Last week, IBM and FDA announced a collaboration to use blockchain technology to securely share patient data for medical research and other purposes. The following article describes our partnership and how we plan on moving forward together: http://www.computerworld.com/article/3156504/healthcare-it/ibm-watson-fda-to-explore-blockchain-for-secure-patient-data-exchange.html
In many ways this collaboration is propelled forward by the enactment of the 21st Century Cures Act. While our work with the FDA started well before the signing of the Act in December, this is the type of innovation and collaboration that it is intended to promote, and now as law, we have a regulatory framework that enables these innovations to grow.
Emphasizing the importance of data sharing, the law focuses on removing unnecessary paperwork and begins to establish a structured framework for the incorporation of patient data. By breaking down barriers, 21st Century Cures supports easier communication and exchange of health data, including valuable information on treatment effectiveness or for use in research toward the generation of new cures and treatments. We are excited about the potential in a number of important areas.
A recent IBM survey of 200 healthcare executives throughout 16 countries found that already 16% of surveyed executives are anticipating to have a commercial blockchain solution at scale in 2017. Further details can be found in our IBV study.
This study and on-going work with our healthcare industry clients highlight the growing interest in the use of blockchain. We are increasing our investments and efforts to support the productive use of blockchain, continuing our support of the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger project and leveraging our significant experience in other areas, such as Banking and Supply Chain.
