Blockchain is a relatively novel decentralized or distributed data ledger system.

Instead of banking health information in a single database, blockchain stores it in a chain of data blocks called nods.

It wasn’t too long ago I published a piece titled; “The utility of Enterprise-Grade Blockchain Databases with MongoDB in Healthcare.”

I particularized how we can use Blockchain with a central database and various combinations to use data in consortium with a pool of users and make it operational within the given enterprise boundaries.

Here, I intend to dig deeper into how healthcare can benefit from the best of the two technologies, i.e., MongoDB and the Blockchain.

Although decentralized data and the type of trust it conveys amongst its stakeholders, it does not deny that certain centralized technologies can add extra value to the distributed ledger scheme.

And such benefit goes beyond the data ownership and hack-resistant nature of the latter system.

Here, by focusing on current healthcare logistic needs, I would like to shed light on some of the possible utilities concerning how a centralized database system such as MongoDB can benefit us if utilized in combination with one of the blockchain technologies.

Healthcare demands Data Integrity be Consistent, and the selected Technology must pledge to that Need.

Data integrity, or ‘data quality,’ pertains to the process of sustaining data accuracy, reliability, and consistency, including but not limited to the patient’s details, health summary, clinical notes, test results, and family information life-cycle.

Data integrity no longer equates to data security, as mistakenly done previously.

A data security breach can end in the corruption of data, which then imperils data integrity.

Therefore, it is no longer accurate, hence different from its former impeccable state.

Generally speaking, every healthcare entity ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all electronically endangered health data an entity creates, receives, maintains, or transmits.

Healthcare industry administrators must do everything in their power to protect against any foreseen threats to the security or integrity of patient information.

A healthcare entity must always follow security management and implement policies and procedures to avert, detect, contain, and correct security violations. It must also have a Risk analysis system that offers an accurate and meticulous evaluation of the potential perils and susceptibilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronically protected health information held by the embraced entity.

Furthermore, to Standard and Integrity, a healthcare system must implement policies and procedures to safeguard electronically protected health information from improper alteration or destruction. Implementing technical security procedures to guard against unauthorized access to data transmitted over an electronic communications network.

Every sovereign healthcare entity must also hold Implementation specifications.

The latter includes Business associate contracts between the entity and a business associate.

Concomitantly, it must also implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the electronically shielded health information from created, received, maintained, or transmitted on the shielded entity’s behalf as deemed necessary.

All said and done with, healthcare is at a juncture concerning data, analytics, and reporting. Healthcare has historically dawdled other industries in its advance to data. Yet still, there is the growing realization that it is even more necessary to accumulate, interpret, and apply data in a meaningful means to promote the representation of high-quality patient care while supporting safety, billing, and reporting calls.

While all industries face similar hurdles in their data administration and reporting approach, healthcare systems are at the top of that list with additional challenges in their particular domain. For instance, healthcare today suffers a tremendous lack of data governance. An organization-wide plan and framework for collecting, standardizing, and curating data to ensure a “single source of truth” is a relatively modish healthcare notion. Our healthcare organizations have always struggled with data fragmentation, standardization, resource, and ownership.