Integrating blockchain into existing operations can seem daunting. However, healthcare organizations should not be intimidated by blockchain.
During a session at Becker's 5th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference, Oct. 9-12, panelists gathered to discuss how blockchain can be leveraged in healthcare. The panel featured:
- John Paganini, CEO of IoT Directions.
- Jim St. Clair, chief technology officer of Dinocrates Group.
- Ruth Amos, partner at Cogent Law Group and CEO of Practical Informatics.
Here are three takeaways:
1. Before hospitals and health systems explore their options with blockchain, they need to make sure they really understand their processes. Hospitals and other healthcare organizations need to ensure that the data that will be inputted into the blockchain is quality.
2. Blockchain will empower patients to take control of their healthcare and their data. Solutions that are built upon blockchain will allow patients to manage their own data. In turn, it may help patients manage their overall health.
3. Beyond supply chain management, blockchain shows promise with enhancing physician credentialing. For example, hospitals would agree to the terms of a blockchain, and once a physician's credentials were uploaded to the blockchain, the various hospitals on the blockchain would have to verify them. All the hospitals on the blockchain would agree to trust that the uploaded credentials are accurate and correct.
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