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Defining the Future State of Interoperability
Interoperability
| Description: | In 2004 The Center for Information Technology Leadership estimated that the nationwide implementation of technology that provides for interoperability and facilitates the exchange of healthcare information between healthcare providers could result in a net savings of $77.8 billion annually, or about 5% of total annual US healthcare expenditures. These savings can only be achieved when disparate EHR systems exchange data elements using a common “language” across multiple healthcare settings. That is, patient summary information from one vendor’s EHR should be “translatable” to any other vendor’s EHR system regardless of technology platforms. Also in 2004, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONCHIT) Strategic Framework described goals toward the rapid adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) to improve workflow efficiencies in clinicians' offices and deliver higher quality care for patients. One of the four goals calls for establishing the necessary standards to enable clinicians to be interconnected so that a patient's information can be made electronically accessible to those involved with providing their care across the community regardless of which EHR system is in use. Ultimately, the individual patient will not only be the beneficiary of better, more efficient, more affordable care, but also the recipient his or her own personal health records enabled by increasing levels of interoperability. (See Department of Health&Human Services) |
| Topic: | This topic focuses on the work being promoted by the EHR vendor association to shape the future of interoperability in a way that achieves the goals of their customers while at the same time achieves the broader goals of system-wide sharing of health care data. It will identify the status of interoperability initiatives, trade-offs in standards implementation and certification processes, and the means to validate levels of interoperability among vendors. |
| Expert: | Charlene Underwood[104 KB], director of Government and Industry Affairs, Siemens Medical Solutions. BA in mathematics, Purdue University, MBA in marketing, Temple University. |
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Topic Index
Computerized Physician Order Entry
Electronic Medical Records
Healthcare Industry Collaboration
How Technology Can Enhance Patient Safety
Medication Management
Staffing Shortages in Healthcare
Workflow/Process Management
