Academics from the University of California, San Francisco, have proposed a method of sharing medical data using a blockchain-based system. An article outlining their research published by international research journal Nature on Feb. 22. The researchers reportedly developed a blockchain-powered system that aims to improve the traceability and immutability of collected clinical data, and make it more trustworthy. In addition, the system aims to advance methods for reporting adverse events during research and improve medical record management. During the trial, the developers reportedly launched a web-based portal accessible to all participants with a real clinical trial dataset, which facilitated the …

The evolving relationship between blockchain tech and the health sector has already been thoroughly documented, yet something that's received less attention is the increasing role blockchains are set to have in the health insurance industry. This industry was worth over $600 billion in 2017 in the United States alone, while calculations suggest that as much as $375 billion is wasted every year by American insurance companies as a result of the paperwork and administrative box-ticking that comes with having a multi-payer health care system. There is, therefore, a massive opportunity for blockchain-related companies and platforms to not only claim a …

The Canadian unit of American tech giant IBM has partnered with pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim to deploy blockchain in clinical recordkeeping, according to a press release published on Feb. 12. The cooperation between the two companies aims to test whether the integration of blockchain technology with clinical recordkeeping provides the proper level of data integrity, transparency, and patient safety, in addition to reducing costs and automating processes. Dr. Uli Broedl, Vice President, Medical and Regulatory Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) said, “The clinical trial ecosystem is highly complex as it involves different stakeholders, resulting in limited trust, transparency and process inefficiencies …

Blockchain tech company Bitfury is partnering with radiology blockchain marketplace Medical Diagnostic Web (MDW) to create a blockchain-based medical imaging ecosystem. The partnership was announced by the Bitfury Group in a blog post on Feb. 11. Established in 2011, the Bitfury Group operates as a software manufacturer and provider of security and infrastructure for the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain. The company raised $500 million in revenue in 2018. MDW is a radiology blockchain platform that allows radiologists to contact with imaging facilities and share patient data and medical images. Within the new collaboration, Bitfury, MDW and blockchain-powered life data marketplace Longenesis …

The ALS Association has partnered with the TRON Foundation to launch a blockchain-enabled charity campaign, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 11. The campaign, called #VoiceYourLove, aims to build awareness around amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and raise donations for research into treatments and finding a cure. According to the press release, TRON’s (TRX) participation in the campaign will include using blockchain technology to track donation distribution. The ALS Association plans to release data tracked by TRON to the public at the end of the campaign, the press release notes. TRON …

The Pistoia Alliance has expanded its blockchain project to include data sharing, data identity, and data integrity, according to a press release published on Feb 8. The Pistoia Alliance is a not-for-profit organization established in 2007, with representatives from well-known pharmaceutical industry companies which include Pfizer, Novartiz, and GSK. The Pistoia Alliance was formed to help integrate new technology to assist in the companies’ respective research and development (R&D) fields. The newest project will focus on the use of blockchain to validate sources in identifying data, to ensure data integrity, and to improve sharing between the organizations. Prior to its …

United States-based health insurance giant Aetna has partnered with IBM to create a blockchain network tailored to the healthcare industry, Reuters reported Jan. 24. Estimated to serve over 39 million clients globally, Aetna has reportedly issued a joint statement with IBM clarifying that the blockchain system will be designed to streamline insurance claims processing and payments, as well as manage directories. The insurance giant also recently merged with retail pharmacy and healthcare firm CVS Health Corp. Alongside American financial services firm PNC Bank, two other health insurers — which count over 55 million members combined — have also reportedly joined …

A blockchain solution has unveiled bold plans to make the United Kingdom’s medicine market safer by creating a system that prevents patients from ordering the same prescription from multiple pharmacies while stopping counterfeit drugs from making their way into the supply chain. MediConnect states that introducing new safeguarding for the public and the health care industry can save money and potentially lives. The motivation for the startup came after the company’s founders discovered the extent and impact of oversupply via the National Health Service (NHS) and private health care providers. A lack of data sharing means patients can make multiple …

People are living longer in the 21st Century, but what's less recognized is that, despite our increasing longevity, we're also getting sicker. According to research, the number of people over 65 afflicted with at least four medical conditions is on course to rise by 100 percent by 2035. As can be imagined, such a jump in illness is going to place an increasingly heavy burden on medical institutions and services, with the implication being that we — as a global community — need to find new, innovative ways of dealing with disease. Fortunately, crypto is on hand to help with …

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will reportedly partner with blockchain-based telemedicine and telepsychology firm doc.com to expand free basic healthcare services across Eastern Africa. News of the partnership was shared with Cointelegraph in an email on Dec. 26. In an officially sealed letter signed on Dec. 20 by Amado Philip de Andres, Regional Representative for UNODC’s Regional Office for Eastern Africa (ROEA), de Andres wrote that the organization is “willing to cooperate [...] in a new partnership.” Doc.com is a tech firm that offers blockchain-based 24/7 telemedicine and telepsychology platforms, allowing users to tokenize their personal …

Major U.S. healthcare companies have formed an alliance to trial blockchain solutions in order to improve data quality and reduce costs, U.S. weekly news outlet Modern Healthcare reports Monday, Dec. 3. The Synaptic Health Alliance group consists of Humana, Multiplan, UnitedHealth Group's Optum, UnitedHealthcare, Quest Diagnostics, and has recently been joined by Ascension — the largest not-for-profit health system in the U.S. according to Modern Healthcare — and CVS Health-Aetna, which has an estimated 22 million of members. According to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, who analyzed data provided between September 2016 and August 2017, at least half of …

One of the South Korea's largest hospitals has partnered with a local tech company to develop a medical services platform based on blockchain technology, according to the hospital’s official press release Nov. 12. Myongji Hospital, located in the city of Goyang, South Korea, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Korean IT company BICube, which markets itself as a machine learning platform. The two parties plan to use blockchain technology to create a healthcare information exchange system. According to the hospital’s release, the aim of the project is to “build a hybrid cloud [platform] that combines a public cloud …