Interoperability comes in small steps

Beth Walsh, Editor, CMIO

Interoperability is a broad, overarching term that really describes a monumental goal for healthcare. True interoperability means that any authorized provider would be able to access relevant healthcare data about a specific patient and send that information on to other authorized clinicians to avoid repetitive tests and exams, provide faster treatment and experience better outcomes.

In reality, the road to interoperability is paved with many incremental steps. A preview of 2012 health IT efforts was published in the Journal of the American Health Information Management Association. The article noted that the Shared Savings Program associated with accountable care requires adept use of health information exchanges (HIEs) and EHRs to collect the data necessary for reporting requirements.

The article referred to 2012 as “a crucial year” for the meaningful use program, which also requires further proof that users are exchanging patient data. HIE faces an ominous deadline as government funding is scheduled to end in another two years even though most studies indicate that the majority of HIEs are not financially sustainable.

Meanwhile, National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari, PhD, posted a blog covering 2011 health IT achievements. For example, the percentage of non-hospital based physicians who have adopted a basic EHR has doubled from 17 percent in 2008 to 34 percent in 2011. Mostashari shared several other highlights from 2011, including the launch of the Direct Project which provides a means for providers to send encrypted health information directly to recipients over the internet; the reaching of consensus for Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture; an increase of 50,000 health IT jobs between 2008 and 2010; and the success of the regional extension centers, which enrolled more than 116,000 priority primary care providers to help them overcome the barriers to adoption and meaningful use.

Each of these successes is based on the actions and efforts of CMIOs, health IT staff and clinicians across the U.S. In turn, the successes serve as cogs in the great wheel that is interoperability. All of these small achievements add up and continue to improve access to and appropriate use of the vast landscape of patient data.

Are you experiencing improved interoperability at your facility and within your community of providers? Share your story with us.

Beth Walsh
CMIO Editor
bwalsh@trimedmedia.com