A Post-Quantum Blockchain and Autonomous AI-Enabled Scheme for Secure Healthcare Information Exchange

Secure healthcare information exchange (HIE) is critical to improving medical services, enabling data interoperability, and ensuring patient privacy. However, the increasing threat posed by quantum computing challenges the reliability of conventional cryptographic mechanisms. To address this, we propose a post-quantum secure healthcare data-sharing scheme that combines the Extended Merkle Signature Scheme (XMSS) and consortium blockchain technology to guarantee the integrity, authenticity, and traceability of electronic medical records (EMRs). Furthermore, the scheme incorporates autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) to assist healthcare professionals in generating accurate and intelligent diagnostic reports, enhancing clinical decision-making. We theoretically analyze the scheme's security in the random oracle model, demonstrating that it effectively resists various threats. Performance evaluation shows that the scheme is particularly suitable for HIE scenarios as it reduces about 49% in total computational overheads and 36% in blockchain storage compared to other schemes.