Aetna and Ascension Join Group in Blockchain-Driven Effort to Make Health Care Provider Data Accessible to Consumers

Aetna, a CVS Health business, and Ascension have joined the pilot project applying blockchain technology to improve data quality and reduce administrative costs associated with changes to health care provider demographic data.

Humana (NYSE: HUM), MultiPlan, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) and UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) Optum and UnitedHealthcare announced the launch of the Synaptic Health Alliance pilot project in April. The Alliance is exploring 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 when they need it.

Aetna, which serves more than 22 million medical benefits members, is uniquely positioned to share and contribute to innovative solutions in collaboration with the Synaptic Health Alliance.

Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the United States and the world’s largest Catholic health system, brings a care provider-centric viewpoint to the Synaptic Health Alliance on the complexities of contributing to accurate care provider directories.

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. Industry estimates indicate that $2.1 billion is spent annually across the health care system acquiring and maintaining provider data.

The pilot is exploring how blockchain technology can be used to actively share data with the aim of showing potential administrative cost savings for health plans and care providers while demonstrably improving care provider demographic data quality and consumers’ health care experience.

A new Synaptic Health Alliance white paper, “Improving Provider Data Accuracy: A Collaborative Approach Using a Permissioned Blockchain,” provides background information on the Synaptic Health Alliance and an overview of the pilot project, including the rationale for the blockchain technology being used.