Topic: Bitcoin as a catalyst for Health Care (Worldwide) - page 2. (Read 10308 times)
Something along those lines yep - I need to revisit my write up on this and see about submitting it for review.
For what it's worth I am a doctor.
The other day I was considering how open source has created complex computing and financial structures that we might have previously thought needed big business.
Perhaps there is some way a blockchain reward based system could be used to crowdfund future medical research. Not sure how yet though.
Block chains could be used for mutual assistance savings schemes where members would vote on treatments covered in an efficient, representative way without having to reveal the identity of the individuals and their illnesses to others int the group.
The other day I was considering how open source has created complex computing and financial structures that we might have previously thought needed big business.
Perhaps there is some way a blockchain reward based system could be used to crowdfund future medical research. Not sure how yet though.
Block chains could be used for mutual assistance savings schemes where members would vote on treatments covered in an efficient, representative way without having to reveal the identity of the individuals and their illnesses to others int the group.
MediCoin?
... redeemable for private health care.
For what it's worth I am a doctor.
The other day I was considering how open source has created complex computing and financial structures that we might have previously thought needed big business.
Perhaps there is some way a blockchain reward based system could be used to crowdfund future medical research. Not sure how yet though.
Block chains could be used for mutual assistance savings schemes where members would vote on treatments covered in an efficient, representative way without having to reveal the identity of the individuals and their illnesses to others int the group.
The other day I was considering how open source has created complex computing and financial structures that we might have previously thought needed big business.
Perhaps there is some way a blockchain reward based system could be used to crowdfund future medical research. Not sure how yet though.
Block chains could be used for mutual assistance savings schemes where members would vote on treatments covered in an efficient, representative way without having to reveal the identity of the individuals and their illnesses to others int the group.
The long term goal is to use bitcoin to make healthcare self sufficient and free to the world. I am currently working on a paper that will explain the structure. Basically, to start, everyone who joins the bit care health network will receive miners. Those miners send the bitcoins back to the health network becoming the biggest mining operation in the world. Because it will be a huge amount, Bitcoin itself will be the pool, and monitor the blockchain for fairness (individuals will also have this ability). The bitcoin itself will be invested (either into real currency or stay digital. It will also be used to exchange payments to doctors in their local currency. Profits will be invested into multiple industries around the world in order to sustain the system regardless of if bitcoins can be mined or not (necessary consumption goods), such is the case that will happen in the year 2146. Eventually the products you buy such as salt or cars, because of investments will return portions of that to the bit care health network, (you go to the store and buy lets say bitbread to make a sandwich). Because of new "bit" industries which arise to make goods for healthcare it also creates jobs while at the same time decentralizing insurance and healthcare. Eventually healthcare and insurance becomes a single payer peer to peer system facilitated by bitcoin (cryptocurrency) with healthcare paid for by consumption only, (which is sustainable as everyone consumes). Then, everyone around the world can visit any doctor in the world that is a member of the bitcare network for free. All they will have to do is continue to buy the same things they always buy, but their healthcare will actually own all or portions of that. The bitcoin is an excellent way to initiate this exchange. This system will remove governmental controls/nationalized healthcare, and base it on free enterprise. While at the same time the bitcoin can be used in the single payer system to pay doctors and hospitals in their local currencies. I hope I explained that well enough. It will take me a little while to finish the paper itself. This is just the starting basics: www.bitcarehealthnetwork.org 
I think the ability to do micro payments could help.
I'm not sure what is coming in the future for medicine, I'm sure many of the things mentioned in this thread are on the way, and sooner than we would expect.
At the moment though I believe the most undervalued medicine is preventive. There are cultures that have explored this aspect for thousands of years, finding ways to make the practitioner more resilient to stress and disease.
Not only will micro payments be helpful to find the proper fit for a teacher or method. (from DIY to one on one classes) Doctors, specialists, nurse practitioners could also do short online interviews. This could be helpful to find the right person, and allow people who want more control over their services to not feel like they are restricted by an insurance company or whatever random recommendations they are able to get.
