Blockchain Technology for Health Records

Exploring the Fundamentals of Blockchain Technology

Origin and Basic Functionality

Blockchain technology is essentially a database that allows organizations to share data while maintaining data security, storing data in blocks that are linked together in a chain. Since the data is stored in a chain of blocks, users can store data that cannot be altered by other users. Blockchain systems are designed to prevent unauthorized entries, creating consistency and security in the database.

The Role of Decentralization

In blockchain technology, decentralization is the process of moving the act of decision-making and control from a centralized entity to a distributed network. A centralized entity can be an individual person, an organization, or a group.

By decentralizing a network, blockchain technology uses transparency to reduce the amount of trust required among users. Decentralized networks also reduce the amount of control individual users have, making it more difficult for individuals to take control over other users in a way that impacts the network’s functionality.

Major Advantages of Blockchain Technology for Health Records

Security and Transparency

For a healthcare company, protecting patient data is a top priority due to federal regulations, including HIPAA and GDPR. Blockchain technology can provide healthcare companies with advanced data security to build a software system that is incredibly difficult to tamper with. Because of blockchain technology’s structure, a single user cannot make changes to the transaction records.

In the healthcare industry, this is an ideal way to ensure that users do not change or view patients’ medical records and health data without the appropriate access permissions. With the increasing number of data breaches being reported, an organization’s healthcare data security is being scrutinized by patients whose data is at risk. With the advanced security measures included in blockchain technology, patients are more likely to trust organizations that utilize blockchain to store medical data.

Since blockchain records are stored chronologically, all updates and changes to patients’ healthcare data are logged by time. This level of transparency makes it easier for healthcare organizations to audit changes to personal health records.

Interoperability and Efficiency

As the healthcare industry becomes more reliant on technology, data interoperability is essential for data sharing among organizations. Most patients will have multiple healthcare providers, which can result in their historical medical records being incomplete or unavailable. Since this can have negative long-term effects on a patient’s diagnosis and outcomes, allowing other organizations access to patient records can increase the quality of care provided.

A blockchain network can create a secure location where healthcare providers can view a patient’s medical history. Providers can be granted strict access permissions, allowing them to securely access medical data while maintaining patient privacy.

Healthcare blockchain systems can also increase the operational efficiency of healthcare professionals by reducing the amount of work required to access a patient’s electronic medical records or perform an audit on changes made to patient records.

Application of Blockchain in Health Records

Secure Patient Data Exchange

Using blockchain technology to store patient data gives healthcare providers more time to consult with patients and create personalized health plans. With seamless and secure data sharing, providers can easily consult with other providers who specialize in a patient’s condition, improving the patient’s care and outcome.

Blockchain technology allows different organizations and practices to collaborate and exchange patient data using distributed ledger technology. Having a safe and secure way to share patient information is critical in today’s technology-dependent healthcare industry.

Facilitating Medical Research

Blockchain technology can be used in clinical trials to improve data integrity and reduce the risk of data that does not align with the research objectives. The security and transparency of blockchain technology can also strengthen trust in clinical trial results. Since all changes to the data are stored chronologically, users can easily track changes and run audits to ensure data is accurate.

This can be beneficial for clinical trials and medical research as editing rights can be restricted to a limited number of users who must agree to the update, and any changes can be tracked and noted in the research report.

Embracing a Future of Blockchain-Enabled Health Records

The Benefits of Blockchain for Health Records

Using blockchain technology comes with a variety of benefits, including cost savings, increased data security, and improved transparency.

Using blockchain technology can reduce the overall operational costs for a healthcare organization by streamlining administrative tasks and supporting quick data exchange. Blockchain technology can reduce the need to enter data manually or complete administrative tasks outside of a software solution. Medical professionals can focus on value-added tasks by streamlining these processes with a blockchain system.

Blockchain technology can improve a healthcare organization’s data security through decentralization, ensuring individual users cannot make changes without the approval of others. Blockchain technology also provides a secure system to store and share private health records with permitted users. This ensures patient information is accurate and reduces the risk of incorrect data, which can impact a patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan.

Transparency is important for healthcare organizations that need the ability to track changes to a patient’s record, including their medical history, medical prescriptions, or health insurance data. Since blockchain technology is decentralized, patients’ medical records cannot be changed without the approval of multiple users. Audits can be run to track the changes made to a patient’s medical record, ensuring all changes are accurate, and if not, then they can be reverted to the historical version.

Steps Toward the Adoption of Blockchain in Healthcare

As the healthcare industry starts to see more data breaches exposing private patient data, more healthcare companies will likely shift to using blockchain technology. Before meeting with software vendors, healthcare organizations must create a list of requirements, including what existing software systems they use, to ensure blockchain technology can be implemented. Data interoperability will also be a top consideration for healthcare organizations, as they must be able to transfer existing data to provide patients and providers a seamless transition.

Work With Geneca Today

Geneca has over 25 years of experience creating and maintaining high-quality, reliable custom software solutions. Our partners choose us because we:

• Understand software and business, including industry processes and regulations

• Use cutting-edge technology paired with trusted, evergreen tools

• Communicate changes, progress, and expectations through every step of the development process

• Honor your budget and timeline from the start

If you’re ready to learn more about how blockchain technology can improve your organization’s data security, contact us today!