Universal Health Record? Futuristic or Realistic?

A number of years ago, my “techie” son turned me on to the concept of blockchain technology. For those who may still not know what this is, basically blockchain technology is what has allowed crypto-currencies, like Bitcoin, to exist. However, the application of this technology is far broader than just in the financial world (or fintech as it’s now known) – and I am a firm believer that blockchain technology has the power to transform healthcare as we know it.

Since watching the initial videos I found explaining blockchain, all I could think of was the ability to create a truly Universal Health Record. What I mean by “truly universal” is that, in my humble opinion, a health record should belong to its rightful owner, the patient. This is as opposed to a specific doctor, or healthcare system or worse yet, an insurance company. And as far as I’m concerned, as long as the main players in the creation of this record are one of the big healthcare players, there will be inherent conflicts of interest.

At another time, I will expand more on the “value” a truly universal health record can bring, but for the moment, I really just wanted to put the idea out there, as I think it could revolutionize healthcare by saving lives, saving money and offering the opportunity for all of us to be in a bit more control of our own healthcare, and how it is both administered and received.

Radical concept, I know, but there it is. I’d love to know your thoughts about this concept, whether it’s viable, reasonable or even attainable. And if not, please tell us why.