Of course in this situation a micro payment might be .2 - .05 BTC but in comparison to the normal overhead you have to pay for just by walking in a door this is nothing.
I'm not sure what is coming in the future for medicine, I'm sure many of the things mentioned in this thread are on the way, and sooner than we would expect.
At the moment though I believe the most undervalued medicine is preventive. There are cultures that have explored this aspect for thousands of years, finding ways to make the practitioner more resilient to stress and disease.
Not only will micro payments be helpful to find the proper fit for a teacher or method. (from DIY to one on one classes) Doctors, specialists, nurse practitioners could also do short online interviews. This could be helpful to find the right person, and allow people who want more control over their services to not feel like they are restricted by an insurance company or whatever random recommendations they are able to get.
Of course in this situation a micro payment might be .2 - .05 BTC but in comparison to the normal overhead you have to pay for just by walking in a door this is nothing.
Thanks again everyone for their comments/suggestions. I will be recording the ideas and compiling some type of presentation to give to our next generation projects group to see what kind of investment we can make in positive changes 
Probably will be a few more weeks before I present, so plenty of time for additional comments/ideas.
Thanks!
Probably will be a few more weeks before I present, so plenty of time for additional comments/ideas.
Thanks!
The cost of healthcare and it's insurance is important. it's also the issue that goes across all borders.
However another good issue to consider is using the blockchain to query anonymous real time health records.
another post mentioned using a hardware (private) key to access these records, which would be good.
I think using anonymous health data in the block chain to spot large trends in a community can be even bigger.
Imagine:
Watching a community health problem trend in real time and making preventive changes to limit the problem.
What about using the Big Data concept for sub communities to decide where to place health services.
Even anonymous Genealogy/ health records of large extended families in medium sized towns, cities could be good.
One would simply assign a tag that represents a family name in that town, city and small country.
Health reward through bitcoins to highlight and support communities that are doing it right can also be used.
Taking a census every decade not the answer.
its about catching the problems before or as it happens to make a change.
The blockchain can give us that stream of data that is needed.
However another good issue to consider is using the blockchain to query anonymous real time health records.
another post mentioned using a hardware (private) key to access these records, which would be good.
I think using anonymous health data in the block chain to spot large trends in a community can be even bigger.
Imagine:
Watching a community health problem trend in real time and making preventive changes to limit the problem.
What about using the Big Data concept for sub communities to decide where to place health services.
Even anonymous Genealogy/ health records of large extended families in medium sized towns, cities could be good.
One would simply assign a tag that represents a family name in that town, city and small country.
Health reward through bitcoins to highlight and support communities that are doing it right can also be used.
Taking a census every decade not the answer.
its about catching the problems before or as it happens to make a change.
The blockchain can give us that stream of data that is needed.
You would be amazed, I got bored, cleaning my house so I thought up some more ideas on how to implement bitcoins technology for healthcare.
Blockchain as a public ledger of patients in waiting for more efficient distribution of resources. good idea.
Funding future technology, long term and requires capital.
Distributed hard coded virtual healthcare, take out the middleman, excellent idea but quite possible extreme opposition from insurance companies
loved by patients, can't apply x>y= no health insurance... impossible to abuse a hard coded open source system; The health care contract is the overall
available money in the system pegged to a market value according to available positions, it would be in the best interest of hospitals to keep their open spots
down to a minimum by lowering cost to bring by more patients. it can even be used to assign and keep track of patients being monitored by Doctors and Nurses
If they get over a set amount of patients their wages go up, slowing down the amount of patients coming their way, The best Doctors with the highest demand
get the better wages according to their track record recorded on the blockchain... healthy patients equal more money for them, more difficult higher cost
procedures gravitate more doctors to fill the gap... it's a market based approach that keeps track of what is going on in the system at all times. Good for Doctors,Nurses and Patients.
Encrypted collaborative healthcare, patient comes in with encrypted key for his files, Doctor gets immediate access to all data stored by previous doctors visited by patient.
If research is needed special health care miners, specialized ASIC machinery made to wade through the data, go through all databases x'ing out all encrypted patient details
and applying statistical analysis over all patient data in all connected hospitals on request by authorized healthcare researchers.
