Tag: Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology is based on digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record a transaction of value.

Upheaval and RebelDot announce strategic partnership for Weave enterprise blockchain technology

SEATTLE, WA: Upheaval LLC, innovators of patent-pending blockchain technology the Weave, today announced a strategic partnership with well-established and ISO certified software development company RebelDot, to develop, integrate, and bring to market the Weave blockchain, with global reach and scale.

As a result of this strategic partnership, healthcare and other organizations across the world can soon get subscriptions to the Weave, and in doing, integrate their existing digital systems with a robust blockchain technology that scales, protects, cures over time, and regenerates. The Weave’s unique shared-block, multiple-blockchain technology creates a holistic online environment that allows any organization with an Internet connection get a subscription. Access for individuals, including a secure mobile app to track personal health records, is free. The Weave brings the power of network effects, and in-place blockchain integrations to healthcare participants such as insurers, providers, pharmacies, drug makers, and devices.

“We believe the Weave can deliver on the promise of blockchain for healthcare, with a solution that’s secure yet accessible, immensely scalable, and high performing,” said David Iseminger, Upheaval’s CEO.

“With RebelDot’s development experience, blockchain expertise and systems integration knowledge, this partnership amplifies the offerings of each of our companies. It’s a win for our future customers.”

“The Weave has unique technical structure, especially as an enterprise blockchain,” said Tudor Ciuleanu, CEO of RebelDot. “In healthcare, the Weave will bring new life and advanced capabilities to dated systems.” About growth potential, Tudor added, “Our customers are from many industries. The Weave can create significant value beyond healthcare – real estate, manufacturing, IoT, finance, government, and others. We see the Weave quickly gaining market traction upon release, and we see RebelDot growing at scale alongside it.”

With the partnership, healthcare and other industries will finally have a blockchain solution that integrates with their existing systems, streamlines their processes, and delivers big data analytics. Subscribers will realize a better healthcare experience, for their organization and for their patients. 

About RebelDot

RebelDot is an end-to-end software development company covering all phases in the software product development lifecycle, from product strategy and tech advisory to design and development.
With over a decade of experience in building software, RebelDot helps companies and organizations in multiple industries bring innovation through technology, by adapting to the new, emerging technologies like blockchain, machine learning and AI. 

RebelDot is an Accredited Training Center with the Blockchain Training Alliance, a Microsoft Partner, and is ISO 9001:2015 Certified and ISO 27001:2018 Certified. 

Learn more about RebelDot, the European-based software development company. – www.rebeldot.com 

About Upheaval

Upheaval creates innovative software solutions, including the patent-pending Weave blockchain environment, that elevate and transform industries. With the Weave, organizations connect real-time, real-world interactions and create network effects that empower every participant. 

To learn more about Upheaval and the Weave, visit: http://theweave.io 

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Going Public With Blockchain: Feature Interview With Public Health Researcher and Advisor Tiffany Gray

Dr. Tiffany Gray, is a public health researcher and advisor with over 9 years of experience in the field of public health and behavioral health research. Dr. Gray is a  Research and Science Advisor at Axes and Eggs, a blockchain-based think-tank based in DC and Dubai. She also is an advisor for TruDiary, which is a tech-based application focused on improving health and reducing health disparities and inequities among women of color.

Dr. Gray currently serves as Guest Editor for Frontiers  Blockchain for Distributed Research, as well as Co-Chair of the Global Health and Disaster Relief subcommittee as part of the UN’s Blockchain for Impact initiative. She is also a Fellow with Blockchain in Healthcare Global/IEEE-ISTO.

Dr. Gray’s areas of research expertise include mental health and wellness, behavioral health, substance use, and examining tobacco use behaviors among vulnerable populations, including youth and young adults, addressing cessation, prevention, and intervention efforts.

Below is a brief interview with Tiffany regarding the intersection between blockchain and public health.

Feature Interview With Public Health Researcher and Advisor Tiffany Gray

How you were initially introduced to Blockchain?

I first learned about blockchain about 3 years ago. Most of my initial introduction to blockchain was centered around cryptocurrency. Honestly, I didn’t find my fit right away. It seemed very out of reach in regards to my background and field of public health and research.

So it sounds like you were searching to see how it related to the current work you were doing in health and healthcare?

Correct. Also, having been mostly in research and academia, it was a bit out of my wheelhouse. But as I began to become more immersed, attend more blockchain-related events and network and engage with other individuals within the space, I got to learn more about how Blockchain applies to many areas beyond finance and technology.

Can you share more here?

What I discovered is that blockchain technology and its associated principles can and will apply to not just health and healthcare, but also education, philanthropy, as well as the arts and STEM-related fields. The more I began to educate myself and connect with others, I was able to see the intersection between health and technology and how it could be used as a tool and a resource for improving upon the way we currently manage and address health.

Any nuggets of wisdom you can share with others engaged in a similar process?

The main lesson is to break out of your comfort zone and remain open. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek out additional opportunities to learn. Doing so can open your mind to other non-traditional paths. This has allowed me to think more creatively in how I approach my research and work in studying and understanding public health and health behaviors. It has also helped me to think of creative solutions and approaches to addressing complex challenges and problems.

Being that you’re located in D.C., what sorts of conversations are taking place there these days around blockchain’s potential contribution to Public Health?

