The interest and development of this technology has primarily been driven by the enormous value growth of cryptocurrencies and
large investments of venture capital in blockchain start-ups. It is forecast that the market for blockchain technology will grow until 2021 and many industries stand to benefit from it. This paper looks specifically at the role of blockchain in healthcare.

Blockchain technology could improve the following areas within the industry:

• The existence of disparate systems
• The current inaccuracy of EHRs
• General risks associated with data capture and sharing
• A current lack of audit trails regarding medical activity.

Other healthcare areas that can benefit from the technology are provider credentials, medical billing, contracting, medical record exchange, clinical trials, and anti-counterfeiting drugs.

As the public sector as a whole begins to change its stance, a patient-centric environment is vital for the success of the healthcare industry, the wellbeing of its patients and the success of its staff. The role of blockchain in healthcare can assist with enhanced security and reliability of patients’ data. It gives patient control over their healthcare records and helps systems to consolidate patient data, enabling the exchange of medical records across different healthcare institutions,

Current trends of blockchain research in healthcare indicate that it is mostly used for data sharing and access control for health records. However, it is rarely used for other scenarios, such as supply chain management or drug prescription management. Much potential for blockchain is still unexploited. Download this paper to find modern capabilities of blockchain in healthcare.