VA Central Office on the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization (OEHRM) HTM team.