Block Chain, the New Mantra to Transform Patient Data Management?

Block Chain, the New Mantra to Transform Patient Data Management?

Experts say that block chain technology has the potential to address lack of EHR data interoperability and transform patient data management and care.

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

(800) 670 2809

MTS Transcription Services United States

Electronic health records (EHRs) are a vital component of modern health care. Providers can access this digital repository of patient health information and utilize it to inform clinical decisions and coordinate care. Medical transcription outsourcing helps physicians ensure accurate EHR documentation pertaining to medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, radiology images, and lab results, and other medical information. However, one major grouse is the lack of EHR data interoperability, preventing hospitals, medical groups, insurers and physicians from easily sharing patient data with each other. The result is that providers end up spending a lot of time searching for information or performing data entry. These cumbersome tasks are affecting care and driving increasing physician burnout. Blockchain technology is being touted as the new mantra that could address these concerns and transform patient data management.

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is a distributed digital ledger for recording and storing transaction records. Originally devised for the digital currency, Bitcoin, the technology allows digital information to be distributed but not copied. The blockchain is made up of a network of millions of computing nodes around the world. Its database is not stored in any single location, so that all the records it maintains are public, easily verifiable, and cannot be corrupted or deleted.

Utilizing established cryptographic techniques, blockchain allows each participant in a network to interact, that is, store, exchange, and view information. All participants would be aware of all interactions with the blockchain, which require verification by the network before information is added. All interactions are recorded without preexisting trust between the network participants.

Blockchain and Medical Data Management Deloitte refers to blockchain as the new model for health information exchanges (HIE). According to Deloitte, blockchain technology has the potential to transform healthcare,

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

(800) 670 2809

placing the patient at the centre of the healthcare ecosystem and increasing the security, privacy and interoperability of health data. Blockchain has the potential to make electronic medical records more efficient and secure.

A recent www.wired.com article describes how the technology would work in health care.

-

With blockchain technology, authorized participants would be able to see a patient’s history in chronological order.

Every time data is entered, it would be grouped into an encrypted block by bits of code along with other entries being made at the same time. For a doctor’s visit, these entries could be blood tests, a new prescription, or an imaging test.

-

The authorized physician or pharmacist would validate the entries after they are made.

-

Each validated block would then be time-stamped by the software and added to a chain of older blocks, in chronological order.

The result: authorized players would be able to view the information in the ledger in a chronological sequence.

Studies show that information on discontinued medications is rarely transmitted to the pharmacy by EHR systems, though physicians assume that it is. A study done in a large multispecialty group practice in Massachusetts in 2012

showed that of the targeted

medications that were electronically discontinued on the practice’s electronic medical record (EMR), 1.5% were subsequently dispensed by a pharmacy at least once.

In the www.wired.com report, John Halamka, chief information officer at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center points out that blockchain technology is superior to EHR systems when it comes to prescriptions. The blockchain would display only the current information on a patient’s medications. The physician would not have to comb through all the entire record to see what the patient is taking. Patient privacy and security is also improved as

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

(800) 670 2809

hospitals and pharmacies can avoid sending information back and forth as it is all available on the same common ledger.

While blockchain technology has great potential to enhance health care, several technical, organizational, and other challenges need to be addressed before it can be implemented on a nationwide basis.

Globally, the immutable record keeping that blockchain technology allows assures the reliability of the medical records of patients across the globe. According to a recent CNN Healthcare report, the Trustedoctor platform connects patients directly with specialists across the globe, saving travel costs and eliminating other logistics. As it gains traction, blockchain is reducing inequalities in access to care by breaking down geographical barriers and allowing people in developing countries unrestricted access to first-class medical services.

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

(800) 670 2809