Why Walmart filed a patent for blockchain, wearables and EHR data

Retail giant Walmart has filed a patent application for a method to obtain a patient’s electronic health records (EHR) from a blockchain database, even if the patient is unable to communicate. The process would require two keys: a publicly stored key in a wearable device that can be scanned by emergency responders via radio frequency identification, and a private key obtained by scanning the patient’s biological signature. The method would allow medical personnel to quickly access a patient’s complete medical record while keeping it inaccessible to others.