People are beginning to ask more questions, especially those who are not already immersed in the ongoing blockchain conversations. Many individuals, in regards to public health, are sort of where I was a few years ago. They aren’t quite sure what it is or how it relates to their specific areas of expertise. Or again they heavily connect it to cryptocurrency. With events such as a recent panel event I took part in at Georgetown University in May, individuals are genuinely becoming more interested in how we can apply blockchain to improve, for example, the ways in which the population engages and interacts with the health care system.

Can you offer a couple of examples?

There are engaging conversations taking place around how blockchain can be used for example to address the opioid epidemic, using blockchain in social impact bonds and impact investing, as well as how blockchain technology can help to foster collaborative research.

You’re currently involved in a fellowship with Blockchain in Healthcare Global — IEEE ISTO. Can you tell us what you have learned from that experience and how it has informed your thinking around the future of blockchain in healthcare?

Blockchain in Healthcare Global-IEEE ISTO is still growing and developing. So it has been an interesting and valuable experience to be at the beginning stages and helping to be part of the initial stages of development. With Blockchain in Healthcare Global, one of the biggest aims will be to work with those throughout the healthcare industry, as well as identify key stakeholders to gain insight into the main challenges and potential barriers to utilizing and implementing blockchain within existing systems. We are working towards attempting to address and mitigate some of the barriers to adoption of blockchain and other emerging technologies, such as AI and IoMT, specifically within healthcare and healthcare delivery.

So what’s the ultimate aim of this work?

Through this work, we aim to help create a set of industry-wide regulations and standards to ease adoption and implementation.  We have some ways to go, but I appreciate being part of a group that’s ensuring that we are fostering early discussions about the best approaches to not only integrate the technology in the most effective and feasible ways possible but also to ensure that we are thinking about the best ways to measure and show impact.

With respect to the theme of Obesity, Nutrition, and Tech, where in your view does blockchain fit into this picture?

Technology is rapidly expanding and changing, which has had an impact on the ways in which individuals interact with the world around them. It has provided convenience, which reduces physical activity, makes unhealthier foods easily accessible, and influences other unhealthy behaviors and habits. It’s so easy these days to park on the couch and binge watch the latest on Netflix while waiting for your local takeout delivery from UberEats or GrubHub. Technology can have both positive or negative impacts on our health.

In what ways do you believe this will inform future developments in blockchain?

It is important to note that blockchain is not a one-size fit all approach. While blockchain can be a useful tool in helping to improve the ways in which individuals can access care or the ways in which they interact with various health care systems, there are still other factors, such as social determinants of health, including environment, education, and policy that play a significant role in improving outcomes.

Are there any specific things that you’re keeping a close eye on as you proceed forward?

My main concern about blockchain and fintech has been to ensure that through these new advancements we aren’t introducing additional disparities and widening existing gaps.  While emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning and blockchain can be used to reduce costs, improve workflow systems, and make life easier for the end user, it may also have a broader socioeconomic impact. In other words, more technology isn’t necessarily better.

Over the next 12-18 months, what sorts of emerging trends do you believe we’ll see in terms of the broader intersection between blockchain and healthcare?

I think they’ll be more discussions around regulation and ethical standards, the piloting and development of applications in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as telehealth integration in current health organizations and systems. In general, I think there will be continued education and growing interest overall.

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Just Around The Healthcare Block: Feature Interview With Hermann Kamp, CEO of ClinicAll

Point-of-care digital solutions provide many advantages for today’s healthcare delivery model. This is a focal point of ClinicAll, a software solutions firm and digital platform that’s ushering in a new era of integration between patients and care providers.

In followup to a recent article here at Blockchain Healthcare Review on the inner workings of ClinicAll, we asked CEO Hermann Kamp to share a few of his views on the emerging healthcare landscape and what it will mean for the future of blockchain based healthcare solutions

Hermann Kamp

Feature Interview With Hermann Kamp, CEO of ClinicAll

Briefly share with us a bit about the genesis, history, and evolution of ClinicAll. What is your current game plan for fueling worldwide access to your services?

ClinicAll has been active in the market since 2008 and develops software for patients directly at the bedside during inpatient stays. Since 2012 we have had a cooperative working relationship with Microsoft tied to Windows 10. Today we are able to integrate almost 99.5% of all applications on our platform, supporting patients, relatives, and their staff.

Specifically, what’s of applications are you referring to here?

These can be in-house applications such as digital meal ordering, room control, and bed control all the way up to the connection to the patient file. We also integrate healthcare related applications like hotels, newspapers, pharmacies from surrounding service providers.

Can you talk about the ClinicAll app that helps to facilitate this?

Yes. Since 2018 we’ve had a mobile app for our platform on IOS and Android.  Through this mobile version, which can be downloaded easily and free of charge, people all over the world can now communicate with each other and use all services offered by Clinicall and its partners on the platform. By creating the Clinicall Health Community and our token as a means of payment, national borders and currency risks become blurred for all parties involved.

Can you share more here?

Through the Clinicall App and the ability to pay with our token, we and our partners can offer all services globally. By way of example,  a user from India can contact a German doctor to get a second opinion about a health picture by contacting the CHC (Clinicall Health Community) via our app and transfering the requested amount in token as payment.

That seems pretty comprehensive.

Yes, the variety of possibilities are endless.  There are thousands and thousands of variations, to a country, from a country, during a trip and much more. Upon verification, Clinicall accepts any partner worldwide to offer its services. Of course, we will also work to acquire the entire network and motivate  community support. .

How many countries is ClinicAll in?

Clinicall already operates in 10 countries worldwide and has healthcare-related partners in more than 50 countries.

