Blockchain Technology May (Eventually) Fix Healthcare: Just Don't Hold Your Breath

There is a common fallacy that every new technology that skitters across the healthcare plain will have an earth-shattering, and short-term, positive impact on the healthcare system writ large. In fact, when attending the Health Information Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) annual meeting, you see a vast and growing number of service providers addressing some healthcare-technology need, whether far-reaching, niche, real, or imagined, in the healthcare space. From artificial intelligence (AI) to machine learning to blockchain to care management, the healthcare horizon is rife with new technologies. But these solutions seldom deliver immediate applications or success. Look at IBM Watson’s highly publicized venture into the delivery of cancer-care services. Internal IBM documents showed “multiple examples of unsafe and incorrect treatment recommendations” from the Watson for Oncology system.  Additionally, The Wall Street Journal pointed out that “more than a dozen IBM partners and clients have halted or shrunk Watson’s oncology-related projects.” In a blog post titled “Setting the Record Straight,” IBM responded to some of this media coverage by saying that it is inaccurate to suggest Watson “has not made ‘enough’ progress on bringing the benefits of AI to healthcare.

Is that to say that AI, machine learning, and blockchain will not play a role in the future of healthcare? Certainly not. But it seems reasonable to expect some missteps in the short term. These and other cutting-edge technologies are needed to advance the delivery and coordination of care, squeeze costs out of “the system,” and help ensure repeatable quality-care outcomes. But few technologies are perfect.

The full Forbes article can be viewed at this link.