Five of the largest U.S healthcare organizations; United Healthcare(NYSE:UNH), Humana (NYSE:HUM), MultiPlan, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX), and Optum, have just announced that they will be taking steps towards blockchain technology. The five groups will all be participating in a pilot program using blockchain technology to improve data quality.

A key component of this venture is to save administrative costs, as it has been calculated that $2.1 billion is spent every year chasing and maintaining provider data. All managed care organizations, physicians, hospitals, and diagnostic information service providers all hold separate copies of healthcare provider data. Provider data must be verified when processing health claims and many are often delayed due to a mismatch.