Using Bitcoin... buy an ASIC, the Bitcoin lottery is subsidizing the growth of the network till the transaction fees vs reward for the lottery becomes insanely difficult to justify.
Think of it as Trickle up economics, Bernacky is printing out the cash at the top and Bitcoin is distributing the cash at the bottom... till the fees become more lucrative.
start Bitcoin fundraisers... if people convert their cash to bitcoins, and you only use them when the price is high, then you win, over all, the wins and losses are negligible for
a non-profit organization, it's like gaining x amount of dollars above what was donated... if always spent at it's peak.
start your own HealthCoins, copy bitcoins system exactly and pay people for doing research on your behalf, have people exchange HealthCoins for Bitcoins when they need to
opt in to the HealthCoin blockchain for medical insurance. The Research miners get paid in HealthCoins early adopters begin distributing the HealthCoins as a reward for helping
you find new cures or help out existing patients, use the altruism of early adopters to help spur the movement, knowing that they are paying for their insurance.
and you must not forget that Bitcoin is not just a money transfer program, or a currency, it is a stock option all in one! The more volume of transactions per day the higher the price goes.
Same for HealthCoin, the more people opt in to the program the more valuable each HealthCoin becomes, giving the same benefits as Bitcoin, people are incentivised to stay with your plan
because the longer they stay the more valuable your Coin becomes, the more incentivized your organization becomes to do a great job.
Bitcoins system is perfect for this type of shift, if people are doing a good job in their organization you'll get a market based appreciation in your wages asap, people will vote with their cash.
Blockchain as a public ledger of patients in waiting for more efficient distribution of resources. good idea.
Funding future technology, long term and requires capital.
Distributed hard coded virtual healthcare, take out the middleman, excellent idea but quite possible extreme opposition from insurance companies
loved by patients, can't apply x>y= no health insurance... impossible to abuse a hard coded open source system; The health care contract is the overall
available money in the system pegged to a market value according to available positions, it would be in the best interest of hospitals to keep their open spots
down to a minimum by lowering cost to bring by more patients. it can even be used to assign and keep track of patients being monitored by Doctors and Nurses
If they get over a set amount of patients their wages go up, slowing down the amount of patients coming their way, The best Doctors with the highest demand
get the better wages according to their track record recorded on the blockchain... healthy patients equal more money for them, more difficult higher cost
procedures gravitate more doctors to fill the gap... it's a market based approach that keeps track of what is going on in the system at all times. Good for Doctors,Nurses and Patients.
Encrypted collaborative healthcare, patient comes in with encrypted key for his files, Doctor gets immediate access to all data stored by previous doctors visited by patient.
If research is needed special health care miners, specialized ASIC machinery made to wade through the data, go through all databases x'ing out all encrypted patient details
and applying statistical analysis over all patient data in all connected hospitals on request by authorized healthcare researchers.
Using Bitcoin... buy an ASIC, the Bitcoin lottery is subsidizing the growth of the network till the transaction fees vs reward for the lottery becomes insanely difficult to justify.
Think of it as Trickle up economics, Bernacky is printing out the cash at the top and Bitcoin is distributing the cash at the bottom... till the fees become more lucrative.
start Bitcoin fundraisers... if people convert their cash to bitcoins, and you only use them when the price is high, then you win, over all, the wins and losses are negligible for
a non-profit organization, it's like gaining x amount of dollars above what was donated... if always spent at it's peak.
start your own HealthCoins, copy bitcoins system exactly and pay people for doing research on your behalf
, have people exchange HealthCoins for Bitcoins when they need toopt in to the HealthCoin blockchain for medical insurance. The Research miners get paid in HealthCoins early adopters begin distributing the HealthCoins as a reward for helping
you find new cures or help out existing patients, use the altruism of early adopters to help spur the movement, knowing that they are paying for their insurance.
and you must not forget that Bitcoin is not just a money transfer program, or a currency, it is a stock option all in one! The more volume of transactions per day the higher the price goes.
