Healthcare is one of the most “sensitive ” industries since healthcare is primarily about people. Blockchain can significantly make life easier for both doctors and patients. Doctors will not have to re-prescribe examinations that the patient got in another clinic. Patients will no longer need to gather their medical history across all clinics. All this will be united in the blockchain.
Blockchain in healthcare
The technology of consecutive blocks recording has great potential in the healthcare industry. Anyway, it is already being actively implemented in this industry in the following areas:
Authentication of medicines. The distributed ledger allows monitoring drugs and pills through the entire chain — from a manufacturer to a patient. Of course, centralized systems can do this as well. But the advantage of blockchain is its transparency and impossibility to forge data. However, such a solution can really work only if the majority of manufacturers and distributors of medicines join a distributed ledger. Thus, the US planes to create a single e-system for tracking prescription drugs in terms of legislation. And some companies already offer pilot platforms — for example, MediLedger.
A single ecosystem for clinics, patients, and insurance companies. Different doctors in different clinics diagnose, cure and vaccinate patients. But there is no single health record. The blockchain system allows combining all patient data for a single clinical picture. Moreover, this system will be transparent and protected against fraud. And it will help to increase the level of trust between its participants.
A single health record allows doctors to improve the quality of treatment. In addition, scientists get the possibility to collect a huge body of clinical data for research.
Patients can manage access to their medical records. They will decide who and under what conditions to provide or even sell their data.
Such an ecosystem simplifies the process of data exchange between all participants of the health insurance system. This kind of project was led by IBM in partnership with health insurers and banks.
EN 
RU