Apps

World’s first use of cryptocurrency to access healthcare services

Medicalchain has announced that for the very first-time cryptocurrency is being used to access GP video consultations through its blockchain-based telemedicine application, MyClinic.com.

Piloting at The Groves Medical Centre in London, this is the first step in Medicalchain’s ambitions to create borderless healthcare, empowering patients to access flexible, safe healthcare and have greater control over their health records.

By downloading the app and registering interest, anyone in the UK can join the pilot and book an appointment with a Groves doctor of their choice. However, registering to participate in the pilot does not automatically remove patients from their existing NHS GP surgeries. Payment for available GP appointments can be made by credit and debit cards, or by using Medicalchain’s own cryptocurrency MedTokens. These are listed on six exchanges, Bitfinex, Huobu, Kucoin, Gate.io, Qyrptos and Coinbene where the currency can be purchased.  Further services launching in 2019, will allow patients to book a range of healthcare services, from nurse appointment or blood tests, at home or in clinic, to specialist consultant appointments and online diagnostic triage if an appointment is not needed.

Maria Rodriguez, the first patient to use cryptocurrency to access an appointment with her GP, said: “It’s super cool to finally use cryptocurrency to purchase services. MyClinic.com is easy to use and I love the fact that I can talk to a doctor I know well and trustI found the report that was sent by the doctor within a few minutes really helpful and reassuring. I’m definitely going to use MyClinic.com again and I’ve already started telling my friends and family about it.”

The company said “the blockchain technology will allow patients to securely view and share their consultation notes. The ultimate aim is to facilitate automatic integration of healthcare reports. Currently, medical records are stored on different systems across GP practices and hospitals, often resulting in incomplete and sometimes conflicting information that pose risks such as misdiagnosis, delay in treatment or even death. Blockchain is perfectly suited to address this issue as any conflicting information is automatically flagged up and the blockchain ledger means historic data cannot be lost, thereby creating and protecting one clean and accurate version. The pilot provides patients access and agency over their post-appointment notes, with the full feature rolled out once integration with the two UK medical data solutions used by GPs is complete this is due in the next six months and will allow patients to access their complete record, quickly and easily.”

Dr Abdullah Albeyatti – Co-Founder and CEO, Medicalchain, comments: “Today marks the first step in Medicalchain’s international mission to empower patients to have greater choice over how and where they receive medical advice, as well as how they control the use of their medical information. One of the first steps is introducing blockchain facilitated video consultations with their GP, paid for with cryptocurrency. Following a successful pilot with The Groves Medical Group in South West London the service will then expand to offer full wrap around health services across the UK, Europe and then the world.”