Healthcare Blockchain Could Solve Industry’s Biggest Problems

Healthcare blockchain could solve some of the biggest problems in healthcare, such as compliance, interoperability, and data security issues, according to a recent study by CB Insights. The report looked at healthcare blockchain use cases in the short, medium, and long term. In the short term, healthcare blockchain could help simplify back-office operations, enhance organizations’ ability to track products in the supply chain, and improve information storage and verification. Some healthcare care consortiums have already formed to take advantage of blockchain technology by using distributed ledger systems to share data among members. The Synaptic Health Alliance, made up of Humana, MultiPlan, Optum, Quest Diagnostics, and UnitedHealthcare, plans to apply blockchain to ensure that the most up-to-date information about healthcare providers is available in the provider directories.  The pilot is examining how sharing data across healthcare organizations using blockchain technology can boost data accuracy, streamline administration, reduce costs, and improve access to care.