FHIRBlocks’ Decentralized Consent Technology to be Integrated into ConsenSys Health’s Foundational Elevated ComputeTM Platform
ConsenSys Health, the leader in delivering next-generation infrastructure for healthcare and life sciences, today agreed to acquire FHIRBlocksSM, an innovative developer of advanced solutions to support self-sovereign patient-directed fine-grained sharing of their protected personal health information. The acquisition includes the transfer of FHIRBlocks’ technological and other IP, as well as key executives and staff, business activities and relationships, to ConsenSys Health. Financial details of the transaction, which is expected to close in 4Q21, are not being disclosed.
Fine-grained consent management is a precursor to patients’ right to access and share their personal health information. To date, cumbersome, slow and error-prone manual processes have largely been used to administer such consents, but the introduction of digital communications using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIRTM) for data-interoperability has shown clear benefits and is now mandated by regulations, such as the U.S. 21st Century Cures Act. In addition, patient and consumer privacy regulations, such as HIPAA, GDPR and CCPA are also mandating new processes. FHIRBlocks was founded to enable the sharing of health information to achieve improved health outcomes, while ensuring patient control and privacy are maintained.
ConsenSys Health’s Elevated ComputeTM leverages converging technologies – blockchain, decentralized AI and confidential computing – to move the space towards a new future of federated health data. The integration of Elevated Compute with technology components that underpin the FHIRBlocks Consent4HealthSM application will bolster the platform’s patient-centric privacy capabilities, allowing frictionless sharing of confidential healthcare data – empowering “liquid data” – between healthcare market participants.
Consent4Health allows patients to control the sharing of their personal health information, which is typically spread across several healthcare provider managed EHR systems. The application leverages FHIRTM APIs and decentralized technology constructs, including self-sovereign identity built upon W3C verifiable credential formats. It is currently available as a service offering in Microsoft’s Azure Marketplace. Companion mobile wallets are available for download in the Apple AppStore and in Google Play.
As a result of the acquisition, FHIRBlocks Co-Founder and CEO Doug Bulleit will join ConsenSys Health as a senior member of management. A number of other FHIRBlocks business and technical staff will also be joining ConsenSys Health.
Said Heather Flannery, Founder and CEO of ConsenSys Health: “Fine-grained consents are a fundamental building block of numerous healthcare processes that Elevated Compute is addressing. This acquisition accelerates our time to market for a number of applications through the integration of best-of-breed technology. We are excited to welcome the FHIRBlocks team into the ConsenSys Health family.”
FHIRBlocks Co-Founder and CEO Doug Bulleit commented: “While the unique identity and patient consent functionality of Consent4Health positions it as a leading solution in its own right, we have determined that it will have a greater impact and utility for customers as a differentiating feature within the more comprehensive Elevated Compute digital health ecosystem.”
ConsenSys Health will be showcasing FHIRBlocks in addition to the Elevated Compute platform at HIMSS21 from August 9 through 13. Come to booth 2037 in the Sands Expo Center to learn more and to discuss your specific healthcare data challenges.
About ConsenSys Health
ConsenSys Health leverages converging technologies, including blockchain, federated machine learning and confidential computing, to reimagine healthcare and life sciences. The company builds interoperable blockchain, AI and privacy-preserving value-based solutions that are protocol agnostic to address chronic pain points including cybersecurity, compliance, privacy, bioethics and identity.
The company is a leading member of several industry organizations, including ACT-IAC, the Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance, the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, HIMSS, Hyperledger, IEEE, INCITS, ISO and Linux Foundation Public Health. It is also working toward the implementation and synchronization of the United Nations’ SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). More information is available at www.consensyshealth.com.
About FHIRBlocks
The FHIRBlocks℠ vision is that every person should have control over their health data: who they share it with, what they share, how long, for what purpose. Via our Consent4HealthSM platform, it is now truly possible to empower healthcare consumers and deliver differentiated business value to organizations while transforming healthcare through cloud, blockchain, decentralized identity, verifiable credentials and mobile wallets. Visit www.fhirblocks.com for more information.
