Chinese city launches blockchain medical prescriptions app

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China’s blockchain adoption is impacting its medical services industry, giving patients control of their data. The latest application is in the city of Kunshan which has launched a medical prescriptions app powered by blockchain.

Despite being the second-largest economy in the world, China’s healthcare system still faces several challenges, from accessibility to lack of digital solutions. In Jiangsu province, one city is turning to blockchain technology to solve these challenges.

Kunshan city recently launched a blockchain-powered medical prescription application that seeks to give more access to its citizens. The city’s health committee partnered with a local blockchain company on the app.

The medical records of the patients will be recorded on the blockchain, ensuring that not only are they secure but also easy to access. The patients will be able to own their data, which they can then share with medical practitioners as they wish.

For pharmacists, the application will allow them to check the patients’ medical records, including the doctor who gave the prescription, before they issue the drugs. This will go a long way in giving them confidence that the drugs are being given for the right use.

Abuse of prescription drugs has been the cause of the opioid crisis that has led to the deaths of millions across the world. In the U.S. alone, 250 people die every day from an opioid overdose, making it a leading cause of injury-related deaths.

The Bitcoin blockchain is already being used to respond to the opioid crisis in the U.S. Earlier this year during the CoinGeek London Conference, EHR Data partnered with nChain to migrate its healthcare data to the Bitcoin blockchain.

Elsewhere in China, yet another blockchain application was launched, this time targeting medical bills. The Fuzhou Second Hospital launched the pilot for a blockchain medical bills platform, FZNews reports.

The hospital, located in the southeastern province of Fujian, will record all data related to a patient’s invoice on the blockchain. With the blockchain being immutable, the data will be more credible. The hospital also seeks to stamp out fake and inflated medical bills engineered by corrupt medical practitioners.

For the patients, the platform will give them a convenient way to access their medical bills through their phones. Additionally, they will trust the bills more, aware that the information hasn’t been tampered with. The system will also cater to insurance companies which will be able to verify the claims they receive from the patients easily.