Zelis CTO Kali Durgampudi has called on healthcare providers to utilize blockchain tech to protect customer data and stave off attacks from cybercriminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kali Durgampudi, the chief technology officer of healthcare payments company Zelis, believes that the implementation of blockchain tech is vital for protecting patients\u2019 sensitive data from cybercriminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking with Health IT News on Wednesday, Durgampudi noted that some of the biggest issues in healthcare are privacy and data security as the industry works to digitize<\/a> its \u201carchaic paper-based processes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlockchain technology has the potential to alleviate many of these concerns,\u201d he said, as he highlighted the importance of utilizing a digital ledger<\/a> that is \u201cimpenetrable\u201d to protect sensitive patient and financial data amid the growing rate of cyberattacks across the globe:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince the information cannot be modified or copied, blockchain technology vastly reduces security risks, giving hospital and healthcare IT organizations a much stronger line of defense against cybercriminals.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Durgampudi went on to note that blockchain tech<\/a> can also play a key role in healthcare payments, as it can help provide greater transparency and efficiency over current payment models in healthcare. He said the many payers and providers were hesitant to share information via email as emails could go awry and there was no proof of delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlockchain provides both payers and providers with complete visibility into the entire lifecycle of a claim, from the patient registering at the front desk to disputing a cost to sending an explanation of benefits,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the major companies that has worked on blockchain<\/a>-based healthcare solutions is multinational tech giant IBM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blockchain arm of the company has rolled out<\/a> several solutions for healthcare such as health credential verification, the \u201cTrust Your Supplier\u201d service to find verified suppliers and \u201cBlockchain Transparent Supply,\u201d which provides supply chain tracking on temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In March 2021, Cointelegraph reported that IBM was working on a trial of a COVID-19 vaccination passport<\/a> dubbed the \u201cExcelsior Pass\u201d in partnership with former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The passport was designed to be able to verify an individual’s vaccination or test results by IBM\u2019s blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another key player in the blockchain-based healthcare space is enterprise blockchain VeChain. In June last year, the project teamed up with Shanghai\u2019s Renji Hospital to launch blockchain-based in-vitro fertilization<\/a> (IVF) service application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VeChain also partnered with San Marino in July 2021 to launch a nonfungible token- (NFT)-based vaccination passport that was said to be verifiable worldwide by scanning QR codes<\/a> tied to the certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Jia, a blockchain investor with a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Oxford University, echoed similar sentiments to Durgampudi this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\nReal world use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n