Healthcare interoperability allows instant information exchange between IT systems, like electronic health records, according to Dr. Patrick Guffey, chief informatics and outcomes officer at UCHealth in Colorado. Full visibility from such exchanges helps providers avoid ordering duplicate tests and reduces delays in care due to tracking down patient records. For instance, medical history and records can be instantly retrieved, ensuring that providers have all necessary information at their disposal.
Whether patients move across healthcare organizations or have years-long journeys within the same organization, interoperability allows providers to obtain all of the information they need to give their patients optimal care. For patients, this means continuity of care, even when switching providers or healthcare facilities.
Among standards shaping healthcare data exchange, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) stands out. FHIR, a standard developed by Health Level Seven International, a global standards organization, enables different systems to exchange healthcare information. This standard is particularly valuable because it allows for the electronic exchange of information regardless of how various systems store that information. Whether it’s an EHR, a lab system, or a radiology system, FHIR ensures that these disparate systems can communicate and understand what they’re sharing.
FHIR plays a key role in ensuring that applications can communicate effectively. “FHIR enables applications to communicate and know what they’re sharing with each other,” Guffey explains. This capability is essential for creating a seamless healthcare ecosystem where data can flow freely between different platforms and providers. FHIR’s flexibility and interoperability make it a cornerstone for modern healthcare IT infrastructure.
Interoperable systems lead to coordinated care. Patients can efficiently move through each step of their care journey, from admission to discharge and follow-up care. Integrated solutions ensure that clinicians have accurate data wherever they provide care. Despite these benefits, the CDW white paper reports that only 8% of over 2,000 surveyed physicians found it very easy to use information from different EHR systems. This figure highlights the significant challenges in achieving true interoperability, but it also shows the potential for improvement with the right standards and practices in place.
The lack of interoperability limits the benefits of AI and data initiatives in healthcare. AI tools can access and summarize large data sets quickly.
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