And can you tell us more about your global, blockchain driven platform and the value proposition it will bring to your efforts.

We will start on the blockchain with a payment system so that any member of the community can use any service offered worldwide and pay the service in tokens.  We have 100 million tokens that always remains in circulation and can be purchased by anyone.

Please tell us a bit about the ClinicAll ecosystem and your collection of partners in medical, hospitality, research, service, hospital, and entertainment.

Clinicall generally establishes long-term contracts with hospitals, which always last at least 5 years, but mostly more than 10 years. This allows us to achieve a very high degree of awareness in the hospital, among patients, employees, partners and the entire environment of the respective location. Word of mouth also has an enormous influence here.

How are the providers integrated into this ecosystem?

Surrounding providers of various services often request the placement of their services on our platform, sometimes even beyond borders. The connection of medical services in and around the location is also important. An example of this would be the networking between hospital, doctor, and pharmacies to compare the state of health and the resulting further treatments. Through the use of our mobile app worldwide, this radius is enormously increased in a very short time, as is the exchange of many people from different parts of the world.

Finally, what 2-3 emerging trends do you believe we’ll see in terms of the intersection between blockchain and healthcare over the next 12-18 months?

I believe that the blockchain can play a role in some areas of data transfer in the next 12-18 months. However, a high level of trust will be needed among healthcare decision makers in order to deploy and test blockchain based solutions.  Particularly, in Europe where skepticism is still high, especially due to the prevalence of data protection. Fortunately, Clinicall already enjoys a high degree of trust among its partners due to our long-term contracts. This we believe will significantly contribute to our work around the expanded integration of the blockchain.

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Charting The Blockchain of DNA

David Koepsell has been examining the future of genomic data for nearly a decade. An academic philosopher, entrepreneur, and retired attorney, Koepsell keeps his fingers in the world of science, technology, ethics, and public policy.

He is also the author of Who Owns You, now in its second edition, a widely acclaimed look at the philosophical and legal problems associated with patenting human genes.

Feature Interview With David Koepsell, CEO of EncrypGen

Koepsell and his long-time collaborator and partner, Dr. Vanessa Gonzalez — launched a blockchain-centric startup called EncrypGen, which provides next-generation software for genomic data. In the interview below, Koepsell elaborates on the exciting advancements taking place in the genomic world and how blockchain will likely play a part in it.

David Koepsell
David Koepsell 

Tell us a little about your path from philosophy into the genomics world and how you discovered blockchain?

I was actually a lawyer, finishing my Ph.D. in Philosophy while practicing law. The combination of philosophy and law got me engaged and interested in two main subfields: ontology and ethics. I also became interested in patents and copyrights, and when I met my wife, who is a genomic scientist, I started reading about genomics. We were interested in solving issues relating to privacy and genetic data, as well as making it more available for science. This led us to the idea of combining genomics with blockchain tech. I found seed money and founded EncrypGen, and hired a developer to get a prototype made. Two years later, we launched the Gene-Chain.

How do you see the worlds of blockchain and genomics intersecting?

Genomics holds great promise in the field of healthcare. The future of medicine, we believe, has tremendous potential for greater efficiencies through targeted treatments, much of which will depend on knowing more about a patient’s genes. Blockchain allows us to do a number of things that are helping this become a reality: share and secure data through encryption, track the use of genetic data, and even subsidize or recompense subjects in studies for their contributions to science while bringing them into the process as curators of their own data.

With respect to this, where do you think Blockchain is in its evolution?

Blockchains have not been sufficiently tapped for their great potential as ledgers in fields other than finance, although many have noted this, and some are trying. We think one obvious first application is in science, where the provenance of data is critical, and in genomics and health, where that provenance and curation by patients could help bring about better health care as well.

Are there other value propositions that blockchain can deliver?

While blockchains are noted for their transparency, they are also a means by which additional privacy and security can be achieved while allowing for transfers of data over networks. Because they create immutable ledgers, and because the “bookkeeping” is kept by way of “hashes” of transactions (alphanumeric records), they can help anonymize users and verify the validity of transactions, as well as provide auditable records of transactions. Given increasing concerns about the privacy of our data, being able to help anonymize users and still retain traceable records can provide greater assurance and confidence in the transacting of business over networks.

What sort of ethical and social issues do we need to remain mindful of amid this body of blockchain innovation?

We should be careful not to be overly enthralled by the technology without also addressing the need for education. Blockchain is a tool that, when properly applied, can give patients and subjects power and maybe even wealth, while lubricating the flow of scientific data. But at the heart of the application we are creating, for instance, is the value of freedom and property. Similar applications could ignore those values, fail to bring the customer in, fail to educate them about their rights and responsibilities, and simply focus on the money. That would probably be the path of least resistance right now for any of our competitors.

How do we better manage the conundrum between efforts to foster data sharing and the need for consumer privacy?

One thing we are learning is that without some way to track the use of our data, we are at the mercy of the companies that gather that data. The transparency that blockchains afford us is the ability to track data use over time (in our case, genomic metadata which will reside on our blockchain) and yet keep that data encrypted. With private keys, we can be in control and aware of the use of our data, and yet make it available in a market, where we can be the curators, custodians, and salespersons instead of some intermediary. The system is trust-less. The ethic of privacy is actually cooked right into the technology, so we need not rely on some company’s goodwill to reveal their failures.

And what can the Equifax data breach of a few years ago teach us about security?

