Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software are key to improving patient care and streamlining clinical, administrative, and financial operations. Some EHR software technology is based on centralized servers, exposing it to greater threats from data breaches and hacking. This can have costly implications and patients can lose their trust in the way their sensitive information is stored and shared.
The use of blockchain technology in EMR systems
The use of blockchain technology in electronic health records solutions enhances it by replacing centralized servers with a network of decentralized computers called nodes.
These nodes make the data more secure and protected, as it is now on various computers and hence is difficult to hack.
Benefits of block-chain based EHR Software
Blockchain technology has the potential to significantly impact Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software in several ways:
- Data Security: One of the most important advantages of blockchain technology is its ability to provide strong data security. Blockchain-based EHR systems can protect the integrity and privacy of patient data. Blockchain employs cryptographic techniques to establish a secure and tamper-resistant digital ledger, making it difficult for unauthorized parties to modify or access critical medical data.
- Interoperability: Blockchain technology can boost the interoperability of EMR software by enabling seamless and secure data exchange between different healthcare providers, software systems, and stakeholders. Regardless of the software or platform that healthcare companies use blockchain’s decentralized nature and defined protocols enable a uniform and dispersed network where patient records may be safely shared and accessed in real time.
- Patient Empowerment: When blockchain-based EHR software systems are leveraged it gives patients more control over their health data. Patients can own their medical records and grant access to providers they want to through smart contracts. The decentralized control makes way for patient consent, enhances transparency, and reduces dependence on centralized entities.
- Data Integrity and Auditability: The integrity and traceability of data kept within the EHR system are guaranteed by blockchain’s immutability. The audit trail that is produced by each transaction on the blockchain is permanent and time-stamped, making it useful for compliance, investigation, and legal purposes.
- Clinical Research: Blockchain technology facilitates secure and privacy-preserving data sharing for clinical research. Healthcare researchers can access aggregated data on the blockchain while maintaining patient privacy.
- Streamlined Claims and Billing Processes: By deploying blockchain it can automate and streamline the entire claims and billing processes. By recording and verifying transactions on the blockchain, EMR software can reduce administrative costs, minimize errors, and improve the efficiency of reimbursement procedures. Since billing tasks are handled well, providers can focus on patient care and work towards improving health outcome levels.
Patient-centric EHR Technology with Blockchain
Healthcare organizations in the US face the issue of data siloes which means that providers and patients have an incomplete view of patient data and history. Johns Hopkins University published a research in 2016, which reflected that the third major cause of death in the United States was medical errors. Medical errors occur as a result of poor care coordination and inadequate patient records.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, BMJ, https://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i2139
One way to reduce medical errors is by using blockchain in EHR solutions, which can provide a single view of patient records that can be accessed easily and securely.
Moving Ahead
While blockchain technology holds a lot of potential, its adoption in electronic medical records software is still in its early stages. For widespread implementation and integration with existing healthcare systems, several hurdles, including scalability, regulatory considerations, and standards, must be overcome.
