Blockchain — Key to FHIR Realization?
Healthcare data exchange and interoperability has always been a challenge for providers, app developers and vendors. All the stake holders are looking at data standards that will enable data interoperability and exchange in real-time for better providing better healthcare services.
Piecemeal repositories and one-off algorithms for data collection and analysis aren’t cutting it anymore, especially now that value-based, continuous care health management is the need of the hour.
What is FHIR?
Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource, or FHIR as it is known, from HL7 fraternity, is increasingly becoming popular protocol for exchange of healthcare data between desperate applications. FHIR looks at healthcare data from an internet application based approach. It attempts to provide a standard way of accessing the complex healthcare data structures. Given this objective FHIR has enormous potential in the healthcare ecosystem to help increase patient engagement, develop robust application among others. FHIR aims at bridging the gaps between various EHRs in the market. Patient engagement is also bound to increase with the adoption of FHIR standards. It helps in utilization of wellness data by retrieving from various connected devices that are prevalent today, viz., fitbit, Apple Watches, Bluetooth scales, blood glucose monitors, diet apps and other wellness mobile apps. The key aspect of this is that for the first time, wellness data is being used for a holistic healthcare provision to the patients. In the past the patient-generated health data (PGHD) was viewed only as a frill which was never fully utilized for healthcare. This brings in the “fun” element in the healthcare aspect and is bound to impact the patient engagement. This group of devices generating PHGD is growing leaps and bounds, and it is high time that they are taken seriously for healthcare services.
Where does Blockchain fit?
PHGD is not a data problem but more of a cleansing and merging issue. Every app developer has reinvented the data schema thus preventing ease of use of the app specific PHGD. With FHIR and blockchain, it is possible to close these data gaps between all the popular apps without compromising on the data security and integrity. Blockchain can help in bringing in the trust factor and add value in this wider ecosystem. Blockchain helps in drawing data from a number of sources to arrive at some possible new conclusions. Apps may now able to perform analytics on PHGD and help in identifying personalized disease and patient wellness management. With interoperability out of the way, patients will have the freedom to consult multiple providers with different healthcare systems. Providers on the other hand can have holistic picture of the patient including that of his / her lifestyle aspects before providing a disease and wellness plan.
A combination of comprehensive standards, FHIR, and a “trust” based technology platform, Blockchain, can be a game changer for EHRs; where the basic standard platform can be made available for developers to help them develop clean & easy to use applications for holistic continuous care of patients.
We are using FHIR and Blockchain to build the NanoHealthCare Token Ecosystem. Connect with us on telegram to know how this will allow us to store high quality medical and wellness data securely and privately.