Equifax revealed their vulnerability, how many countless others have not? If we have a permanent, immutable record of transactions of our data, keep the metadata about that on a blockchain, and only trade our data with those who make the appropriate transactions with us, we as everyday citizens become more deeply involved with our own data, and have a better vantage point to judge our preferences about its uses, as well as guard against its misuse. When the technology makes this possible, an ecology and economy of sharing will grow without some of the risks we currently face through the use of intermediaries.

Can you share a bit about the software company you and Dr. Vanessa Gonzalez created to address the issue of genomic data and privacy?

EncrypGen was our response to the urgency of making genomic data more available for scientists and putting individuals in charge of their data and its use. We sought to develop the world’s first genomic blockchain for science and raised seed money to begin to build a real product. That seed money funded a couple of developers and a prototype, and in November 2018 a full version 1.0 of our product launched. We also sold half of the native tokens for the blockchain to customers helping us to ensure that we are liquid for the next year or two while we raise capital, build our team, and sell nodes of the Gene-Chain.

And just to back up a bit, why did you decided to launch this company?

Our decision to start a company was based on the fact that the problem of gene patenting went without fixing for decades because policy was often slow to catch up. We chose to make an artifact over arguments, with the idea that a good, working product capable of actually achieving the policy aims we thought could help protect privacy while enhancing science were brought to fruition quickly. The market will judge our success, not legislative bodies or courts.

You started Gene-Chain in 2017, the world’s first genomic data marketplace. How has that progressed and what are you learning over the course of its evolution?

We have met all our milestones and released the full version of our marketplace on November 6, 2018. Since then, we have been actively seeking and gaining users, as well as seeing traffic in the way of data sales on the platform. We now have 1000 users, the bulk of whom have uploaded their data (from direct to consumer genetic tests), filled out profiles, and many of whom are already earning $DNA for their data. We project, based on the transactions so far, that by the time we have between 30000 and 50000 users we will be profitable.

That sounds like some pretty high aspirations?

We know we can get that many users, and we know how much it will cost, and we expect to be able to do this in the next two years. Aiding us in meeting this goal is the invitation we recently received to take part in a project that will acquire us 100,000 users, basically for free, just by being part of this project over 30 months. We have learned, given the obvious pain points of 1) lack of affordable data for science, and 2) consumers not having been cut into the profit flow created by selling their data, that if we build it (as we have) they will come, (as they are).

And are there any new developments on your front with Microsoft for Startups, the $500 million initiative to help startup create, develop, and market enterprise- level software.

We became a Microsoft Startup recently, which affords us a range of benefits starting with Azure cloud credits. Our only real capital expense is cloud services, so those credits are helpful at this stage. Moreover, it has helped us to focus our product on a new, viable customer-type since MS startups includes even more benefits for a B2B product capable of listing on the MS Store. That product is coming this summer and will be yet another mechanism by which we will be able to hit our goals of user adoption.

Any updates from your partnerships with Murrieta Genomics and Viazoi.

Both our partnership with Viazoi and with Murrieta Genomics are additional means of allowing users to find us as each is cross-branding and encouraging their users to also use the Gene-Chain. We continue to seek to work with any organization that shares the values we have of user-enablement, ownership, and profit, and who wish to encourage their clientele to control and monetize their genetic data using the Gene-Chain. Because we remain the only company doing this with a token that can be converted to other currencies, we are receiving more such requests for partnerships all the time.  

How is your DNA token progressing? What sort of lessons can you share around the tokenization of your project?

The biggest lesson we can tie to tokenization and blockchain is that people like money, and tokens are valued as much as money with little hesitation. We have watched and waited for competitors to mimic our model, and have seen many eschew it over a variety of fears. Perhaps due to regulatory uncertainty, or due to concerns about user adoption, other “blockchain genomics” companies have essentially tossed aside the blockchain part in an effort to create new models for genomic data sharing. We think this is a mistake, and have even offered to let their users use our token to get paid for their data.

So it’s working for you?

Yes. It is working for us, and it works for our customers who are making money they can actually spend from data they already own. That offer remains open. The DNA token is valued, and can represent well the value of the data. In the end, we believe that blockchains without tokens or browseable public explorers aren’t abiding by the best features of blockchains.

What sorts of problems does a “genomic blockchain” solve for this evolving landscape?

It gives us a record, a ledger to track transactions, including data requests and payments. It enables us to reveal data to be searched for and request genomic data. It gives us a secure way to transmit data, through data streaming on a blockchain. It solves problems related to the reluctance to share data due to privacy concerns. It helps create a marketplace, maintain security, privacy and transparency as well as serve as a means of payment via a native token. It can even bring subjects into their own health and data curation, utilizing the consent procedures and tracking use of their own data over time for  better self-knowledge.

Has there been any progress on enterprise licensing in this space, particularly in higher education?

We do not sell licenses. We have a free market, so no one needs to buy a license from us to use the market. We do know of a couple research groups actively using or intending to use the Gene-Chain for their studies, and our interactions with them have actually helped us to refine the user experience.

What 2–3 emerging trends do you see emerging in this Blockchain + Genomic space in the next 12–18 months?

Health record blockchains, which are in various stages of development and fraught with a number of HIPAA issues, will begin integrating with our genomic blockchain. This is because the data is so easily de-identified, meaning that its use will tend to be less difficult to deal with, legally speaking. Additionally, genomic blockchains for animals, plants, the microbiome, and blockchains for metabolomics and proteomics will start to be developed. The standard currency for genomic data transactions as well as transactions for other types of health data will be our DNA token. The network effect will make the first successful genomic blockchain essentially the Westlaw of genomic data.

