Illinois Blockchain Initiative to Pilot Credentials Verification Program

On August 8^th, 2017, the Illinois Blockchain Initiative announced a pilot program in partnership with Hashed Health to use blockchain technology to streamline the medical credentialing process in the state. By exploring opportunities through distributed ledger technologies, the program could be able to reduce the complexity of licensing and credentialing. The program will look to provide a new blockchain-based registry to act as a repository for credentialing data.

Eric Fish, senior vice president of legal services at the Federation of State Medical Boards, praised the initiative, remarking that, “If successful, this effort may prompt other state medical boards, as well as others within healthcare, to investigate potential benefits that can be derived from the use of distributed ledgers, and may ultimately result in a more efficient regulatory process without any sacrifice to patient safety.”

To read more on the pilot program, see the full story at Health IT Analytics.

Blockchain technology is a decentralized peer-to-peer system through which digital transactions are created, shared, verified, and stored. This technology consists of three main components: a distributed network, a shared ledger, and digital transactions. The network is the basic skeleton of the blockchain: individual network members generate, verify, and store data on the blockchain, instead of contributing to one central database. The ledger provides a mechanism to share and verify information in the network, protecting the data from tampering and ensuring quick and easy verification of the information within. Finally, a digital transaction is the actual act of generating or verifying data.

NAMSS is continuing to monitor the development of blockchain technology in healthcare, especially with regards to the credentialing process. In May, we hosted our 4^th annual Government Relations Industry Roundtable, entitled Building Blocks for the Future. A panel of NAMSS staff, stakeholders and strategic partners discussed the impact of blockchain and its potential applications for the industry. Be on the lookout for further information from NAMSS on blockchain technology and its potential impacts on MSPs!