U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces 15 winners of blockchain research competition

The Office of the National Health Coordinator (ONC), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced the winners of a blockchain research report competition.

The "Blockchain Applications and Challenges in Healthcare and Related Research" competition, which began last month, publicly called for white papers exploring the potential applications of blockchain in the healthcare field.

ONC said it received more than 70 submissions and ultimately selected 15 winners.

Coordinator Vindell Washington said in a statement:

“We are very excited that so many people are interested in this. Although many people know the application of blockchain in digital currency, this competition also shows the potential application of blockchain in the field of healthcare.”

In announcing the competition, HHS said the competition is part of an effort to use blockchain technology as part of a broader push for interoperability across the nation’s health IT systems. ONC has been investigating this topic for the past few years and released a report in October last year.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security are the main agencies in the United States that research blockchain technology.

At the same time, ONC is also hosting a blockchain seminar at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on September 26-27.