I am able to log into my system at the hospital - find patient records, document, bill, etc. Why do I need a tokenized system to do the same thing?
Granted, the real challenge is cross-hospital systems. Hospital A uses X system, Hospital B uses Y system. The patient's medical info gets printed off and manually entered in that scenario. But a blockchain system doesn't change that if not every hospital utilizes it. Especially in situations with more rural hospitals that use very basic systems.
Your post was relevant about the rural hospital. I ask some question in the Discord channel of Simply Vital health (SvH).
Most hospitals have the same compliance burden and have basic internet connections in the US, which is their ( SvH) current focus .
SvH are striving to keep the barrier entry low to insure higher adoption, and Health tech adoption will help spur the growth of the network since health tech companies interact with multiple facilities, which is what they do. Its also good to note that hospitals are financialy incentivized to share data and coordinate care, SvH strongly leveraging that as well.
On Point, IPKiss!! Thank you. In addition, the data sharing piece is just the beginning, and, if you look at where healthcare is going globally, the trend is toward what is called "value based care" (our niche focus) where payment is based on outcomes and patient recovery, not number of procedures/stuff the docs do. Specifically in the US, just as IPKiss said, the providers are financially penalized for not sharing data or coordinating care. I read the 1200+ page MACRA ruling, and if you look at where that legislation is going in 3,5 to 7 years, it completely hinges on providers coordinating care and sharing data. Private insurance (Aetna, United Health, etc.) always follow in the Federal Government's footsteps -- this market, in the US alone, is $300B worth of payments tied to value based care. And it's a massive paradigm shift in healthcare. Tons of research showing that existing tech systems are inadequate to support docs in this new payment reform.
Data sharing is just the beginning, though. We are already developing smart contracts for insurance payment distribution with one of the nation's leading health insurance companies. A tokenized system provides limitless opportunities for other developers, too, that leverage the open source Health Nexus protocol, and for us as a company to continue to build applications.
Also, it is important to note - re rural hospitals - that, just like any other product, ours will not be rolled out to 100% of the providers globally immediately. Adoption of technology is over time - and those providers that are ready and in need adopt faster.
Case in point, we had a customer meeting yesterday (very large hospital system in the north eastern part of the US) and we are moving ahead with them re our platform. Their need is immediate, they see the value, they're ready.
In the US, there is, as IPKiss said, again - Federal legislation that requires the adoption of electronic systems for patient tracking.
Globally, there are places that are more advanced than others. However, the opportunity is vast. For example, our advisor, Dr. John Halamka of Harvard and one of the top hospitals in the US, is leading a project with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to bring blockchain-based healthcare solutions to Africa. One could argue that Africa uses very basic systems, if at all. However, with technology that is designed correctly and cost effectively, adoption is not a problem. We're proud to have Dr. Halamka as an Advisor to share his learnings on this project, and to guide us as we continue to grow and develop.