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R. Ben Fekih and M. Lahami
for straight-through processing. When embedded in the blockchain, smart contracts becomes permanently tamper-proof, as no one can change what’s been programmed, self-verifying due to automated possibilities and self-enforcing when
the rules are met at all stages.
Among the important features of Blockchain, decentralization by making the
ledger accessible by all participants, immutability, so blockchain is nearly impossible to tamper and is censorship-resistant, availability by providing all peers a
copy of the blockchain to get access all timestamped transaction records, and
anonymity, where each user can interact with the blockchain with a generated
address, that does not reveal the real identity of the user.
2.2 Taxonomy of Blockchain Systems
Current blockchain systems are categorized into four types: public, private, consortium and hybrid blockchains [21].
– Public Blockchains: Public blockchains provide a fully decentralized network, where every member can access the blockchain content and could take
part in the consensus process (e.g. Bitcoin and Ethereum [23]).
– Private Blockchains: Private blockchains are dedicated for single enterprise
solutions and utilized to keep track of data exchanges occurring between
different departments or individuals. Every participant need consent to join
the network and considered as a known member once it has been adhered.
– Consortium Blockchains: A consortium blockchain is a permissioned network and public only to a privileged group. It is used as an auditable and
reliably synchronized distributed database that keeps track of participant’s
data exchanges.
– Hybrid Blockchains: Hybrid blockchains combine the benefits of private
and public blockchains. Therefore, a public blockchain is employed to make
the ledger fully accessible, with a private blockchain running in the background that can control access to the modifications in the ledger.
3 Blockchain Use Cases in Healthcare
One of the fields where blockchain is considered to have great potential is healthcare. Understanding the pertinence and importance of blockchain in healthcare,
in 2016, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), composed an ideation challenge for requesting white papers on the
potential utilization of blockchain in healthcare. This challenge brought about a
few proposed healthcare applications for blockchain.
In this section, we focus on the most important studies classified by several
use cases such as electronic medical records, remote patient monitoring, pharmaceutical supply chain and health insurance claims.
R. Ben Fekih and M. Lahami
for straight-through processing. When embedded in the blockchain, smart contracts becomes permanently tamper-proof, as no one can change what’s been programmed, self-verifying due to automated possibilities and self-enforcing when
the rules are met at all stages.
Among the important features of Blockchain, decentralization by making the
ledger accessible by all participants, immutability, so blockchain is nearly impossible to tamper and is censorship-resistant, availability by providing all peers a
copy of the blockchain to get access all timestamped transaction records, and
anonymity, where each user can interact with the blockchain with a generated
address, that does not reveal the real identity of the user.
2.2 Taxonomy of Blockchain Systems
Current blockchain systems are categorized into four types: public, private, consortium and hybrid blockchains [21].
– Public Blockchains: Public blockchains provide a fully decentralized network, where every member can access the blockchain content and could take
part in the consensus process (e.g. Bitcoin and Ethereum [23]).
– Private Blockchains: Private blockchains are dedicated for single enterprise
solutions and utilized to keep track of data exchanges occurring between
different departments or individuals. Every participant need consent to join
the network and considered as a known member once it has been adhered.
– Consortium Blockchains: A consortium blockchain is a permissioned network and public only to a privileged group. It is used as an auditable and
reliably synchronized distributed database that keeps track of participant’s
data exchanges.
– Hybrid Blockchains: Hybrid blockchains combine the benefits of private
and public blockchains. Therefore, a public blockchain is employed to make
the ledger fully accessible, with a private blockchain running in the background that can control access to the modifications in the ledger.
3 Blockchain Use Cases in Healthcare
One of the fields where blockchain is considered to have great potential is healthcare. Understanding the pertinence and importance of blockchain in healthcare,
in 2016, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), composed an ideation challenge for requesting white papers on the
potential utilization of blockchain in healthcare. This challenge brought about a
few proposed healthcare applications for blockchain.
In this section, we focus on the most important studies classified by several
use cases such as electronic medical records, remote patient monitoring, pharmaceutical supply chain and health insurance claims.