The Zhejiang-province port city of Ningbo has kicked off trials for the use of blockchain technology to automate the processing of insurance claims during patient diagnosis.
The “Zero Perception Claims” (“零感知理赔) system currently being trialled in Ningbo permits the rapid automation of insurance claims processing, according to a report from Diyi Caijing.
Insurers can obtain relevant information on patients in real time during the diagnosis process itself, avoiding the need for recipients to submit their own applications materials.
This means the “diagnosis process is the claims applications process,” and patients can receive claims payments in their accounts just as diagnosis is complete.
The system is an initiative of the Shanghai Insurance Exchange (上海保险交易所) (SIE) and its subsidiary Zhongbao Kelian (中保科联), and makes use of SIE’s blockchain services platform – the Insurance Exchange Chain (保交链).
Zero Perception Claims is currently being trialled at all first and second-tier public hospitals in Ningbo, with cooperating partners including CPIC and Ping An Insurance.
An SIE executive said that the IEC enables medical organisations and insurers to create a secure and trustworthy data exchange environment with the authorisation of patients, in order to achieve real time exchange and verification of key information.
The blockchain is used to store and transmit customer information and health records, while information access can be tracked to ensure the information privacy of patients and the lawful and compliant usage of such information.
