Zero Knowledge Proof

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Know information about Zero Knowledge Proof and its blockchain applications in healthcare information technology systems.

IRYO Distributed Healthcare Network- zero-knowledge encryption powering medical AI & Big Data research

The Iryo.io site is offering the IRYO token, which is described as being a “gateway” cryptocurrency, possibly for those who are new to it all. Here’s a little information on IRYO, including its relevancy.

IRYO Distributed Healthcare Network

The IRYO network uses blockchain technology to make the transferal of medical data less centralized. The network is tackling the problem of medical data being fractured the way it is now. Essentially, under the current system, people go from one doctor to another over the years, and transferring the data about themselves from doctor to doctor can be a real mess.

The Iryo network instead seeks to use the blockchain to organize all of this data instead of having it in incompatible legacy systems housed by private organizations throughout the world. Health records of all patients will then be connected together in a uniform system. Individual patients can easily share their information with any professionals that also use this system no matter where they are in the world.

IRYO Network

Iryo Blockchain Ledger

The Iryo Ledger will allow patients to choose a specialist or particular hospital, or even someone doing research to receive a ledger list of their full or partial medical history.

It will be even possible to specify that the information will only be accessible by that particular organization or individual for a specified amount of time. Access control features will be possible to cut down on the possibility of the information being used in a way that you don’t want since there will be only so much time for this to happen.

IRYO Tokens

The main token that this tech uses is called IRYO. Researchers, hospitals, and other parties will be able to offer these tokens to patients who provide them with information. The tokens will also let individuals easily pay for medical services if they so choose. This creates a positive feedback loop.

The idea will be to eventually make it so the information has a high degree of compatibility with various medical applications running on the Iryo network. Additional objectives are to integrate Iryo with various medical records and zero-knowledge storage systems by 2019.

The ambition will be to eventually have clinics Iryo-certified as being safe and compatible with the service for those who grow to rely on it.

In order to facilitate all of this, the cryptocurrency is even offering discounts in the days leading up to the release. Once it’s up and running the network will be encrypted in such a way that anyone who manages to get access to someone’s medical data will find that this data has no value to them since they can’t read it. This is what’s meant by “zero knowledge.”

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IEEE Pharma Supply Blockchain Forum: Improving the Pharmacy Supply Chain

When it comes to Blockchain, the big question today is how to put it to work for you. We keep our eyes peeled each year for events that will interest you in this area — and we believe this year’s Pharma Supply Block Chain Forum fits the bill. So read on for highlights from this Event review – Pharma Conference.

The Pharma Supply Block Chain Forum

This event was held on June 6, 2017 at the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus in Rockville, Maryland. It was an information packed, one-day, educational program about Blockchain technology and its uses with respect to the Pharma supply chain. This was not just a one-off event. It was the first in a series of events whose goal is to promote Blockchain technology in the pharmaceutical sector.

Who were the speakers?

This forum was impressive for the breadth and depth of experience of its presenters. The forum included regulators, representatives from the academic world as well as industry and technology experts. Speakers included representatives from the following companies:

The Pharma Supply Block Chain Forum spread wide its audience net

From Vice Presidents, senior directors and managers, to benefit managers and hospital staff, as well as government regulators, students and researchers  — the content added value to all attendees. The industries most affected were those in the manufacturing end of the pharmaceutical, biotech and life sciences as well as wholesalers, hospitals, and technology vendors.

What topics did the Forum cover? Forum presenters expressed their views on the following:

  • Improving the drug supply chain from manufacturers to patient, including the opportunities for collaboration from IOT, AI, Blockchain, DLT’s just to name a few
  • Increasing revenue from data in the Blockchain
  • Digital identity concerns in the drug supply chain
  • Working better with trusted partners
  • Understanding what the regulators have to say about the drug supply chain
  • Smart contracts
  • Management and security of data
  • Integrity of the supply chain

The keynote address, for example, asked the question whether Blockchain is the right fit for Pharma’s supply chain. Other speaker topics ranged from a food safety case study to the smart way to do smart contracts. The Digital Identity issue inherent in using Blockchain for Pharma included tips on using a double layer framework to secure both the product supply chain and with respect to patient information.

Another presentation reviewed the contenders for the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) track and trace program, a program intended to help the pharmaceutical industry comply with the Act. DSCSA imposed new requirements on manufacturers, repackagers, drug dispensers, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and their trading partners. The new rules with respect to standards of practice and product tracing phase in over the next six years which made this a particularly appropriate topic for this Blockchain Forum.

