The Impact of Blockchain on Medical Tourism

12 Pages Posted: 17 Feb 2020

See all articles by Abderahman Rejeb

Abderahman Rejeb

Széchenyi István University, Kautz Gyula Faculty of Economics, Department of Logistics and Forwarding, Students

John G. Keogh

University of Reading - Henley Business School

Horst Treiblmaier

MODUL University Vienna

Date Written: December 14, 2019

Abstract

Medical tourism has witnessed significant growth over the last decade. By combining healthcare services with tourism and hospitality, this nascent sector creates a new tourist class with access to affordable healthcare services. Information technology is an essential factor, which can enable the growth of medical tourism. Technology enables the search process for information about the available services, costs, hospitality, tourism and post-treatment options. However, these technologies are primarily legacy systems and lack interoperability. Several questions arise, including the ability of the potential patient-tourist to verify crucial factors such as the quality of care and the credentials of the medical professionals and medical facilities. Moreover, questions arise regarding patient-doctor trust, procedure and risk transparency‚ medical record privacy and other health-related hazards in specific procedures. In this conceptual paper, we investigate the potential benefits of Blockchain technology to address some of the open questions in medical tourism. We conclude that Blockchain technology can benefit medical tourism, and we lay the foundation for future research.

Keywords: Medical Tourism‚ Blockchain Technology‚ Trust & Transparency‚ Privacy‚ Efficiency

Suggested Citation

Rejeb, Abderahman and G. Keogh, John and Treiblmaier, Horst, The Impact of Blockchain on Medical Tourism (December 14, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3521841 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3521841

Abderahman Rejeb (Contact Author)

Széchenyi István University, Kautz Gyula Faculty of Economics, Department of Logistics and Forwarding, Students ( email )

Hungary

John G. Keogh

University of Reading - Henley Business School ( email )

Greenlands
Reading, Henley on Thames RG6 6AH
United Kingdom

Horst Treiblmaier

MODUL University Vienna ( email )

Am Kahlenberg 1
Vienna, 1190
Austria

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