Your long-term vision and hope in terms of blockchain applications in the Genomics/Bioscience industry.

We hope that our Gene-Chain innovation will become basically the TCP/IP of genomic science. Most people won’t realize its role as the central connecting thread for scientists and individuals, storing and sharing genomic data for health, science, and commerce, but it will be the vital marketplace to which researchers, companies, and individuals go to transmit and monetize their data. Individuals will use it for free, as we have built it, to store and use their data for their own health, while choosing to expose metadata so that they could have their data used for science, and even get paid for it. It will be a quiet, but complete revolution in health and science.

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The State of Blockchain in Healthcare in the UK & Sweden

An emerging thought leader. A digital health expert. A consultant. And a polyglot with five languages in her repertoire (English, French, Spanish, Swedish, Danish).

Feature Interview with Maria Marenco of HIMSS Europe

In addition to her work as a blockchain and digital health consultant and strategist, Marenco is heavily involved with the Sweden/Nordic Chapter of Government Blockchain Association, The Swedish Blockchain Association, and HIMSS Europe.

We asked Ms Marenco to share some of her observations around blockchain and its impact on healthcare advancements in the UK and Sweden.

Tell us a little about your journey in the health and wellness industry and how you were introduced to blockchain.

I come from an eclectic health and wellness background and have worked in various areas in the field.  Most of my professional career has been focused on the intersection between health and informatics. I am a health care informatician and mental health professional by training as well as a digital health entrepreneur.

Is there a major theme around your thinking?

Being a strong supporter of the importance of holistic care, a critical part of my work involves identifying the best possible ways to deliver good care to our citizens, particularly through the use of assistive technologies. This is how I was introduced to distributed ledger technologies and Blockchain which are now an important part of my  work in educating peers, as well as government and policy makers, of the potential and challenges of the technology and its use in Healthcare. My main focus of late is on blockchain ethics and policy in Healthcare.

Can you share with us a few of the new developments taking place in the U.K. in terms of the intersection between blockchain and healthcare?

London has been one of the top ten Blockchain cities in the world. There are a number of companies currently doing great work here on areas such as counterfeit drug mitigations, facilitation of data exchange for medical records, and genomic research. We are also seeing activity here in the U.K. on a governmental level.

Give us an example?

Yes.  One that’s worth mentioning is the APPG (All Parliamentary Group on Blockchain) that brings the public, private industry and policymakers together. It opens up the floor for collaborative work and education exchange. I hope we will see more initiatives like this taking place in other countries, facilitating the adoption of the technology and fostering innovation that can serve citizens.

Describe the sort of healthcare-related discussions occurring through your involvement with the Sweden/Nordic Government Blockchain Association, HIMSS, and the Swedish Blockchain Association?

Many of these discussions are ongoing in areas involving ethics, policy, security, interoperability, education, AI and Blockchain hybrids, government, digital identity, social impacts, and blockchain research, among others. The list is long!

What are you particularly excited these days in terms of your own work?

I am particularly enthusiastic about the HIMSS Blockchain in Healthcare Task Force, Blockchain Policy, and Ethics Tiger Team (PETT). It is an ad hoc group that formed off of our Task Force to address the need for policy guidance around the technology. The team is reviewing ethical considerations for the use of blockchain in our industry to inform guidance for policymakers, regulators, and implementers exploring the appropriate application of blockchain technology in healthcare.

And the team’s ultimate aim?

Simply to produce educational resources that can promote best practices and guidance around its adoption and implementation in the healthcare field.

How do you see blockchain ultimately contributing to advancements in the field of health informatics? And Mental health?

I think that utilizing blockchain in the area of Mental Health can be helpful when mindfully introduced and implemented. Mental Health is one of the things that all of us can relate to in many ways, yet very little is being done in this area in relation to the global burden and effects of mental health. Privacy concerns and worries of unwanted access to medical records and data is always present in the healthcare industry and are particularly accentuated in relation to mental health records due to the increased social stigmas associated with mental wellness and treatments.

How do you see blockchain contributing to a solution?

Through the use of Distributed Ledger Technology, we could increase privacy, security, and trust of the evolving digital environment, empowering citizens and mental health professionals in proactively monitoring treatments, regardless of the geographical location of the patients or the health care provider. Blockchain not only helps with the uniformity and accessibility of data between primary and secondary health providers and social services but also helps to incentivize healthier behaviors through tokens and cryptocurrencies?

Finally, what 2-3 trends do you believe will emerge over the next 12-18 months in the Blockchain of Healthcare space?

That’s a bit difficult to answer. But I do think we’ll continue to see Smart Contracts, Dapps and Supply Chain Management become more common in the healthcare space.

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SANA: Patient Distributed Healthcare for All

Digitization and smart technology present unique challenges and opportunities for the healthcare industry as a whole. With an increasing number of patients using smart devices and medical websites to help make crucial health decisions, the medical profession finds itself needing to innovate to keep up. Swiss company SANA has discovered a way to bridge the gap using blockchain technology.

SANA uses blockchain technology to share patient data.

When you think of Switzerland and technological innovation, two things may well come to mind: healthcare and watches. If so, it probably comes as no surprise that Swiss company SANA should be the one to come up with an innovative way to combine the two. SANA allows patients to take their medical history with them using blockchain encoded files. Patients can also use smart devices to update those secure histories with current information such as heart rate and exercise levels on the go.

Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, SANA’s board includes technology and blockchain experts with an interest in using these technologies to revolutionize the healthcare industry. Technologies currently in development include the Health Watch, SANA Box, and a monitoring system designed to track and store vital health statistics on each patient. Their proprietary platform allows businesses to access total medical histories and track patients over time, streamlining payment and insurance as well as facilitating care. 

Solution

Smart technology continues to provide opportunities and risks to the healthcare industry. On one hand, patients can now track everything from diet to exercise levels in one easy place using smart watches and mobile phones. On the other hand, key confidential data often remains elusive – and for good reason. For obvious security reasons, not just anyone should be able to see such vital health statistics. How then can doctors and others with a legitimate interest in knowing these facts receive accurate, real-time data? And on the other side how can patients then access their own medical information in a convenient place?

SANA bridges this divide using blockchain technology’s unique ability to make data public while keeping it encrypted, so that only people with recognized access can see it. Blockchain encryption secures the data and fixes it in place, so that no one can alter it later. SANA then places this data on a shared platform that healthcare providers can choose to opt-in to. Even once they’ve opted in, only the patient can then authorize a specific provider to access their information. Once a patient’s authorized provider has access, they can then view the patient’s thorough medical history including recent updates from attached smart devices.

Target Market

Because the SANA platform works on all levels of the healthcare industry, the technology offers unique advantages to all segments.

Patients

First and foremost, SANA provides the framework for a patient-centered approach to healthcare. By giving patients access to their own encrypted medical file, SANA allows patients to change providers on the go without having to worry about medical records getting lost or misfiled on the way. Once they find a provider in the SANA network, all they have to do is give permission to access their online record and it’s done – all there.

Healthcare Providers

From the position of healthcare providers, SANA first gives all the benefits of making healthcare more patient-centered and therefore allowing them to remain competitive. In addition, SANA allows healthcare providers from pharmacies to hospitals to make sure that they have the right patient and that they are providing the correct treatment for this patient. For example, pharmacies often dispense highly-controlled substances with a responsibility to ensure that only legitimate patients receive them. SANA software makes it easier to track pharmaceuticals, to see who received them, and that this person had a legitimate medical need for the substance.

Health Insurance Claims

Finally, the SANA platform makes it easier to track and verify insurance claims by giving insurers access to a legitimate medical record showing a patient’s total medical history. This way, insurers can help prevent fraud and better track what patients need what kind of procedures when.

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How does blockchain make healthcare more accessible?

Blockchain was, in some sense, designed to connect the world. The creator saw how the world was shifting its attention to the digital sphere, rather than the offline one. Pretty much any industry you can imagine currently, has a foothold online and therefore, is subject to influence from blockchain.

Currently, blockchain is seen as a place to make money through trading cryptocurrency. But it needs to be considered that the technology is an amazing way to connect people to knowledge they never had. But no matter how one may look at it, blockchain is a way to provide people with means of payment that is decentralized and accessible.

Blockchain means more healthcare options for developing countries

Healthcare in developed countries is much better than developing countries, that argument cannot be debated. Sure you can bring the USA as an example, but this argument is focusing on quality rather than price.

Developing countries sometimes suffer from a lack of experienced individuals or general funding for various medical fields. Therefore, the population is forced to either spend their entire life’s savings abroad or gamble with their health locally. Blockchain is probably the best solution here as it is able to provide various options for these countries.

A coin for healthcare?

There may have been several coins that came out specifically designed to be used in the healthcare industry. However, having a country back one single coin designed for healthcare would be advantageous.

This project would not be successful without significant subsidies, unfortunately. Offering healthcare services for these coins would need to have special prices that are lower, but offer the same advantages.

So why is this coin better than just normal money? Inflation. Inflation is the best answer to this question, as the coin will become immune to it. Inflation usually happens due to governments constantly printing more and more money to cover debt and various other bills. This devalues the already existing currency and before long makes it obsolete. However, according to experts at ForexNewsNow, cryptocurrencies are never “printed additionally”. The only change that the inflation ratio of a cryptocurrency can suffer is the “burning of coins” when the creators destroy a significant percentage of the coin to adjust the price.

How this helps developing countries

Developing countries would benefit from this immensely as their currency issue would be put on hold. For example, look at Eastern European countries and their currencies, there are 2 completely different pictures within just a couple of years. The country of Ukraine had its currency depreciate relative to the dollar by no less than 4 times. Same for the Republic of Georgia, where they saw their currency depreciate by more than 2 times over a period of 4 years. It can be easily seen that a Ukrainian who used to have $2,000 salary was able to utilize healthcare in Western Europe without too many problems, but right now, it would be impossible with their $500 salary.

Cryptocurrency would be an amazing way to subsidize this matter. But guarantees about the stability of the coin need to be enforced. Well, it can just be made into a stablecoin. This guarantees that these coins, no matter what happens to the currency, remain equal to $1.

This would most likely find a largely positive reaction from the international community, which will further popularize the coin and make it even more useful in various segments of the healthcare industry.

Future prospects and potential problems

However, this is just one option that could benefit everybody. There are numerous other ways cryptocurrencies and blockchain can be used to develop healthcare. One of which is the utilization of blockchain for storing relative data for the industry professionals. But no matter what is done to reinforce the idea of blockchain in healthcare, the technology needs to be given an ample regulatory framework. However, these regulatory frameworks may damage the whole essence of blockchain. The stablecoins may be able to avoid any serious ramifications, but given the fact that governments are terrified of cryptos, it is just empty hope.

