Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

NIST looks to demystify blockchain, assesses its potential for healthcare

Healthcare IT News: According to Gartner's famous Hype Cycle, blockchain technology has already begun its precipitous slide into the trough of disillusionment, with five to 10 years still to go until it finds a steady perch on the plateau of productivity.

But that's not to say there aren't plenty of useful applications and advances that can be innovated between now and then.

Gartner itself is bullish on blockchain's prospects. Despite the fact that industries such as healthcare are still sizing up the distributed ledger technology – and a lack of proven use cases, coupled with bitcoin's recent volatility, have led to concerns about its viability – analysts think that longer term, blockchain "will lead to a reformation of whole industries."

Plenty of potential use cases are being piloted for healthcare, from revenue cycle to pharmacy supply chain, precision medicine to patient engagement. At HIMSS18, there will be no shortage of sessions devoted to exploring the often misunderstood – if not outright mystifying – technology, and trying to bring its future into clearer focus.

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