How Blockchain Is Transforming Healthcare For The Better

VEDANT JORE
5 min readMay 9, 2023

--

Introduction

The healthcare industry is notorious for its bureaucracy and inefficiency. In the United States alone, it is estimated that over $200 billion is wasted each year due to these issues. Thankfully, blockchain technology has the potential to solve many of these problems.

By creating a decentralized system of record-keeping, blockchain can help to streamline healthcare processes and make it easier for patients to access their medical records. In addition, blockchain can also be used to create tamper-proof medical records, which would help to reduce fraud and errors in the healthcare industry.

If you are interested in learning more about how blockchain is transforming healthcare for the better, then read on!

How can blockchain be used in healthcare?

Blockchain can be used for a variety of different applications in the healthcare industry. Here are some of the most notable ways in which this technology can be used to improve patient care:

1. Smart contracts: Healthcare organizations can use smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts stored on a blockchain. This technology can be used to automate administrative tasks and make sure that payments are made and medical records are released in a timely fashion.

2. Patients’ medical records: Patients’ medical records can be stored on a secure and tamper-proof blockchain, which would be accessible on demand to healthcare providers, insurance companies, and even patients.

3. Supply chain management: Blockchain technology can be used to track drugs and medical equipment throughout the supply chain, ensuring the quality of drugs and ensuring that the right drugs are delivered to the right patients.

4. Clinical trials: The records of clinical trials can be stored and tracked more efficiently on a blockchain. This would help medical researchers draw more accurate conclusions from their data.

These are just a few of the ways that blockchain can be used to improve healthcare. As the technology continues to advance, no doubt there will be more applications developed to further improve patient care.

What are the benefits of using blockchain in healthcare?

The benefits of utilizing blockchain technology in healthcare are tremendous. Here are just a few of the most notable advantages:

1. Increased Cybersecurity: With blockchain technology, healthcare data is more secure as the data is stored in a distributed ledger, and each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block. This makes it difficult for hackers to gain access to patient data.

2. High Transparency: As data stored on a blockchain is immutable and unalterable, it ensures that data is stored securely, without any tampering. This enhances the transparency of the healthcare system, allowing patients and healthcare providers to trust the system.

3. Improved Data Accuracy: Since data stored on the blockchain cannot be altered in any way, data accuracy is improved significantly. This ensures that healthcare organizations are working with accurate and up-to-date data.

4. Swift Record-Keeping: With blockchain technology, healthcare records can be quickly shared with other organizations, streamlining the patient care process. This increases patient satisfaction and saves time for healthcare organizations.

5. Reduced Costs: Blockchain eliminates the need for third-party intermediaries, reducing costs associated with data storage, authentication, and record-keeping. This reduces overall healthcare costs, allowing healthcare organizations to serve more patients at a lower cost.

Overall, the benefits of blockchain technology in healthcare provide greater data security, transparency, accuracy, efficiency, and cost savings. This technology will no doubt revolutionize the healthcare industry and benefit both

How is blockchain transforming healthcare for the better?

Blockchain and healthcare have had an ever-growing partnership over the years. This technology can be used to streamline and secure the transfer of electronic health records, improve access to care, and reduce the rate of medical errors.

Blockchain technology can also be an advantageous tool for tracking and sharing patient data such as immunization records, lab tests, and medications across various healthcare organizations. This technology has the potential to secure patient data and improve accuracy between different healthcare providers.

Blockchain can help reduce operational costs and streamline the billing process. This technology can be used to automate certain administrative tasks such as insurance claims and patient forms, saving time and money.

In addition, blockchain can enable more secure and efficient transfer of funds for both providers and patients. This technology can also be used to enable secure digital medical identity authentication, reducing the rate of medical identity theft and fraud.

Overall, blockchain technology is making a positive impact in the healthcare industry. This technology is revolutionizing the way healthcare providers manage data, improve patient care, and reduce operational costs. With its immutable, secure, and transparent nature, blockchain technology is transforming the healthcare sector for the better.

Conclusion

In conclusion, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry by providing a more secure, efficient, and transparent environment for storing, sharing, and exchanging data. This technology can help streamline the transfer of electronic health records and reduce medical errors.

Moreover, blockchain can reduce operational costs, streamline the billing process, and enable secure digital medical identity authentication. As more healthcare providers adopt the technology, we should expect to see more improvements and benefits in the future.

This technology is undoubtedly making positive strides in transforming healthcare for the better.

References

[1]“Blockchain and healthcare: A cure for the trust problem?” by McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/blockchain-and-healthcare-a-cure-for-the-trust-problem

[2]“How Blockchain Could Revolutionize Healthcare” by Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2017/03/how-blockchain-could-revolutionize-health-care

[3]“The Role of Blockchain Technology in Enhancing Healthcare Data Security” by Deloitte: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/blockchain-health-care-data-security.html

[4]“Blockchain in healthcare: The patient-centered solution for the 21st century” by Healthcare IT News: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/blockchain-healthcare-patient-centered-solution-21st-century

[5]“5 Ways Blockchain Is Revolutionizing Healthcare” by Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/06/05/5-ways-blockchain-is-revolutionizing-healthcare/?sh=2e44e87b2f2c

Authors :- Atharva Bakde, Aditya dere, Daksh Dagariya, Vedant Jore

--

--