Augusta HiTech has launched its One Med Chart, a patient-controlled electronic medical records (EMR) blockchain platform. This introduces real-time EMR sharing between patients and emergency medical services (EMS). One Med Chart is a user-driven universal medical record and health information repository designed so that individuals can monitor, improve, and keep track of their health through a ‘wellness app’. One Med Chart’s blockchain accurately stores data and eliminate the need to track down a patient’s previous medical records. This objective is to save lives.
“People don’t have a single location to view, manage, and share their health information. However, now, through our development of One Med Chart, health information is available at our fingertips, giving users ultimate control of who accesses their health information,” says Guillermo Vargas, One Med Chart Co-founder and CEO.
“With One Med Chart’s goal of minimizing unnecessary health risks based on lack of medical information, having an application to request and keep track of appointments with an individual’s medical records attached mitigates such risk. Convenience is a bonus.”
Augusta HiTech and One Med Chart
One Med Chart’s s app provides patients, as individuals, with a simple way to add important preventive and holistic medical information as well as health information, such as health records and current medications or treatment regimens, straight to their mobile devices. The significance is that this gives, if the patient authorises it, immediate access by care providers, physicians, and emergency personnel to potentially relevant diagnosis and treatment information..
A vital factor in this is that the app safeguards sensitive information. At the same time the app makes it easier and intuitive for users to:
- view their medical documents
- book medical appointments
- send messages and emails to external users
- track medications
- measure fitness goals, regimens and workouts
- add a QR code snapshot of their medical history for use in case of an emergency.
Augusta HiTech uses a Hyperledger-based smart blockchain to protect each individual One Med Chart’s user’s medical records. Security comes via multi-factor authentication plus various levels of encryption. Only users can view their One Med Chart Health Information (OMCHI), unless they choose to show their medical records and workout regimens in real-time (for example showing the app’s data to a health professional).
The app runs on smart devices. This provides users with the choice of whether or not to share their medical records through the secure application or sending it securely through e-mail. Patients can receive their medical records from their doctors. This occurs via:
- fax
- directly from an electronic medical records system
- an upload of documents directly to One Med Chart.
“Our blockchain solution for One Med Chart is designed to give patients a more significant stake in managing their healthcare and to prevent unnecessary deaths from lack of information while providing a measurable impact on cost-effectiveness in hospital settings,” says Sean Caputo, Chief Strategy Officer at Augusta HiTech.
“Hospital staff can quickly log into the health record system for an individual at an emergency room to learn about their past medical history.”
One Med Chart app features
The app comes with four primary features:
- Snapshot: users print their Snapshot, which is a QR Code containing health information needed in case of an emergency, and carry this Snapshot (in a wallet or purse with other cards); users choose what information to share with the public and what information to share with medical personnel – and only authorized/certified EMS personnel have access to the One Med Chart EMS app, which is required to view a patient’s private Snapshot
- Document Manager: the Document Manager accepts medical records in various formats as well as enabling patients to control their records (by allowing controlled access and length of time constraints (time bombs) to view information)
- My Health: this is how a patients creates regimens and workouts to track medications, daily calories lost, daily steps taken and other metrics; users also have fitness cards reflecting three types – ‘Heal, Stamina, and Olympian’.
- Fit Center: this connects smart devices and fitness platforms, such as Apple Health, Google Fit, Fitbit and iHealth.
“One Med Chart is using technology to ensure secure universal access to medical records while promoting a healthy lifestyle,” says Vargas. “Simply put, a few minutes of uploading medical records could save someone’s life, and tracking workouts can improve a person’s life expectancy.”
Enterprise Times: what does this mean
Medtech is a growing arena for blockchain (for example, Kinect, MediLedger, or Systech/FarmaTrust). The reasons are obvious and compelling – a single, encrypted location where the patient ‘owns the records.
The dilemma for patients who wish to own their medical data is where to keep it and in a form that medical professional can access when authorised. A smart device, or an app like One Med Chart on a smart device, is a neat solution from Augusta HiTech. After all billions of people, in all countries, now possess smart devices. They have become a common medium.