IEEE areas of pharmacy and supply chain interest

IEEE

Supply chain operations and IT. With respect to supply operations, the Forum aimed at those with an interest in:

  • Distribution
  • Management
  • Partnership development
  • Quality Control
  • Compliance
  • Finance
  • Security

On the IT side, the Forum impacted those whose work touches:

  • Big Data
  • Data governance
  • Cloud management
  • Data architecture in Enterprise corporations
  • Information security
  • Data engineering
  • Tech innovations

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this list is that it is not exhaustive. And, as this was only the first in a series of forum events, expectations for the entire series run high.

To talk more about this topic, or anything else, please contact us. We look forward to answering all your questions about Blockchain and its impact on the Pharma supply chain.

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Smart Health Profile: A Solution to Medicaid Churning

Recently the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) embarked upon their “Blockchain Challenge,” which solicited proposals on blockchain as a tool with which to improve healthcare IT.

The smart health profile

Fifteen proposals were selected as finalists, including a whitepaper by the Blockchain Futures Lab titled “A Blockchain Profile for Medicaid Applicants and Recipients.” The paper introduces a blockchain-based innovation, the smart health profile, which would use tools such as tokens, wallets, smart contracts and oracle services “as a foundation for rethinking the way that individual health and financial information is accessed and used.”

The whitepaper applies the principles behind the smart health profile specifically to the problem of “churning” within Medicaid, whereby complex means-tested programs of eligibility, repetitive re-qualifications, and lengthy waiting periods yield a “constant exit and reentry of beneficiaries.” As a result of this turnover, the average adult within the Medicaid system is covered for only four-fifths of the year. Further, access to care is lost, poor health outcomes are more likely, and care providers must dedicate time to constantly checking recipient eligibility.

The proposal argues that a blockchain-based smart health profile and streamlined infrastructure would provide solutions to the obstacles responsible for churning, including:

  • distributed data sources
  • a high need for simultaneous privacy and transparency
  • verification requirements
  • a need for intelligent assistance throughout the process

Indeed, as a distributed ledger technology blockchains’ dynamic record would provide a truly distributed identity in enabling on-demand access to specific information, regardless of where the information may reside. The aggregation and verification of data from an array of sources, in combination with a smart query system, would then enable the profile to “act as a broker that can answer questions…as the need arises.” And when combined with artificial intelligence, that information may allow the smart profile to remind a user and/or health professional regarding medication refills, contraindications, high-risk behaviors and Medicaid eligibility changes. All the while, the profile would present a pseudonymous profile, meaning that only those provided with a private key would be able to unlock the identity of its subject.

Essentially, the smart pseudonymous profile would utilize zero-knowledge proofs and “diverse data streams that are verified through consensus oracle networks,” to build a more efficient, effective Health IT system.

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Review of Zcash and Potential Applications for the Healthcare Industry

Zcash for the healthcare industry, providing ultimate privacy for patients and providers

Review: Zcash, additional privacy for medical transactions.

Zcash is the latest bitcoin-derived cryptocurrency, rolled out on Friday October 28 of 2016. Where Zcash differs from other cryptocurrencies is that all transactions offer full anonymity with every transaction. This privacy is further guaranteed by the use of public blockchain structures as the platforms of use.

Complex cryptography to create true financial privacy.

Zcash goes even further in providing private transactions by employing a form of cryptography called zero-knowledge proofs. Without getting too deep in the crypto speech, what zero -knowledge proofs create is the knowledge that something happened, but the outside observer has no way of knowing any particulars about that event.

An example of Zcash

You start with ten wallets with one bitcoin each in them. 2 users employ Zcash transparency protocols. What is recorded on the blockchain is 10 bitcoins, 2 of them shielded. This is an oversimplification, but you get the picture.

Who needs this kind of privacy?

Lots of people. The era of cryptocurrencies being associated with nefarious deeds and transactions is ending. Here are some examples of people wishing to shield their financial transactions from scrutiny.

  1. Families wanting to shield the health status of one or more members from their insurance company.
  2. Patients paying for sensitive medical procedures that they want to hide from scrutiny. This can include plastic surgery, vasectomies, etc.
  3. A health care company that wants to protect the privacy of their patients medical records and status.

Zcash and the Ethereum blockchain.

The newest update of the Ethereum blockchain will include almost full functionality with Zcash protocols. Ethereum blockchain technology is revolutionizing the healthcare industry for the better. As Zcash protocols thrive and diversify, all blockchain applications will start providing zero knowledge proof technology to their clients large and small.

Decentralizing the health care industry for superior security.

Most noteworthy, blockchain technology and applications like Zcash make it easier for the individual or health care provider to access secure and private networks for their patient data and transactions. This creates a situation where both end-user and recipient benefit

In conclusion

Blockchain technology is changing the way health-care professionals and organizations do business. From providing better security and safety protocols for patient records and transactions to creating safe data storage for massive amounts of patient data, health care providers are leaping onto the blockchain bandwagon. Any additional structure that aids in that process is a welcome. Zcash is another tweak to provide stable security and privacy during medical transactions.

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