Lowering Barriers in Healthcare with Bitcoin and AI

Summary

• HeartBit leverages Bitcoin, Lightning Network, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to break down barriers in healthcare, allowing for accessible & borderless access to health consultations.
• By using Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, HeartBit creates a global marketplace where patients can increase their consultation priority by offering more Bitcoin, incentivizing doctors to provide consultations and benefiting especially both doctors in low-wage countries and uninsured patients in high-cost healthcare systems.
• HeartBit employs AI technology for natural translations, enabling patients to ask health-related questions in their language and receive answers. AI also assists doctors in drafting personalized responses efficiently, allowing them to consult more patients and potentially improve their income and quality of service.

Imagine a world where healthcare knows no borders and language barriers don't hinder proper health consultations.

Here we explain how HeartBit uses Bitcoin, Lightning Network, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make this vision a reality.

Barriers in Healthcare

Healthcare is often limited by national and private insurance networks. For example, in the U.S., around 8% of the population lacks coverage from any medical insurance plan. Despite the expansion of Obamacare, some people, especially immigrants, temporary workers, international students, and travelers, still struggle to meet eligibility criteria. Even seeking medical help for less severe reasons can be a financial burden for them.

It's not just patients who face these network-specific boundaries; doctors also experience financial challenges due to lower reimbursement rates set by the government or insurers. It's also a disadvantage for doctors because they can only realistically attract patients who are in the same insurer's network as themselves.

Bitcoin and Lightning Network: Economic Freedom in Healthcare

Consider Bitcoin, a decentralized digital currency, as a potential solution. Bitcoin allows value transfer across the internet, bypassing traditional financial barriers. But what about small transactions, like paying a nominal consultation fee? That's where the Lightning Network comes in. It's an additional layer on the Bitcoin network, enabling global payments with minimal fees.

Think of it as a global marketplace where you can buy and sell using tiny denominations of Bitcoin, similar to trading goods with pennies. HeartBit applies this concept in healthcare through "Bounty," which allows patients to increase their consultation priority by offering more Bitcoin.

Here's how it works: The overall bounty amount increases when more questions are waiting to be answered promptly. The higher this increase, the more it directly influences doctors' rewards. Consequently, more doctors are likely to provide consultations on HeartBit. Applying free-market economic principles creates an appealing opportunity for doctors in low-wage countries and offers an affordable alternative for patients in countries with high healthcare costs.

But, how do patients and doctors communicate to each other globally?

AI: Bridging Language and Spatial Barriers

Language often creates a barrier in healthcare, particularly in diverse societies like the United States. Individuals like Fernando from El Salvador, working in a rural part of the U.S., or Jieun, a South Korean student studying in the U.S., may struggle to express their symptoms and understand local doctors due to language barriers.

That's where AI comes in. HeartBit utilizes advanced AI technology to provide natural translations. Patients can comfortably ask health-related questions in their language and receive answers.

Moreover, doctors in low-wage countries can benefit from this translation technology as well. It enables them to provide healthcare advice to patients worldwide.

But the advantages of AI don't stop there.

HeartBit also utilizes AI to assist doctors in efficiently drafting personalized responses. Imagine an AI assistant providing a draft response to a patient's query. Then, the doctor validates and refines this draft, finalizing their response. This process allows doctors to consult more patients within the same timeframe, leading to increased income or improved quality of service.

Shaping a Barrier-Free Future in Healthcare

HeartBit has turned these ideas into a functioning product. While the applications of Bitcoin and AI might appear specialized, they address a growing need. As state and private insurance funds in many developed countries face financial strains, leading to increased premiums, reduced benefits, and greater difficulties in accessing healthcare, the significance of free-market economies in the healthcare sector is growing.

HeartBit aims to be at the forefront of this transformation.