Same for HealthCoin, the more people opt in to the program the more valuable each HealthCoin becomes, giving the same benefits as Bitcoin, people are incentivised to stay with your plan
because the longer they stay the more valuable your Coin becomes, the more incentivized your organization becomes to do a great job.
Bitcoins system is perfect for this type of shift, if people are doing a good job in their organization you'll get a market based appreciation in your wages asap, people will vote with their cash.
It's a new form of money not a miracle cure for all of society's problems ....
Fraud is one of the biggest areas of concern within healthcare. If we could find ways to reduce fraud, healthcare would be a lot cheaper and more people could have access to it. I like the idea of using transaction logs within the blockchain as a way to verify financial aspects of the exchange. Maybe there could exist a health record blockchain/"coin" that all parties have access to. Since the unique identifiers are anonymous there wouldn't be any risk of HIPAA violations. The same way that transactions are "confirmed" we could do something similar for confirming treatments. Keeps the patients and doctors honest about what they charge. If they only get payed based on confirmed transactions in the log then it would be a whole lot easier to spot fraud this way...
Bitcoin can contribute to a decentralized healthcare plan. People who need insurance simply pay a fee to a decentralized Bitcoin escrow network for their healthcare. Certified professionals (docters) hold a private key to tap into that escrow fund. If 6 peers (3 patients, 3 doctors) approve the need for healthcare payments, the patient receives the cash, which he can use to pay the doctor.
Advantages of a P2P healthcare system:
1. Everybody can sign up - no background checks, no denial of insurance (democrats love this);
2. Everybody can decide their own monthly fee;
3. Anyone who has paid into the pool can get healthcare;
4. System maintenance cost is much lower than commercial healthcare (you get more healthcare for your $);
5. The government cannot force you to participate (republicans love this);
6. The network/protocol can automatically identify abusers and lock them out permanently;
7. people can organize different pools. For example, republican billionaires don't have to be in the same pool as the 99% - everybody is free to organise their own pool.
This satisfies both 'democrat' and 'republican' needs. In fact, any group of people could organise their own healtcare pool. The 99% could have their own pool and the 1% could have their own pool. Who cares?
Sure, we need to put in the security checks to minimize abuse. Sure, there will be "elite healthcare pools" and "pools for the poor". I think this is inevitable. Nevertheless, people will receive more healthcare than traditionally. And that's the point.
Years ago I had this idea of a 'P2P healthcare' system. Bitcoin got me thinking about it again...
You could do this in fiat too...I still see fraud as a big issue. Doctors are not immune to committing fraud. In fact, fraudulent self-referred medical imaging is a major problem in health care (it's technically not a violation of the laws the prohibit self-referral if the imaging equipment is "regular in-office equipment"...such as an urinalysis test strip machine...but, some doctors claim MRI's and PET scanners are not sophisticated pieces of equipment but just routine office stuff; anyhow, medicare bought it hook line and sinker). Advantages of a P2P healthcare system:
1. Everybody can sign up - no background checks, no denial of insurance (democrats love this);
2. Everybody can decide their own monthly fee;
3. Anyone who has paid into the pool can get healthcare;
4. System maintenance cost is much lower than commercial healthcare (you get more healthcare for your $);
5. The government cannot force you to participate (republicans love this);
6. The network/protocol can automatically identify abusers and lock them out permanently;
7. people can organize different pools. For example, republican billionaires don't have to be in the same pool as the 99% - everybody is free to organise their own pool.
This satisfies both 'democrat' and 'republican' needs. In fact, any group of people could organise their own healtcare pool. The 99% could have their own pool and the 1% could have their own pool. Who cares?
Sure, we need to put in the security checks to minimize abuse. Sure, there will be "elite healthcare pools" and "pools for the poor". I think this is inevitable. Nevertheless, people will receive more healthcare than traditionally. And that's the point.
Years ago I had this idea of a 'P2P healthcare' system. Bitcoin got me thinking about it again...
Thanks for the ideas all - at this point I am mostly in the gathering information and ideas phase to see what others think is possible and beneficial.
