Blockchain Based Decentralized Healthcare Network to Share Electronic Medical Records

Abstract

Over 172 ransomware attacks on US healthcare organizations since 2016 have cost over $157 million total and disrupted care for over 70% of patients impacted, prompting healthcare CIOs to declare cyberattacks as one of the most devastating healthcare issues today. Furthermore, lack of interoperability of patient data between healthcare providers prevents patients from exploring care outside their provider’s network. Though hospitals utilize electronic health records (EHR), data formats remain fragmented and non-interoperable, leaving patients to be responsible for transporting their own data between providers or insurance plans. Permissioned blockchain technology can solve both these issues due to its inherent transparency, immutability and data sharing capabilities. Therefore, I developed a decentralized application called HyperEHRbase that would allow patients to control their own health records and share them with different healthcare providers. My application extends an open-source OpenEHR implementation called ehrbase. Unlike ehrbase, my application writes health records into a Hyperledger blockchain, not a centralized database. The blockchain network is designed to work as a decentralized healthcare network, allowing patients and healthcare providers to mutually exchange data. Patients can register to the healthcare network using their personal devices and voluntarily grant multiple healthcare providers access to their medical records. Doctors and other care providers can also register to the network and access information shared by patients. This system secures electronic healthcare records in an immutable blockchain and makes them interoperable using the OpenEHR standard. Patients will also have control over their data, which is a significant improvement over the current healthcare system.