Governments have their own reasons why they are scrambling to regulate cryptocurrency. The healthcare industry also plays a large role in these fears as governments try to avoid any unlicensed entities to provide healthcare services. In order to solve the problem of mass centralization, the core issues with the fear towards cryptocurrencies need to be addressed. Fortunately for the crypto community, most of those fears are currently disclosed.

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How Artificial Intelligence Will Affect Health Care In The Future?

Neil Jacobstien, chairman of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Robotics Track at Singularity University , says artificial intelligence makes things humans couldn’t do before possible. He adds that AI has the ability to deliver billions of dollars worth of value and real help to clinicians in the healthcare industry.

The impact of artificial intelligence on healthcare

AI has already entered the medical industry; it is being deployed in predictive analytics in patient monitoring devices, drug discovery, oncology, imaging, etc.

With increasing computing power and advances in machine learning and analytical algorithms, AI systems will become more powerful and effective in performance, revolutionizing medical diagnostics, treatment and research.

AI is expected to be useful in many areas of the healthcare industry.
Uses of AI technology in the healthcare industry

There are many ways AI will help the healthcare industry. Here are some of the most significant ways artificial intelligence is shaping the future of health care:

Enhanced diagnostic procedures

There are many diagnostic procedures in the medical industry that still depend on the collection of tissue samples. These existing procedures present the risks inherent to all invasive procedures. According to medical experts, AI technology may soon replace the requirement of biological tissue samples for diagnoses. It may give technicians the ability to identify and characterize tumours through image-based diagnostics.

Ideally, AI technology in the future, may enable specialists to collect the same detailed information collected from real tissue samples. For instance, with malignant tumours, AI will give specialists the ability to understand how an entire tumour affects a patient.  

Introduction of brain-computer interfaces

Computers have long been used for communication. However, scientists are searching for ways to create direct interfaces between computers and the human brain, which will significantly benefit patients. In the cases of accidents and neurological diseases, patients often lose their ability to speak, interact and move. AI-enabled brain-computer interfaces could potentially restore these abilities efficiently and in a meaningful way.

Physicians are also expecting that it will enable injured or ill patients to quickly restore their functionality. AI-based brain-computer interfaces may allow researchers to decipher the neural activities related to physical functions, helping afflicted patients to communicate immediately.

Decreased cost of care-giving

According to the management consulting company, Accenture, AI could provide healthcare organizations an annual savings of $150 billion by 2026. This revolutionary and smart technology has the ability to give health care firms the power to utilize the information generated by progressively connected information networks and medical devices. AI could help organizations cut costs and improve treatment outcomes significantly while lowering operational expenses.

According to Global management consultancy McKinsey & Company, potential annual savings of AI in healthcare is expected to be $300 billion USD (United Sates Dollar) in the United States and £3.3 billion in the United Kingdom.  

AI, through robotics, will reduce healthcare costs and increase performance.
Robotics in the healthcare industry

The increasing growth of digital information and big data systems present artificial intelligence a potentially crucial resource for collecting and extracting meaningful insight from increasingly smarter health care data networks.

In the near future, diagnostic technicians and wellness and lifestyle consultants may be able to leverage AI and wearable devices to optimize their medical services and improve treatment outcomes. As AI technology matures, it will improve the treatment outcomes and the operational efficiency of care, while decreasing the overall cost.

Automation of repetitive tasks

Health care firms constantly look for different ways to improve community health, and they also keep investigating the possibilities of AI implementation in many lucrative ways. Eventually, AI programs will enable organizations to discover new correlations among huge amounts of data. AI technology will allow health care organizations to automate their routine repetitive tasks and streamline their operations in various ways.  

It will improve the ability of care providers to deliver faster, more accurate and more precise services. Hospitals and devices will be generating and using an enormous amount of valuable and useful patient information at a surprisingly fast speed and accuracy.

Final words — Other potential benefits of AI

AI technology will solve one of the major roadblocks of the systems used in the healthcare industry. Advanced AI systems that can communicate with patients and make accurate diagnoses at the screening process will enable the growth of their availability and space.

In the future, AI technology is going to introduce hybrid models to be used in the medical industry. These models will aid technicians in diagnoses, treatment planning and identifying risk factors while retaining responsibilities for the patient’s care. It will result in faster adoption by healthcare providers by mitigating potential risks and start delivering measurable improvements in patient outcomes and operational efficiency at scale.

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ParagonCoin: The Cannabis Industry Hub

Most cities have office centers where entrepreneurs can make use of free internet and collaborate with startups. This is the model ParagonCoin hopes to emulate for marijuana.

ParagonCoin- connecting the cannabis industry

ParagonCoin is a hub for connecting disparate parts of the cannabis industry through blockchain technology. Their goal is to bring industries from “marginalized to mainstream” while advocating for full legalization. It happens in 3 parts: Work spaces for entrepreneurs, social networks for collaboration and a cryptocurrency backed by Ethereum for secure transactions.

3 Part Strategy

The first part of the company is the work spaces they hope to set up in cities with light cannabis laws, or in countries that have legalized altogether (like the Netherlands). Thought of as incubators, these spaces will cater to those involved in every aspect of the business from growing to distributing and processing to buying. The central goal being reducing some of the barriers that patients, doctors and labs all face. Also, helping others with new ideas (banking, technology) to set off on their own and start complimentary businesses.

