STAT September 22, 2022
This story has been excerpted from the STAT Report, “STAT’s guide to blockchain in health care.”
Not long ago, blockchain technology captured the imagination — and the wallets — of financial services firms that sought a “first-mover” advantage by integrating it into their outdated management systems. Experts predicted that blockchain could bring millions of dollars in savings, its uses ranging from real-time clearing and settlement of securities-related transactions, to cross-border payments and regulatory compliance.
But with the finance industry’s fierce competition and wariness of transparency, the adoption of the technology has so far brought few successes.
Now it’s the health care sector’s turn. Hospital systems, tech startups, pharmaceutical companies, payers, and others in the intensely competitive, $4 trillion health care...