- VeChain and I-Dante will release an app called E-HCert at the end of May, which will allow the management of COVID-19 RT-PCR and rapid test data.
- With the developed electronic health record, the VeChain Foundation aims to create an alternative to the Internet giants, such as Google, for hospitals for the storage of patient data.
Together with I-Dante, the VeChain Foundation has developed a new app that offers an archiving solution for data records on COVID-19 RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) and antibody tests (rapid test). The app called E-HCert is based on the VeChain Thor blockchain and is intended to help fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by providing an effective permanent exchange. As the VeChain Foundation describes in its new blog post, the success of VeChain and I-Dante in previous projects has led to the new one.
It was recently announced that both companies have developed a digital health passport on the VeChain ToolChain™, which is being used by the first hospital, the Mediterranean Hospital of Cyprus. The same hospital will also adapt E-HCert. The app is an electronic health record that provides hospitals with a quick and easy way to summarize the COVID-19 related test data of the patients and to get a final result about the health status of the person.
In addition, the app will enable government agencies, employers and other stakeholders to access the health information mentioned above, with the patient being able to decide for himself/herself whether to share the data. Current systems have serious shortcomings in terms of agility, interoperability, immutability, traceability, compliance and cost. In this respect the VeChain Foundation states:
There is, therefore, an urgent need for the collection of trustworthy and standardized encrypted medical records that can be safely shared between multi parties. This is where blockchain technology comes in and becomes the de facto choice for such an implementation.
This is how the VeChain E-HCert app works
As mentioned at the beginning, the E-HCert app will store patient data on COVID-19 RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) and antibody test results (rapid test). When a Cypriot citizen goes to the hospital’s COVID-19 laboratory and undergoes RT-PCR and antibody testing, the test and medical records will be encrypted and uploaded to the VeChainThor blockchain.
The unalterably recorded results can then be displayed in the E-HCert app. According to the VeChain Foundation, the app enables the owner to have full control over his data, which he can use with his consent to prove his health condition:
With this profile, citizens in the Republic of Cyprus will be able to comply with local quarantine and health regulations in order to return to work, take a flight abroad, and be authorized for other activities.
Due to the urgency, the E-HCert App will be officially launched at the end of May 2020. The app will then be used by the Mediterranean Hospital of Cyprus to store the COVID-19 test profile of patients.
VeChain as an alternative to Amazon, Google or Microsoft for hospitals?
According to the VeChain Foundation, the technology represents an alternative to Internet giants such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft. According to a recent report, 33 of 50 US hospitals surveyed work with one of the three providers to store their data, which in turn seeks to control the healthcare system.
In contrast, the VeChain Thor blockchain offers a solution that gives every patient the opportunity to store their electronic health data securely and decentralized, with full control. In this sense, the VeChain Foundation is striving for a further establishment in the healthcare industry:
Compared with traditional technologies, blockchain technology provides vastly better opportunities for companies to review and redesign their healthcare data systems, optimize the overall workflow design, while simultaneously enabling every patient to safely hold their electronic healthcare records […]
As the world’s leading public blockchain platform, VeChain intends to use its experience in the blockchain industry to empower more partners and companies in the healthcare sector. By doing so, VeChain will play a central role in the acceleration of the digitalization of the healthcare industry.