Startup Seeks to Lower Costs, Improve Outcomes by Tokenizing Healthcare

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Healthcare is a vital industry which requires transparency, accountability and scalable solutions, which one startup is seeking to provide.

Healthcare is a political and social landmine. According to TechCrunch the average American spends close to $10,000 for healthcare, with the entire industry being worth $3 trln. The World Health Organisation and World Bank report that nearly 100 million people around the world are forced to choose between food and healthcare. This frightful dilemma affects those living in developed and developing countries alike.

It is becoming imperative to develop better systems that can deliver healthcare in a more affordable, transparent and secure way. To ensure better accessibility to adequate health services, we need to focus on efficiency and technology enabled solutions.

Healthureum, an Estonia-based company, is in the process of creating a ‘dynamic and multi-functional ecosystem’ based on the Ethereum Blockchain that will change the way we look at healthcare and usher in an era of standardization, scalability and social responsibility. Ethereum is a Blockchain that not only delivers transparency and security, but also has smart contracts baked into it.

Why does healthcare need Blockchain?

Healthcare is riddled with problems such as fraud and lax data protection. As recently as December, 2017 it was reported that private health records of one in 10 Australians was leaked due to errors on the part of Department of Health. News-Mail reported:

“We found that patients can be re-identified, without decryption, through a process of linking the unencrypted parts of the record with known information about the individual such as medical procedures and year of birth.”

It is precisely these situations that Healthureum can prevent by introducing a robust framework that emphasizes transparency, security and accountability.

An all encompassing approach

Using Blockchain to deliver better quality healthcare is not straightforward. It needs to take care of several factors such as confidentiality, scalability of the system and its ability to meet the needs of healthcare providers. However, using Blockchain it is possible to manage a plethora of health related use cases. These range from clinical trials, health records, claims assessments to data protection and more. Patients stand to gain as they get access to cheaper and higher quality health care, enjoy a more trusting relationship with medical staff, access to genuine drugs and a reduction in fraudulent practices. Healthureum is taking steps to make this Blockchain-based solution a reality by following a systematic and innovative approach.

Token of health

Using an Ethereum-based token, Healtherum will touch every aspect of healthcare. Data systemization will ensure that medical records, personal data, test results, and billing can be consolidated. Since Blockchain is not necessarily the most suitable way of handling large files such as medical records, this type of data will be managed by Healthureum off-chain though the use of encrypted links.

In order to use the ecosystem Healthureum tokens will be required. The token will act as a bridge between patient, hospital and labs. The ecosystem will also provide access to doctor consultations through video calls, referrals for second opinions, specialist consultations and diagnostic tests in a local lab. Patients will even be able to get medical and pathology tests results added to their Healthureum patient record in an instant, secured on the Blockchain. Doctors and other associated medical personnel can be paid using the token, which will facilitate fast and secure payments for health services rendered globally.

The benefits of the Healthureum ecosystem and token are not limited to patient data management. On a large scale, Healthureum will facilitate interoperability between internal processes of a hospital or clinic, as well as inter-hospital data sharing. The Healthureum system will also use the Blockchain to capture procurement and supply chain data, ensuring authenticity and efficiency.

Healthureum tokens will be used in purchase, service and renting of medical infrastructure and the resulting data will be saved for analysis and make the process of procurement more transparent. The use of the token in research programs will facilitate proper recording of data and better monitoring. It will also mean that the system can be scaled to meet the needs of researchers while providing the subjects with data security.

Milestone-driven fundraising

The Healthureum Token (HHEM), which is Ethereum ERC20 compliant, will be the driving force of the ecosystem as a utility token. A Token Generation Event (TGE) will be held starting January 10, 2018 to fund the various stages of the project as milestones are achieved. The TGE will end on February 13, 2018.

A successful fully subscribed pre-TGE has already been completed. During the TGE, Healthureum tokens can be purchased using BTC, ETH and ECH. A bonus program is also in place with participants getting a 22% bonus on Day 1, 17% in the first week, 12% in the second, 7% in the third and 2% in the fourth week. There are no bonus tokens in the fifth week of the TGE.

The total supply of HTH tokens has been capped at 150 million. Healthureum hasput together a participation guide for interested participants.

Your data, your doctor, your way

Those who participate in the TGE are helping build a better and more affordable healthcare system. The large scale of the project necessitates participation in the TGE and enables participants to be able to enter the project at a favourable price point, while early funding would ensure that the project gets underway.

A white paper outlines the development plans of the project which is expected to continue well into 2019. However, various alpha versions of the project are expected in 2018. A successful Healthureum would usher in an era with better systems for greater efficiency, transparency and data security.