How Blockchain Capabilities Advance Data Sharing and Benefit Virtual Care

In its current form, remote patient encounters generate pockets of data from mobile phones, video/audio applications, and monitoring devices. This data is shared inconsistently through application programming interfaces (APIs), interfaces, or even still volumes of paper with authorized entities. Despite numerous market offerings, blockchain technology has demonstrated only limited integration in today’s healthcare services, but adding its capabilities into remote care delivery can offer benefits to patients, providers, and payers in their efforts to adjust to an invariably decentralized care delivery system.

Blockchain offers the potential for multiple applications to virtual care delivery, which can improve the healthcare ecosystem: from establishing trusted digital identities to consent management to improving administrative and clinical workflows through decentralization and access to data.