Blockchain in healthcare continues to be a topic of discussion. While unclear if the technology will become mainstream, executives are exploring various ways to incorporate blockchain.
Here are five recent announcements and deals centering around blockchain.
1. Anthem plans to give its more than 40 million members more control over their medical records through blockchain solutions.
2. Although blockchain technology has made major strides in 2019, the technology has a long way to go before it becomes mainstream, IBM Blockchain general manager Marie Wieck said in an interview with Coindesk.
3. SimplyVital Health announced Dec. 5 the launch of Aletheai, a blockchain-based application programming interface.
4. Blockchain will be used in healthcare to compliment artificial intelligence and IoT-based data marketplace offerings. Early use cases of blockchain that have been successful include professional credentialing, medical billing management, personal health records and pharmacy supply chain.
5. For blockchain to be successful in healthcare, it needs to scale. This is why collaborations have been created between major healthcare organizations to grow the technology. Five healthcare giants launched the Synaptic Health Alliance, a pilot program using blockchain to ensure health plan provider directors include up-to-date physician information.