Hey OP
If you need help we are willing to help. programming, research, networking, legal, etc, anything you need, I bet you we can pull this off the ground with every single idea we have.
CrowdSource, CrowdFund, p2p research, encryption system to keep patient data safe, etc.
if we consider that every contribution given in any area required 10,000 - 20,000 hours from a master, 5000 or less from average people, that means $150,000.00 dollars worth of knowledge from every single person involved.
The manhattan project cost 20 billion dollars so the contribution of 130,000 people overtime would make this a worldwide success story, just gotta make sure those people are motivated to earn a living.
well have BTC-BTC signs in their eyes. There is no lack of Financiers, just lack of people.
If you need help we are willing to help. programming, research, networking, legal, etc, anything you need, I bet you we can pull this off the ground with every single idea we have.
CrowdSource, CrowdFund, p2p research, encryption system to keep patient data safe, etc.
if we consider that every contribution given in any area required 10,000 - 20,000 hours from a master, 5000 or less from average people, that means $150,000.00 dollars worth of knowledge from every single person involved.
The manhattan project cost 20 billion dollars so the contribution of 130,000 people overtime would make this a worldwide success story, just gotta make sure those people are motivated to earn a living.
well have BTC-BTC signs in their eyes. There is no lack of Financiers, just lack of people.
Bitcoin could be used to crowdfund medical research and development. A site where people propose projects and ideas and post project updates and the world rewards them with microdonations would leapfrog traditional medical research.
Perhaps Bitcoin can be used for black market medicine.
Like doctors treating patients for money.
Like doctors treating patients for money.
What (if any) uses/benefits can the Bitcoin currency offer to improve both the care people receive and reduce the overall cost? Seems like every country has a unique approach to healthcare and I am wondering if the unified currency model can benefit the adaptation to and improvement of healthcare in a variety of countries. Anything is fair game here, just looking for ideas or input.
Everyone needs some kind of healthcare and everyone needs some kind of currency. Why not combine two universal needs to make both stronger for all people?
Ideas/Discussion - GO
Use SilkRoad for cheaper copy medicin = afford life saving medicin you otherwise could not. Everyone needs some kind of healthcare and everyone needs some kind of currency. Why not combine two universal needs to make both stronger for all people?
Ideas/Discussion - GO
Awesome ideas and discussion! Making notes, opening my mind and enjoying the ideas of the future.
Bitcoin can contribute to a decentralized healthcare plan. People who need insurance simply pay a fee to a decentralized Bitcoin escrow network for their healthcare. Certified professionals (docters) hold a private key to tap into that escrow fund. If 6 peers (3 patients, 3 doctors) approve the need for healthcare payments, the patient receives the cash, which he can use to pay the doctor.
Advantages of a P2P healthcare system:
1. Everybody can sign up - no background checks, no denial of insurance (democrats love this);
2. Everybody can decide their own monthly fee;
3. Anyone who has paid into the pool can get healthcare;
4. System maintenance cost is much lower than commercial healthcare (you get more healthcare for your $);
5. The government cannot force you to participate (republicans love this);
6. The network/protocol can automatically identify abusers and lock them out permanently;
7. people can organize different pools. For example, republican billionaires don't have to be in the same pool as the 99% - everybody is free to organise their own pool.
This satisfies both 'democrat' and 'republican' needs. In fact, any group of people could organise their own healtcare pool. The 99% could have their own pool and the 1% could have their own pool. Who cares?
Sure, we need to put in the security checks to minimize abuse. Sure, there will be "elite healthcare pools" and "pools for the poor". I think this is inevitable. Nevertheless, people will receive more healthcare than traditionally. And that's the point.
Years ago I had this idea of a 'P2P healthcare' system. Bitcoin got me thinking about it again...
Advantages of a P2P healthcare system:
1. Everybody can sign up - no background checks, no denial of insurance (democrats love this);
2. Everybody can decide their own monthly fee;
3. Anyone who has paid into the pool can get healthcare;
4. System maintenance cost is much lower than commercial healthcare (you get more healthcare for your $);
5. The government cannot force you to participate (republicans love this);
6. The network/protocol can automatically identify abusers and lock them out permanently;
7. people can organize different pools. For example, republican billionaires don't have to be in the same pool as the 99% - everybody is free to organise their own pool.
