It might be fairly reasonable to say that going to the doctor’s office and filling out paperwork go hand in hand, but what happens if you switch doctors? Does the paperwork pile up even more? You bet, and why is that? Because while an individual’s medical data is somewhere out in the world, not all of it is stored digitally. This might not sound like an issue, but it is because if everyone’s medical data was stored in digital format, it would take no time at all to send it to whomever your new doctor is. The result? Your hand probably won’t cramp, and the process of switching doctors has just been made 10x easier on you.

This is where Medicalchain comes in. The fact that someone has set forth to solve this problem isn’t the most significant aspect of this blockchain-based platform, it’s the fact that no one has ever really tried to solve what is a prominent issue in the medical care industry before Medicalchain. That’s why we have to thank Abdullah Albeyatti and Mohammed Tayeb, who have founded Medicalchain, which is set to launch in February of 2018.

The Details

The medical care industry is always evolving, always been revolutionized, but it has never really incorporated blockchain technology into the field. While some might be against it, I think it makes a certain amount of sense considering blockchain technology has the potential to become extremely popular and useful, even more so in the future.

For those who don’t know, blockchain could be thought of as the mastermind behind the digital currency Bitcoin (available on Coinbase). It is a public ledger in which transactions can be both recorded and confirmed with an anonymous status. Perhaps the most important aspect to understand about blockchain technology is that after transactions and information have been jotted down in the ledger, it cannot be changed.

In regards to Medicalchain, the platform will essentially allow an individual to hold all of their medical records on their mobile phone.  There are a few doctors in both the United States and the United Kingdom that are wary about using blockchain technology in the sector, as it gives patients more ownership over their records which could lead to someone changing certain details about, for example, their daily dosage of morphine.

But that’s not going to happen. Why? Because with Medicalchain, a patient can only look at their records, not edit them. The editing, manipulating, and changing of medical records will still be in the hands of the doctors.

How Will it Work?

What do I mean when I say patients will not be able to edit their records? Well, as the founders have come forward and stated, Medicalchain will take on the form of a platform that records medical data which can be accessed on an individual’s mobile phone. The patient will own their medical data – as they should – and they will use a private key whenever they are in the situation of needing a doctor to edit or change their records. However only a doctor will be able to change or edit the data, not the patient.

What’s Unique about Medicalchain?

There are a few who have come forward and expressed concern that Medicalchain is not unique enough, or that people are skeptical as to how Medicalchain’s blockchain will be different from Bitcoin (available on Coinbase)s.

While there are a bunch of ways to try to differentiate the two, many of them tend to be “wordy” and confusing. Therefore, I’m going to try to answer this in the most simple way possible: Medicalchain is working towards making sure that only credible and accomplished professionals have access to and are writing on Medicalchain’s ledger whereas Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) is an open ledger and only wants the public to do one thing. An individual can spend money but only the money that they have.

The Takeaway

I am looking forward to the February launch of Medicalchain because I personally have experienced first hand trying to change doctors and all of the hoops that you have to jump through in order to collect and obtain your medical records.

I hope many agree that Medicalchain has the potential to revolutionize the medical care sector because the blockchain-based platform is not just about “putting health records on the blockchain,” it also focuses greatly on creating an ecosystem “for patients to communicate directly with doctors.” Medicalchain will also allow patients to “utilize their health records,” which, except for a few rare cases, has never really been explored in the sector.

Check back later this month for more information as Medicalchain approaches its launch date.

Learn more about Medicalchain here

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