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Insurer Aetna, which is now a CVS Health business, and Ascension have joined a blockchain pilot project along with five other health care companies to improve data quality and reduce administrative costs associated with changes to health care provider demographic data.
Humana, MultiPlan, Quest Diagnostics and UnitedHealth Group’s Optum and UnitedHealthcare announced the launch of the Synaptic Health Alliance pilot project in April 2018.
The alliance aims to explore how blockchain technology could help ensure the most current health care provider information is available in health plan provider directories, providing consumers looking for care with the most accurate information.
Aetna said it is well positioned to share and contribute to innovative solutions in collaboration with the Synaptic Health Alliance.
Ascension, a nonprofit health system, will bring a care provider-centric viewpoint to the Synaptic Health Alliance on the complexities of contributing to accurate care provider directories.
The companies said that maintaining up-to-date health plan provider directories is a critical, complex and challenging issue facing organizations across the health care system. Federal and state laws require that health plans maintain directories containing basic information about physicians and other health care providers. According to the industry estimates, $2.1 billion is spent annually across the health care system acquiring and maintaining provider data.
Aetna, Blockchain, Healthcare, US