From Surgeon to Startup
Tags: Health Data, Blockchain, Australia, Blockchain Startup, Data Ownership

By Angie Gallagher

In this series, we feature the stories of the companies who are using the BurstIQ platform to further their mission of providing new and innovative health-tech solutions to patients around the world. Today we had the pleasure of talking with one of our favorite Australian startups, a company called Secure Health Chain, founded by the energetic, relentless, Dr. Robert Laidlaw.

Blockchain Bob’s Story with Data

Dr. Robert Laidlaw, Secure Health Chain’s Founder and Executive Director

Dr. Rob has been a doctor for ten years and lives in Sydney. In the last five years, he specialized in neurosurgery before pivoting into the healthcare startup world.

While being a practicing doctor, he realized the critical role of data. The waste and underutilization cause impactful inefficiencies for patients needing care, making inefficiencies staggering. With the doctor count going down, the admin count is going up; he feels an answer to better care are more doctors in face to face interactions with patients versus people designing processes and policies.

Regarding the health data economy, Dr. Rob is appalled by how it works. It is seldom documented well with opaque markets, and a small number of players are deceptive about how they use data. And in terms of data market players, he asks the bigger question of, “Who owns the data and who has the right to it?”

Patients should be informed about the decisions being made based on their data. For example, in his Secure Health Passport app, if someone has tests completed, they can select who can get that data, and when and to whom it gets sold then, the money goes into their bank account.

The jury is out in terms of who owns the data; meanwhile, virtually every clinic asks that you to sign a waiver allowing them to anonymize and on sell your data. Dr. Rob believes all stakeholders should possess and share that value. The value of data sets varies greatly, for example, a molecular profile on a rare tumor is more valuable than your typical annual blood work results. Regardless on the type of health data, Dr Rob believes there is always going to be someone out there that can put the data to good use in medical research.

Secure Health Chain Can Help Your Future Health

Dr. Rob operates as an assistant brain surgeon at a local hospital

One day a week, Dr. Rob continues to operate as an assistant brain surgeon at a local hospital. The Secure Health passport is available now for a limited time for free on the Google Play and Apple App stores. The passport acts as a single place to store your precious health data. Sharing your records with your local Doctor is simple, scan your Doctor’s QR code, and they can get access. Being dynamic, it this consent can be revoked by you at any stage.

Dr Rob also works as the club Doctor for the North Sydney Bears Rugby League club. He has included a module for sports medicine with a head injury assessment tool using the SCAT-5 test.. These critical assessments encompass the power of comparison — the actual incident and after the event supplying important head injury information.

Coming to the United States

Dr. Rob has been in blockchain for two years. While it struggles to leapfrog into distributed technologies, BurstIQ’s consent layer is effortless and useful. The platform specializing in big data and can help him scale, while it is HIPPA and GDPR compliant.

He likes that we are involved in global healthcare and have an Australian presence. Our company’s track record with the Intermountain project provides much credibility too.

The trust that blockchain guarantees are essential with visibility without the crypto association. Consent contracts have the integrity that Dr. Laidlaw needs for patients to have confidence in his application.

Dr. Mark Robinson talks weekly to another neurosurgeon in Denver who works at a national healthcare system. Secure Health Chain is soon to launch a pre and post-surgical procedure data collection for outcomes such as pain and return to work. Currently, this process is slow and cumbersome being largely done on paper-based forms. Dr Robinson hopes to pilot his health passport here in Denver later this year.

Combined with his communication with an American company, BurstIQ, and the International Trade Administration, we hope to see Secure Health Chain in the United States soon.