Second, those without a brick and mortar building within their community get to be a part of ParagonOnline. It works like a social network for people involved in the marijuana business. Members of the community are rewarded with tokens when their ideas are adopted by the collective (upvoted). In this way funding is awarded and everyone benefits. Marijuana is still illegal on a federal level in the US and restricted in other countries. Although laws are loosening everywhere, there are no guarantees that business will thrive. The social network aspect allows for a type of community in the absence of a physical hub for startups.

Third, the purpose of any cryptocurrency is to solve the banking and payments issue. ParagaonCoin (PRG) are bought and sold like other currencies and can be exchanged for dollars at certain exchanges. Owners with more tokens have more say in the direction of the company. Smart contracts are carried out on the Ethereum blockchain. Their ICO was for 100,000,000 tokens at $1 per token. It is possible for anyone to open coin account using Ethereum wallet.

Adopters

An entrepreneur with a growing operation could benefit from connecting to the online community. He could place orders with seed sellers in other states, use the tracking software to follow his purchased goods and ensure his customers are verified. He could also stay up to date on legislation impacting his business by communicating with like minded organizations. He is able to collect money and pay using the tokens through the blockchain supported interface. The potential to track plants from seed to sale is within reach in this connected community of marijuana businesses.

A second type of B2C adopter could be a owner of a dispensary in a state (like Oklahoma) where medical marijuana is legal but recreational is not. The smart contracts allow patients to buy products from the dispensary, verify digital signatures and pay with cash. The cash is a necessary requirement until federal laws change allowing medical cannabis dealers to register.

Another type could be a customer who lives a long way from a dispensary, but has a doctor’s prescription for cannabis based medicine. This person could have the medicine delivered instead of picking it up from a seller. This depends on the laws of the person’s state/country as well though. A patient with access to a cooperating doctor ( in the Paragon Online system) could take care of payment and ID verification remotely.

Paragon Coin ICO Legal Troubles

The California lawsuit claimed that Paragon failed to register their ICO with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If it’s found to be a security, founders and promoters, including Terrell Taylor a.k.a. “The Game” will have to endure some serious financial ramifications. The Paragon project successfully raised over USD 70M during their 2017 ICO.

A lot of the success from the Cannabis industry hangs on legalization around the world. Success has come in fits and starts but without collaboration and seamless execution among supply chains, it faces continued setbacks. Companies with smart contract options will fair best because blockchain takes a lot of guesswork out of payment verification.

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How Blockchain Smart Contracts Can Be Used for Healthcare

Blockchain continues to generate buzz within the health sector, and one particular application in the form of smart contracts, is now eyed as an innovation that can push the industry forward. Among its features, blockchain’s decentralized verification model is one of the most valuable. The industry can use it to deploy blockchain smart contracts, a type of decentralized contract that verifies, adjudicates, and executes itself.

Blockchain-based smart contracts for healthcare automation

Previously, payers and institutions were required to go through numerous transactions, processing and verification systems. For example, a person asking for insurance coverage might need a lawyer to negotiate a contract, making the execution of the contract cumbersome and expensive. And in the case of disputes, third parties are necessary to ensure fairness. Sometimes, people even feel the need to verify if a third party is qualified to adjudicate.

But with smart contracts, there is no third party. The terms of the contract are set and secured within the blockchain network, with the network itself acting as the ledger. When the contract’s terms are fulfilled, the terms will be executed.

This kind of technology is crucial in an industry such as healthcare, which has complex relationships with various agents. As healthcare processes are interconnected with banks, governments, legal institutions, and individual payers, executing contracts are often complicated. By using smart contracts, the whole transaction process is streamlined and simplified. This includes payment processing, claims adjudication, and other processes that typically require lawyers and months of waiting. Being able to consolidate these processes will improve the healthcare provider’s revenue performance and remittance. It will also mean fewer lawsuits and headaches.

Hospitals around the world are now seeing the benefits of blockchain smart contracts. Taipei Medical University Hospital recently launched an online blockchain-based healthcare platform that stores medical records, referrals, and other processes using smart contracts. Their system has become particularly effective in improving inter-hospital transfers and referral requests. This is similar to MedicalChain’s technology which was previously discussed on Blockchain Healthcare Review. Change’s Intelligent Healthcare Network and TIBCO’s recent collaboration, Project Dovetail, is also aiming to create an industry standard in healthcare smart contracts.

At the same time, healthcare institutions are now heading towards automation and more advanced security measures. This is due to the fact that the medical industry is a prime target for hackers. In fact, after the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo was hacked for 6 weeks, more hospitals have been proactive in terms of cybersecurity. IT professionals and cybersecurity managers are being hired to keep their data infrastructure as secure and updated as possible. This results in an increasing demand for healthcare administrators and managers that can rise to the challenges. Maryville University suggests that nowadays technical expertise is a skill that is very sought after by healthcare organizations in the US and across the world. Special skills such as proficiency in blockchain-based verification and consolidating data streams are necessary for a successful systems upgrade. Having personnel who are well versed in blockchain can also increase efficiency, as their familiarity with the technology allows them to facilitate faster information exchanges. One scenario could be having all of a doctor’s patient records stored in a single secure digital ledger, which can be quickly opened when needed.

While it may take some time before blockchain smart contracts can achieve industry-wide acceptance, they have already started to gain traction. In the meantime, the healthcare industry should consider preparing its workforce for more disruption.

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