U.S. retail giant Walmart has been awarded a patent for a system that would store medical records on a blockchain from a wearable device, according to a patent filing published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The system, according to the document, will allow medical professionals to retrieve medical data from a patient that is unable to communicate.
The patient’s medical records will theoretically be stored on a blockchain, accessible by a device worn by the patient that first responders could access with an RFID scanner.
According to Fortune, Walmart is considering purchasing health insurer Humana, a company with which the retailer has an established relationship.
Should the new blockchain medical record system prove viable, a partnership with Humana would provide an indispensable data depository.
