In 2017 media started reporting on promising blockchain projects inside the US Center for Disease Control (CDC). The hopes are that blockchain could help decrease the burden of reporting of epidemics, antibiotic prescriptions and the opioid crisis in the USA.

Currently, the records of public health issues are incoherent, among other reasons because health care institutions need to report the same data in different systems. Reporting is demanded by the CDC, the state agencies and local institutions. Separate systems cause delays and inaccuracies in reporting and data when you try to compare the data from different sources.

With a shared ledger, the reality could be different, says Jay Jemal — an experience IT solutions architect working for the CDC.

Listen to the episode on Podbean, iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcast.

So what exactly is the CDC doing with blockchain?

When it comes to the opioid crisis, one of the challenges healthcare is faced with is that toxicologists have no way of knowing if an addicted patient is using street drugs or prescribed medicines. “If toxicology reports could be tied to prescriptions or pharma distributors, we could get a clearer picture on this issue,” says Jemal.

In 2017 and 2018, IT specialists at the CDC worked hard on designing a solution framework and a proof of concept. The next step will be a pilot project with selected healthcare providers.

Apart from two internal projects — on for a more coherent reporting on epidemics, the second one for opioid crisis monitoring — the agency is exploring potentials of blockchain in connection to other agencies such as the FDA. Efforts are also put into research about the potentials of connecting local health authorities, WHO and CDC representatives in Africa for a better tracking and intervention on epidemics in Africa.

In this short episode:

• What projects is the CDC implementing with blockchain?

• How many healthcare providers are included in the pilot project?

• How can blockchain implementation be encouraged in healthcare institutions? What are the incentives?

• What were the biggest barriers to implementation so far?

• What is the optimistic prediction regarding the wider blockchain adoption?