An introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology; a guide for practitioners and students. Bitcoin and blockchain enable the ownership of virtual property without the need for a central authority. Additionally, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies make up an entirely new class of assets that have the potential for fundamental change in the current financial system. This book offers an introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology from the perspective of monetary economics.

Blockchain technology is poised to revolutionize more than just payment and crypto-currency. Many vertical industries will be reshaped by the new trusted data models enabled and inspired by the blockchain - healthcare is no exception. In fact, healthcare may hold the greatest opportunities for meaningful use of the technology. Early pioneers have explored some of the first use cases for medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, drug counterfeiting, and credentialing of healthcare professionals. We have only begun to scratch the surface in how to automate the complexities of today's healthcare systems and design new systems which focus on trust, transparency and the alignment of incentives. Metcalf, Bass, Dhillon, and Hooper have curated a collection of examples based on the fundamentals of blockchain that build upon the early successes and examples that point to the future. After a brief introduction to bitcoin, blockchain and the protocols available, a getting-started guide is presented specific to health and healthcare. The authors discuss the complexities and possibilities of smart contracts and some of the early consortia that are exploring the possibilities. Examples and use cases are found throughout the book, with specific sections that cover the more sophisticated and far-reaching examples which have the potential to scale at the industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems - such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, value-based payments, patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and precision medicine/genetic therapies among many others are presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe. The appendices may prove particularly useful for additional details on how to get started, including resources and organizations specifically focusing on blockchain and distributed ledger solutions.

Blockchain is a series of transactions recorded in blocks and secured cryptographically. It is immutable, decentralized, and transparent and has proved to be beneficial across all domains to protect and store data. Maintaining privacy, integrity, and security, blockchain is particularly valuable to the healthcare industry. of healthcare data. Blockchain in Digital Healthcare provides a panoramic review of prospects of blockchain technology in the healthcare domain. Users can record transactions in blocks in an immutable distributed ledger that cannot be changed once recorded and/or published. Blockchain is also decentralized, which eliminates dependency on a trusted third party to facilitate transactions, enabling clients and other users of the blockchain to take ownership of the data they push on the network. Blockchain also makes transactions more secure as clients have their own copies. Features: Provides systematic and comprehensive understanding of the block chain technology and the potential in healthcare Describes how security and privacy concerns of healthcare data can be addressed using Blockchain Technology Discusses the concept of smart contracts for performing advanced level scripting to create a blockchain network to provide a platform for the development of decentralized applications Includes a chapter on role of blockchain based insurance application using Ethereum/Hyperledger Presents cases of blockchain use for various aspects of drug manufacturing and the pharma supply chain This book serves as a reference book for IT professionals, scientific investigators and researchers who need to analyze the prospects of blockchain technology in healthcare.

There’s a lot more to the blockchain than mining Bitcoin. This secure system for registering and verifying ownership and identity is perfect for supply chain logistics, health records, and other sensitive data management tasks. Blockchain in Action unlocks the full potential of this revolutionary technology, showing you how to build your own decentralized apps for secure applications including digital democracy, private auctions, and electronic record management. Summary There’s a lot more to the blockchain than mining Bitcoin. This secure system for registering and verifying ownership and identity is perfect for supply chain logistics, health records, and other sensitive data management tasks. Blockchain in Action unlocks the full potential of this revolutionary technology, showing you how to build your own decentralized apps for secure applications including digital democracy, private auctions, and electronic record management. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology Blockchain is more than just the tech behind Bitcoin—much more! Combining impenetrable security, decentralized transactions, and independently verifiable supply chains, blockchain applications have transformed currency, digital identity, and logistics. Platforms such as Ethereum and Hyperledger make it easy to get started by using familiar programming languages. About the book Blockchain in Action teaches you how to design and build blockchain-based decentralized apps, and is written in a clear, jargon-free style. First, you’ll get an overview of how blockchain works. Next, you’ll code your first smart contract using Ethereum and Solidity, adding a web interface, trust validation, and other features until your app is ready for deployment. The only thing you need to get started is standard hardware and open source software. What's inside Blockchain compared with other distributed systems Development in Solidity Identity, privacy, and security On-chain and off-chain data and operations About the reader For programmers who know JavaScript. About the author Bina Ramamurthy has thirty years of experience teaching distributed systems, data science, peer-to-peer networking, and blockchain. Table of Contents PART 1 - GETTING STARTED WITH BLOCKCHAIN PROGRAMMING 1 Blockchain basics 2 Smart contracts 3 Techniques for trust and integrity 4 From smart contracts to Dapps PART 2 - TECHNIQUES FOR END-TO-END DAPP DEVELOPMENT 5 Security and privacy 6 On-chain and off-chain data 7 Web3 and a channel Dapp 8 Going public with Infura PART 3 - A ROADMAP AND THE ROAD AHEAD 9 Tokenization of assets 10 Testing smart contracts 11 A roadmap to Dapp development 12 Blockchain: The Road ahead

Blockchain is a disruptive technology potentially impacting how economic transactions are recorded, stored, and verified. Despite such ramifications, there is a lack of literature discussing this from the accountant’s perspective. Through real-world cases this book distils an abstract technology to relatable experiences for business professionals.

Besides love, money and health are the most valuable human yearnings. Therefore, blockchain technology is paramount: a new foundation of confidence for human valuable transactions. Like information sharing was catalyzed on the pre-blockchain internet, transactions are now triggered on the new internet of value. In this second digital inflection point, economic media encompasses value beside information, and individuals can privately transact digital assets for the first time in history. Decentralized but structured organizations running on blockchain networks reduce transaction costs and are particularly competitive insofar as they guarantee data authenticity, confidentiality, and integrity, providing functional autonomy with disintermediation and smart contracts. Everything changed after user data were made public on the internet and privately traded by big tech companies, and nothing will be the same once that data is made private on the internet and publicly transacted by their rightful owners. While the internet of information reshaped the world, the internet of value will reform it, and everything will depend politically on this being done freely. Political and Economic Implications of Blockchain Technology in Business and Healthcare provides relevant theoretical frameworks on the civilizational impact of blockchain technology, which redesigns human interactions concerning value transactions. It gives ideas, concepts, and instruments to advance the knowledge on cryptoeconomics and decentralized governance in the new distributed trust paradigm. The chapters explore the ethical repercussions and profound political-economic consequences to society, providing insights into business applications focusing on the healthcare sector. In a blockchain era affected by the post-COVID-19 new normal, which mixes politics, economics, and health, this book is essential for students and researchers in social and life sciences; professionals and policymakers working in the fields of public and business administration; and healthcare workers and researchers, academicians, and students interested in blockchain technology and its political and economic impacts in the industry and society.

Blockchain for Healthcare Systems: Challenges, Privacy, and Securing of Data provides a detailed insight on how to reap the benefits of blockchain technology in healthcare, as the healthcare sector faces several challenges associated with privacy and security issues. It also provides in-depth knowledge regarding blockchain in healthcare and the underlying components. This book explores securing healthcare data using blockchain technology. It discusses challenges and solutions for blockchain technology in the healthcare sector and presents the digital transformation of the healthcare sector using different technologies. It covers the handling of healthcare data/medical records and managing the medical supply chain all using blockchain technology. The contents of this book are highly beneficial to educators, researchers, and others working in a similar domain.