PokitDok gains healthcare traction with Hyperledger Sawtooth, Intel collaboration

DocChain links health systems, insurers and technology.
By Bernie Monegain
08:24 AM

PokitDok’s collaboration with Intel and its recent selection of the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Sawtooth as its platform for recording DokChain healthcare transactions represent big steps in the development of blockchain smart contracts, according to company executives.

Hyperledger Sawtooth is an open source blockchain project contributed by Intel.

“Blockchain is fundamental to the next computing cycle and will introduce new dimensions of compute power, speed, and security,” Ted Tanner, Jr., co-founder and CTO of PokitDok, said in a statement. “In the healthcare sector, protecting patient data is paramount, as is sharply reducing blatant inefficiency, which is why we chose to work with Intel to do business on the blockchain.”

[Also: Old ways of thinking won’t work for Blockchain, experts say]

Intel SGX is an Intel technology for application developers like PokitDok, to protect select code and data from disclosure or modification.

“Intel SGX can help improve blockchain scalability, security, and privacy,” Jerry Bautista, vice president New Technology Group and general manager of Intel’s New Business Group, said in a statement. “With Hyperledger Sawtooth, PokitDok can utilize Intel SGX and other hardware platform capabilities to enhance and increase protection of their healthcare system.”

PokitDok announced its selection of Hyperledger Sawtooth earlier this month, asserting that not only can the company manage smart contracts, it can also resolve patient identities, control access to personal health records, automatically settle healthcare claims, and power complex medical supply chains.

PokitDok created DokChain to link health systems, insurers, technology, supply chain companies and financial institutions. The goal is to record transactions that capture the history and process the administrative piece of an individual’s care.

PokitDok maintains connections with 550 health insurers and payers to enable data exchange for identity verification, eligibility checks, claims processing, authorizations, and medical referrals.

Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com


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