This satisfies both 'democrat' and 'republican' needs. In fact, any group of people could organise their own healtcare pool. The 99% could have their own pool and the 1% could have their own pool. Who cares?
Sure, we need to put in the security checks to minimize abuse. Sure, there will be "elite healthcare pools" and "pools for the poor". I think this is inevitable. Nevertheless, people will receive more healthcare than traditionally. And that's the point.
Years ago I had this idea of a 'P2P healthcare' system. Bitcoin got me thinking about it again...
+1 Citizen
Could we make this system to work on a blockchain? lets say someone needs medical attention, but they only have x amount of dollars, so they sign up for a doctor that they can afford in their area, someone helps them out and they have enough money to get off the waiting list at said doctor to go to a more expensive doctor that can see them immediately, taking them off the lower rate doctors list.
I'm thinking about efficiency, distributing the patients as needed,
Your idea is excellent, it follows the Chinese Doctor model you pay the doctors to keep you healthy, but you have to be aware of law limits with this method, a doctor has to signup for a insurance provider licence to get this working... can this be facilitated if the doctors work as a group?
Bitcoin can contribute to a decentralized healthcare plan. People who need insurance simply pay a fee to a decentralized Bitcoin escrow network for their healthcare. Certified professionals (docters) hold a private key to tap into that escrow fund. If 6 peers (3 patients, 3 doctors) approve the need for healthcare payments, the patient receives the cash, which he can use to pay the doctor.
Advantages of a P2P healthcare system:
1. Everybody can sign up - no background checks, no denial of insurance (democrats love this);
2. Everybody can decide their own monthly fee;
3. Anyone who has paid into the pool can get healthcare;
4. System maintenance cost is much lower than commercial healthcare (you get more healthcare for your $);
5. The government cannot force you to participate (republicans love this);
6. The network/protocol can automatically identify abusers and lock them out permanently;
7. people can organize different pools. For example, republican billionaires don't have to be in the same pool as the 99% - everybody is free to organise their own pool.
This satisfies both 'democrat' and 'republican' needs. In fact, any group of people could organise their own healtcare pool. The 99% could have their own pool and the 1% could have their own pool. Who cares?
Sure, we need to put in the security checks to minimize abuse. Sure, there will be "elite healthcare pools" and "pools for the poor". I think this is inevitable. Nevertheless, people will receive more healthcare than traditionally. And that's the point.
Years ago I had this idea of a 'P2P healthcare' system. Bitcoin got me thinking about it again...
Advantages of a P2P healthcare system:
1. Everybody can sign up - no background checks, no denial of insurance (democrats love this);
2. Everybody can decide their own monthly fee;
3. Anyone who has paid into the pool can get healthcare;
4. System maintenance cost is much lower than commercial healthcare (you get more healthcare for your $);
5. The government cannot force you to participate (republicans love this);
6. The network/protocol can automatically identify abusers and lock them out permanently;
7. people can organize different pools. For example, republican billionaires don't have to be in the same pool as the 99% - everybody is free to organise their own pool.
This satisfies both 'democrat' and 'republican' needs. In fact, any group of people could organise their own healtcare pool. The 99% could have their own pool and the 1% could have their own pool. Who cares?
Sure, we need to put in the security checks to minimize abuse. Sure, there will be "elite healthcare pools" and "pools for the poor". I think this is inevitable. Nevertheless, people will receive more healthcare than traditionally. And that's the point.
Years ago I had this idea of a 'P2P healthcare' system. Bitcoin got me thinking about it again...
I will say this again and again: it is amazing how the bitcoin concept opens people's mind for thinking out of the box, beyond political agendas. I am sure i am fighting one you guys/gals on another website because we would have nothing in common, but here it's almost like an oasis (that is, if your stay away from the bitcointalk political section hahaha!)
Jump to: