Share this article
HHS Architect Talks Blockchain's Potential Role in Healthcare Administration
Health and Human Services IT architect Debbie Bucci has spoken on how blockchain could be applied to Medicare and other public-sector functions.
By Nikhilesh De
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:04 a.m. Published Oct 24, 2017, 8:00 a.m.
Make us preferred on Google
One of the figures behind the blockchain R&D effort within the US Health and Human Services (HHS) Department recently spoke out on the tech's potential in Medicare and other public-sector functions.
Speaking with Federal News Radio last week, Debbie Bucci, a lead IT architect for the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), discussed the department's past call for academic papers, which saw more than 70 submissions from a range of sources. She remarked that many of the submissions focused in some way on healthcare administration
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Among the possible applications she discussed is using the tech as a publicly viewable layer for U.S. citizens to follow the status of their payments within programs like Medicare or Medicaid.
"For Medicare, Medicaid, maybe the amount you're paying for – I know that for some processes people go in every quarter and they check their payment status, and so it's possible there could be a public ledger that authoritative sources may post to that everyone could collectively use as [a reference] for identifying information and possibly processing the calculations to get there," she told the radio service.
Elsewhere in the interview, Bucci highlighted the technology's possible benefits for record-keeping purposes, telling the Federal News:
"The general idea of a blockchain is an authoritative ledger, so certainly anything you want to keep records of – I think it kind of aligns with more of the business processes to assist with healthcare."
Similarly, she indicated, blockchains can be used as a more efficient method of tracking payments made into and out of both systems, either by storing that information on a public ledger, or holding some information and allowing subscribers to calculate their specific costs and benefits more easily.
The department has not yet pursued any particular blockchain research project, she clarified. At the same time, HHS is staying engaged with the developer community, and Bucci described a recent hackathon at which the winning project focused on the use of blockchain for tracking clinical trial data.
Debbie Bucci image via the Chamber of Digital Commerce
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Gold tops $5,000 as bitcoin stalls near $87,000 in widening macro-crypto split: Asia Morning Briefing
Bitcoin’s onchain data points to supply overhang and weak participation, while gold’s breakout is priced by markets as a durable macro regime shift.
What to know:
- Gold’s surge above $5,000 an ounce is increasingly seen as a durable regime shift, with investors treating the metal as a persistent hedge against geopolitical risk, central bank demand and a weaker dollar.
- Bitcoin is stuck near $87,000 in a low-conviction market, as on-chain data show older holders selling into rallies, newer buyers absorbing losses and a heavy supply overhang capping moves toward $100,000.
- Derivatives and prediction markets point to continued consolidation in bitcoin and sustained strength in gold, with thin futures volumes, subdued leverage and weak demand for higher-beta crypto assets like ether reinforcing the cautious tone.
Top Stories
