The rising body of medical knowledge has led to increased levels of medical specialisation and higher rates of referrals.[1] Studies have also correlated the number of physicians involved in a patients treatment to lower survival rates, with the primary driver being a diminished awareness of medical history.[2]
The aggregation, ownership and access provisioning of personal healthcare records must transform in order to truly shift the quality of future healthcare. Most people today will have health records distributed between their family doctors, hospitals, clinics, laboratories and personal health apps. A collective 360º view of an individual’s health and medical history is a critical requirement for effective diagnosis and treatment planning.
Efficient data discovery results in quicker diagnosis, better patient care and reduced cost.
Electronics Health Records (EHR) or Electronic Medical Records (EMR) were proposed to improve the effectiveness of medical history for patients, however the industry has noted the broad failures of such implementations. In a 2014 U.S. national EHR survey, 70% of facilities described their EHR investment as not worth the effort, resources and costs. The top reasons being system functionality (67%), cost (48%) and poor customer service (67%)[3]
“When the tools are pushed back and patients and doctors can communicate effectively at the point of care, that’s when people will like EHRs.” — Ryan Champlin, Cook Children’s Health Services[4]
The centralised nature of EMR brings with it several challenges that, when compared to modern blockchain technology, sees legacy systems being essentially redundant in the near future. Of primary difference is the ownership of patient records. EHR records are maintained and provisioned by the medical institutions that run the systems. Patients have little control over the use of their data, either for their own benefit or the benefit of others through extended research, clinic trials, biopharmaceutical studies etc.
Health FX will extend its deep knowledge and wide networks in medical treatment coordination by launching a blockchain enabled platform that connects consumers with practitioners to solve the challenge of fragmented medical records. In short, information tracked in existing IT systems can be directed by healthcare providers to the blockchain via API’s. Transactions are completed and uniquely identified using smart contracts. Healthcare providers can submit their queries via API’s, view non-identifiable patient information and analyse data to uncover new insights. Consumers can choose to share their identity with healthcare providers using a private key.
Ultimately, the blockchain powered Health FX platform acts as a secure connection between the existing EMR Systems of different healthcare providers. Consumers own the key to their securely stored medical data, access and share them whenever needed, with their permission, wherever they may be.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3568395/
[2] The Fragmentation of U.S. Health Care — Causes and Solutions. Elhauge ed., Oxford University Press 2010
[3] MPI Group and Medical Economics
[4] http://www.clinical-innovation.com/topics/ehr-emr/functionality-failure-more-ehr-users-ready-replace
