Blockchain-powered health innovation information systems for secure, interoperable, and privacy-preserving healthcare data management

The accelerating digitization of healthcare has amplified the demand for secure, interoperable, and privacy-preserving information systems capable of managing sensitive patient data across diverse institutions. Traditional Health Information Systems (HIS) often struggle with fragmentation, data breaches, and lack of trust, posing significant barriers to integrated care and real-time medical decision-making. Blockchain technology—characterized by its decentralized architecture, cryptographic security, and immutability—offers a transformative paradigm for healthcare data management. This paper explores the development and deployment of Blockchain-Powered Health Innovation Information Systems (BHIIS), focusing on their potential to enable secure, verifiable, and scalable exchange of electronic health records (EHRs) across providers, payers, and public health institutions. By combining distributed ledger technology with smart contracts, BHIIS can automate data-sharing permissions, enhance patient control over personal health data, and ensure traceable access logs that comply with regulatory standards such as HIPAA and GDPR. This study examines architectural frameworks that integrate blockchain with interoperable health data standards (e.g., HL7 FHIR), enabling seamless communication among heterogeneous systems without compromising privacy. We evaluate consensus mechanisms, off-chain storage strategies, and identity management schemes that address scalability and data ownership concerns in real-world healthcare networks. Furthermore, the paper analyzes emerging use cases—including pandemic response, clinical trials, and chronic disease management—where blockchain-enhanced systems have demonstrated tangible benefits in accuracy, transparency, and trust. Ethical and infrastructural considerations, such as stakeholder governance, energy consumption, and digital divide challenges, are also discussed. By presenting a roadmap for implementing BHIIS, this work contributes to shaping next-generation health IT ecosystems that prioritize patient-centricity, resilience, and innovation.