How Will Blockchain Tech Impact Healthcare Investors? 3 1684

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase, three economic juggernauts, announced they’re teaming up to tackle healthcare, a sector of the economy that’s proven elusive for presidents and private-sector reform efforts alike.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos weighed in on healthcare costs, commenting that “reducing health care’s burden on the economy while improving outcomes for employees and their families would be worth the effort.”

No question, Bezos is right. But radical reform in the U.S. healthcare system might not come from these massive, centralized global players. Instead, the world’s newest transformative technology could hold the answers and affect stock prices across the board in one of the tallest pillars of the economy.

Blockchain in healthcare, blockchain everywhere?

A 2016 Deloitte study offered up that “Blockchain technology has the potential to transform health care, placing the patient at the center of the healthcare ecosystem and increasing the security, privacy, and interoperability of health data.”

Blockchain, which creates a decentralized, autonomous network of trust to share and record information, offers myriad benefits for both patients and care providers: a secure exchange of information without intermediaries, lower costs, secure patient identities, ease of sharing real-times updates across parties; smart contracts; and secure longitudinal health data for each patient.

As Bezos, Warren Buffett, and Jaime Diamond know, the healthcare market is massive, offering a significant opportunity for emerging companies to reduce costs, improve care, and deliver better outcomes for patients. Right now, healthcare in the United States comprises 17% of annual GDP with an aging population providing a consistent tailwind.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) says there is “massive untapped potential” to change the healthcare sector for the better through blockchain technology. For one, Blockchain tech can secure HIPAA-compliant data sharing across networks. A number of use cases have cropped up as a result. In a comment on the opportunity tech reporter Mike Butcher said illustratively that a blockchain record could “follow you around so you could avoid yet another dose of radiation because your record said you’d already had 50 head X-rays.” Moreover a raft of applications emerged between smart contracts, data tokenization, and blockchain combinations with AI and machine learning.

Blockchain smart contracts will automate transactions and reduce inefficiency,” says entrepreneur Adryenne Ashley. “Using smart contracts to track disease, cause and effect, treatment and results will be critical to learning and understanding how each patient responds.” Having that data automatically written to the blockchain eliminates delay in data analysis and creates a bridge between practitioners and researchers, leading to cures.

Blockchain companies with tokens will introduce new commerce and incentive systems. And combining blockchain technology with advancements in AI and machine learning will provide new insights and further improve care. In 2018, several new blockchain startups are launching across various areas in healthcare, representing some of the best applications of the technology to accomplish those goals.

Big Medicine taps into data

The fragmented, inaccessible nature of current electronic medical record systems alone millions. John Halamka, the chief information officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, developed a secure-data exchange, MedRed, and advises another blockchain company, Simply Vital Health, as it builds a platform to streamline healthcare data management and reduce the costs of bundled payments. In the Harvard Business Review, Halamka wrote that blockchain protocol can “standardize secure data exchange in a less burdensome way than previous approaches.”

The rest of the healthcare industry is following Halamka’s lead. 16% of healthcare executives surveyed by IBM have “solid plans” to implement a commercial blockchain solution this year, with 56% planning to do so by 2020.

Supply chain

IBM, one of the corporate behemoths investing in blockchain technology, sees supply chain management as one of the key areas where blockchain can make an immediate improvement. The technology will enable “more secure and transparent monitoring of transactions” which will reduce time, cost, and human error.

Gem, one of the early companies to watch in this space, has a supply chain management software platform that “boosts the ‘collective intelligence,’ or Data IQ, from previously siloed data” allowing organizations to increase efficiency, accuracy, and speed of supply chain transactions. ShipChain, too, backed by DHL’s former CEO, launched its platform to tidy up the fractured transportation and shipping industry including medical freight and hazardous materials.

Tackling fraud

A favorite target among the federal enforcement crowd–myself included–Blockchain technology could also tackle the massive amount of fraud in the healthcare market. A 2012 study by the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the RAND Corporation estimated that fraud accounted for $98 billion of total Medicare and Medicaid spending and up to $272 billion across the entire U.S. healthcare system. Through secure, immutable records, blockchain ledgers could be one of the best tools to cut down of fraud, from false reimbursements to theft of patient records to gain access to prescription drugs.

What’s in store for 2018

The story of 2017 was the meteoric rise of cryptocurrencies with plenty of bearishness coming from marquee investors. That said even after a big correction, the biggest cryptocurrencies are up thousands of percentage points over the last twelve months. The bigger story is unfolding away from volatility, as blockchain companies look to solve big problems in healthcare. Rest assured that from an investment perspective the likes of Buffett and Bezos will take notice.

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Jordan French is a top journalist covering the intersection of technology and culture. On the Editorial Staff at TheStreet, French covers all things crypto including regulation, markets, ICOs, STOs, smart contracts, blockchain, funding, and the latest moves by top names in the asset class. A biomedical engineer and intellectual property attorney, French has cofounded five companies to earn Inc. 500 and Fast 50 rankings. You can read his work at TechCrunch, tech.co, Influencive, Today Show, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur and The Next Web, among others.

