Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: Where is blockchain in healthcare now and how will it develop in 2019?
David Chou: As I wrote in my blog in November 2018, there should be no more excuses on the lack of platform to use for developing a blockchain solution, as we finally have an explosion of major platforms. It does, however, take market education and tangible use cases to turn the buzz into a viable and effective model.
Q: What do you think will be the most significant blockchain applications in healthcare over the next five years?
DC: There are currently six major players in the blockchain game: Microsoft, Google, [International Business Machines Corp.], [Hewlett Packard Enterprise], Oracle Corp. and Amazon.
For anyone to win in the blockchain game, they must be the master at creating a trusted community that wants to work together to solve a problem using blockchain.
Q: What do health IT leaders at hospitals and health systems need to know about blockchain today?
DC: As everything goes in healthcare, community and crowd sourcing is key to breaking out as a strong platform and gaining the enterprise-wide adoption. The one that gains most momentum through numerous tested use cases, while still few, will win the trust of the community.
To participate in future Becker’s Q&As, contact Jackie Drees at jdrees@beckershealthcare.com.
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