Blockchain Technology
Suveen Angraal, Harlan M. Krumholz, Wade L. Schulz · Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes · 2017
B lockchain technology has gained substantial attention in recent years with increased interest in several diverse fields, including the healthcare industry.Blockchain offers a secure, distributed database that can operate without a central authority or administrator.Blockchain uses a distributed, peer-to-peer network to make a continuous, growing list of ordered records called blocks to form a digital ledger.Each transaction, represented in a cryptographically signed block, is then automatically validated by the network itself.Blockchain has also garnered interest as a platform to improve the authenticity and transparency of healthcare data through many use cases, from maintaining permissions in electronic health records (EHR) to streamlining claims processing.In this article, we describe the basics of blockchain and illustrate current and future applications of this technology within the healthcare industry. Healthcare Applications of BlockchainThis interest and momentum has now extended to healthcare information technology.Realizing the potential relevance and importance of blockchain in health care, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology,