Blockchain and Big Data to Transform the Healthcare

Abstract

The increase in reported incidents of security breaches that compromise privacy of individuals requires us to question the current model used to collect patient information. What we have learned from bitcoin and the underlying blockchain technology is that there are ways for us to protect this information by using a distributed ledger. In this paper, we review and propose a solution that can be used to manage individual health data as well as cross-institutional sharing of this information. The solution will increase clinical effectiveness and an increase in research when the data is shared with researchers. The proposed system solution based on blockchain technology that includes providers, hospitals and clinic, insurance companies, and patients. All along the ownership of the data would belong to the individual or the patient. In the solution, we suggest to adopt a private blockchain solution where all participants are known and trusted, which allows for privacy and security of the data.