Today, new advancements in technology allow patients greater control over their health data. We will be able to choose what information their health providers have access to and what’s collected for insurance, research, and other purposes.
Health data privacy has been garnering quite much media attention these days. And for a good reason, as consumers are growing increasingly concerned about whose hands their private information is ending up.
Here, a new era of innovation fueling the intersection between personalized data and blockchain technology shows immense promise. These developments signal a leap forward for care delivery outcomes, efficiencies, and scalability.
Blockchain offers a cutting-edge approach to security and immutability in an age of sensitive health information. One rapidly growing enterprise at the epicenter of this is Bowhead Health.
Tracking Wellness With Bowhead Health
Bowhead Health is known for creating the world’s first intelligent vitamin dispenser with data-driven recommendations based on one’s health and lifestyle needs., Bowhead is now in forwarding drive with a state-of-the-art encrypted wellness tracker and personalized health app. It allows users to control their personal health information and healthy lifestyle intentions.
The beauty of this tracker is that it employs Ethereum blockchain and smart contracts that self-execute without necessitating third parties to touch patient data to facilitate it. Moreover, it allows for Bowhead tokens for healthcare-related purchases such as those involving health-promoting activities, clinical studies, and even incentive programs tied to preventative health and treatments.
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In an interview with Blockchain Healthcare Review, Dr. Rhea Mehta, C.E.O. of Bowhead Health, talked about her ambitious efforts to foster a comprehensive digital tool that allows people to reclaim control over their data while pursuing their healthy lifestyle aims.
Share with us briefly a little about you.
I have a Ph.D. in Molecular Toxicology and Nutritional Biochemistry from Toronto. I am a certified integrative health coach with over ten years of experience in scientific research and preventative healthcare practice.
What are you discovering from your journey so far?
Some of the most significant issues holding back the progress of the healthcare sector in the digital age have to do with unmet consumer demands for a level of security and interoperability suitable for sensitive personal data. As more stakeholders, tools, and applications interact with our health data, it’s necessary to have a streamlined and secure approach to sharing data that the user fully manages.
So how did Bowhead Health come into existence?
We believe we’ve reached a point in history where we now have the technology to fix the framework of health data management and optimize the system. I’m referring to blockchain and innovative contract technology, which enables patients and users to become the managers of their encrypted data.
How did you personally become acquainted with Blockchain?
All Bowhead Health co-founders were personally interested in the space through family and their respective networks. For example, my brother-in-law was an early adopter of the Bitcoin movement as the inventor of the first Bitcoin paper wallet, Bit Address. When we first learned about healthcare as a use case, we didn’t need convincing of the potential impact of the technology. We quickly entered the space by conducting an initial coin offering to validate our idea and simultaneously raise capital.
Tell us about your decision to integrate blockchain with your personalized health app and wellness tracker?
We originally built our platform as a blockchain-based system to allow people to become the managers of their personal and medical health data, enabling access to their information from anywhere globally via a mobile app. Moreover, they could securely share with their practitioners and even sell to clinical researchers to benefit research in population health and precision medicine.
Describe the sorts of problems blockchain solves for you?
Blockchain enables data ownership by the patient and therefore gives that person the opportunity to play a role in decision making, which is incredibly empowering. This technology also allows data portability and practical health information exchange. Doctors now can access more diverse data from their patients – and data from all sources, which means a more accurate and personalized protocol for users.
Can you share more about the technical aspects of this?
Sure. We’ve built our platform using the Ethereum blockchain, which gives us access to smart contracts, which are essentially digital contracts that self-execute without the need for a third party. With smart contracts, patients can control their data sharing with practitioners and other stakeholders in the space and even earn incentives for lending that data.
What emerging trend do you see on the horizon over the next 12-18 months in terms of the intersection between Blockchain and Wellness Data?
We are excited about the potential to work with pharmaceutical companies willing to purchase wellness data directly from users instead of third parties, which is both expensive and inefficient. We see this as an emerging trend and are happy to be at its forefront.
In closing, any final thoughts about blockchain, data tracking, and the future of healthcare?
In the healthcare 2.0 world that we envision, everybody with interest in good health care wins. As an industry, we have a lot of work to do to upgrade standards and, as individuals, to become educated on healthcare security. By bringing privacy into our healthcare discussions, we can cultivate holistic respect for our data, thereby ensuring a delivery model that offers trust and quality care.
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