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Why Are Some Gamers Against NFTs? Comments Off on Why Are Some Gamers Against NFTs? 642

From Gen Z Corner, The Block Talk’s interns tackle topics from the perspective of young consumers.

On December 15 of last year, Game World, the developers for the widely- anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 videogame, announced that the game would be entering the metaverse. The implementation, they said in a tweet which has since been deleted, would not impact gameplay and would be optional for players. One day later, due to massive backlash and pre-order cancellation threats, Game World sent another tweet announcing that they reversed their stance on these changes. 

And Game World isn’t the only gaming brand that had second thoughts about introducing NFTs. Just this year, Forbes reported that game publishing giant EA had backtracked on their major NFT projects. Another major publisher, Ubisoft, similarly experienced pushback from the gaming community after pursuing their own NFTs which are called digits. Digits are digital assets that can be used in Ubisoft’s games. They’re stored in Ubisoft Quartz, which is effectively a digital wallet. These NFTs can then be bought and sold on marketplaces using Tezos cryptocurrency on the XTZ blockchain. Ubisoft Quartz’s announcement video was so controversial for gamers that it initially garnered a 96% dislike on YouTube. 

Why Are Some Gamers Anti-NFT? 

One reason gamers are so adamantly against NFTs is because they see them as another way publishers can get away with giving them an ‘incomplete’ game. Many gamers have grown weary of microtransactions in games, which are seen as a way for developers to nickel-and-dime the consumer. Microtransactions are encouraged for downloadable content (DLCs for short), that include the sale of in-game content, expansions, character skins, digital art, and more. In other words, NFTs if they are minted on a blockchain.  

Another concern is that NFTs will utilize lootbox mechanics. A lootbox is a container with undetermined contents from a pool of obtainable items. Like in a slot machine, getting your desired outcome is not guaranteed, but the prospect is addictive. Lootboxes have been widely-debated for their link to gambling addiction, and the implementation of lootboxes has been banned in some countries, including the Netherlands. 

However, even though some gamers are opposed to the notion of in-game NFTs, the community has historically embraced the general concept. Steam, the biggest digital video game distribution platform has a community market where NFT-like digital assets for games are bought, sold and traded regularly, much like any NFT marketplace today. The main difference being that Steam is centralized, and it does not permit cryptocurrency purchases or use a blockchain of any kind. 

Gamers, knowingly or not, have been using digital assets for close to a decade, though many are still feverishly against NFTs. There’s likely a path forward for NFTs in the context of games, but gamers and developers have a way to go to ensure mutual value. Surely, with the right set up or incentive, gamers, NFTs and the blockchain technology that enables them will be accepted as the norm and enjoyed within games. 

Stakester Brings New Experiences and Royalties to Gamers with NFTs Comments Off on Stakester Brings New Experiences and Royalties to Gamers with NFTs 683

A cheat code NFT allows owners to accrue money, prizes and royalties in the context of popular games.

On Tuesday, Stakester announced its intention to launch a VIP pass in the form of NFTs that it says will enhance the experience for users of its popular gaming app. 

The app, which pairs gamers with real-life opponents, allows players to stake real cash and prizes on their competitive skills in popular games like FIFA 21 and Call of Duty: Warzone. It’s seen significant growth since its launch in 2020, and touts 100,000 members across 31 countries. 

With the forthcoming NFT drop, users will now unlock the potential for larger prizes, access to VIP arenas, and 50% of royalties on the secondary market.

“The NFTs embody Stakester’s vision of delivering electrifying gaming experiences through the thrill of competition,” says Tom Fairey, Founder and CEO of Stakester. “NFT holders will help us shape new, undreamt-of entertainment experiences as gaming becomes ever more powerful and immersive.”

Two levels of NFTs will be offered. At .1 and .25 ETH, respectively, the barrier to entry is high, but Stakester is hoping gamers will see the value of layered experiences and unlocking additional incentives with real-world value. 

“The idea of earning rewards, just like a normal reward scheme but built around NFTs, is totally fit for the future,” says Mike White, CEO and Strategist of immersive entertainment marketing agency, Lively.  “The whole idea of royalties is truly exciting.” 

Stakester’s 50% royalty incentive, Fairey believes, will create stakeholders out of the players on his platform.

 “As well as the increase in gaming utility, the NFT drops provide Stakester users with a chance to invest in the future of the company and, for VIP Legendary holders, there’s also an opportunity to benefit from a royalty share from certain competitions and to make a passive income from NFTs, regardless of whether they go up in value or not,” he says. “Stakester is one of the only platforms to offer this kind of bonus.”

White points out that Gala Games is doing something similar with Nodes which allow gamers to receive rewards like NFTs when they contribute meaningfully to the Gala Network.

He predicts that legacy gaming companies will be adopting similar NFT models, but the winners in the NFT gaming race are hard to predict, particularly since there’s so much attention around NFTs that it’s hard to differentiate between hype and long-term value. 

“I’m sure it will be an immediate success,” he says. “Will it be a long-term thing? We can only wait and see.”

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