Briya moves to reshape healthcare research with blockchain

Information exchange enables industry leaders across sectors to efficiently access and manage data. For companies to leverage the boundless possibilities of data, they must invest in building their data networks. Today, organizations are creating and consuming data at a rate that Statista predicts will hit 180 zettabytes by 2025. 

Unfortunately, some challenges prevent enterprises from tapping into the data economy. Categorizing data is difficult, especially for organizations that don’t understand how to do it. The costs of exchanging data are also enormous. 

In healthcare, data is aiding doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners in providing excellent patient care. Healthcare researchers can utilize new insights for drug discovery and development, offering terminally ill patients a chance at full recovery.

Briya, an Israel-based firm that provides a data exchange solution, believes its technology can make a difference. The company’s CEO and cofounder, David Lazerson, noted in a  press release that Briya’s blockchain-powered solution could potentially reduce the data-sharing problem in healthcare.

A decentralized architecture for healthcare data

As more healthcare providers and researchers adopt new technological approaches to enhance patient care and cure chronic diseases, there’s a burning desire for a near-perfect data exchange platform. Joining the healthcare data race is Briya — merging from stealth with a new $5.5 million funding. The company wants to build a durable data web for the healthcare industry — an industry which one Briya advisor, Fabio Lievano, describes as “siloed, inefficient and ineffective.”

Data sharing is one of today’s most compelling trends across the enterprise, with a Gartner report advising industry players to consider incorporating a data-sharing culture for improved business outcomes. The report further reveals that organizations who take a chance on data exchange are likely to surpass their rivals by 2023. 

Leveraging a special decentralized architecture that’s quick and simple to use, Lazerson said Briya’s solution offers fast healthcare interoperability resources (FHIR) standardization that’s compliant with HIPAA, GDPR and data use agreement (DUA) protocols. He also said its technology will attempt to foster collaborations among pharmaceutical companies, life sciences establishments and researchers.

Investing in health information exchange 

Using new technologies may be challenging , but its outcomes often overwhelm the negatives, according to Lazerson, who added that enabling open collaboration across a wide network of healthcare experts promotes interoperability and a sense of community. 

A typical health information exchange (HIE) platform allows health care providers to access and share patients’ medical histories. For patients getting prepped for a facility transfer, HIE ensures that they get the same (or better) quality of care. A standard HIE system also improves visit experiences and patient fulfillment. 

Embracing HIE systems like what Briya offers entails storing patient data in a secure database. Subscribers can access the data using a digital channel. While this doesn’t eliminate medication errors, it reduces them, aids data efficiency, secures critical information and helps health workers to monitor patients’ health better.

Blockchain for healthcare

Briya claims its product can meet the needs of healthcare establishments by using state-of-the-art technology to access data quickly — enabling doctors to view a patient’s detailed history and provide the right treatment. 

Product features on the company’s website include active re-ID prevention, fresh data and more. Running solely on data, according to Briya cofounder Guy Tish, Briya is committed to de-identifying data while maintaining data accuracy and reliability. The company also deploys fraud detection algorithms that spot dubious queries and bar re-identification efforts.

A core part of Briya’s decentralized structure involves using third-party servers to fetch data straight from the source and sending them without making a pause — a feature which Briya said ensures data never leaves its intended position. 

More on Briya 

Briya positions itself as a rising data exchange solution provider that “achieves the holy grail of data.” Cofounded by Lazerson and Tish in 2021, the company focuses on providing healthcare professionals with the right online patient data repository. 

Briya’s founders insist their solution is the best choice regarding security, 10 times faster, FHIR-compliant and affordable. The company believes its platform promotes teamwork among many healthcare providers using a data-sharing recipe. Briya’s recent funding was led by Amiti Ventures and Insight Partners.