Talking the Talk: Building Unity among Healthcare Systems

While finalizing the definition for meaningful use remains a contentious and sometimes unclear issue for many providers, there is a unified vision of using health IT systems for better communication and sharing of data within healthcare facilities and between varied provider settings.

Many sessions to be presented next week at the annual HIMSS conference in Atlanta will focus on establishing the standards and criteria necessary to be able to make healthcare more interoperable, while also highlighting some connectivity successes. In fact, one session will evaluate the potential return on investment and costs/benefits for hospitals to connect to ambulatory EMRs, as well as its ability to improve patient care for patients within that community hospital setting.

Meaningful use is seeking to standardize many of the systems and processes within the U.S. healthcare system, but in order for true interoperability to occur, some challenges need to be overcome, including language barriers and disparate vendor-specific systems. However, many new technologies, such as service-oriented architecture and web-based services, are allowing facilities reach beyond these impediments to achieve more interactive care.

And no deep-dive into interoperability at HIMSS is complete without a visit to the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase (Booth #233, Hall C). On Monday (12:45-5:30pm), Tuesday (10:15am-5:30pm) and Wednesday (10:15am-5:30pm), the showcase will feature demonstrations on meaningful use’s impact in the U.S. and globally on the latest standards-based connectivity in simulated healthcare environments. These interactive demonstrations of health information exchange (HIE) show how applications share patient data across a range of healthcare settings, including nationwide health information networks (NHINs), small ambulatory clinics, hospitals or IDNs, or exchanging military health records worldwide. More than 70 clinical information systems will be configured in multiple HIMSS Health Information Exchanges (HIEs), showing where industry deployments stand today with adoption of frameworks and coordination of standards to support the innovations that are having a positive impact.

The two large Interoperability Showcase theaters and other presentation areas will offer educational sessions on IHE and HIE activities, federal agency interoperability initiatives, and other global standards development initiatives. Specialized tours for attendees of all levels of interest will leave from Theater A every 15 to 20 minutes and begin with a brief introductory presentation. For more information, visit: http://www.himssconference.org/exhibition/interop.aspx.

For educational session locations and other details, consult the session program onsite or visit HIMSSconference.org. Note that some of these sessions are part of preconference symposium that require an additional registration fee.

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HIMSS Educational Session Preview: Interoperability & Connectivity

Here is a sampling of the sessions focusing on interoperability & connectivity.  Click on a session title for details. Demonstrating Meaningful Use through Quality Measures Interoperability: Leveraging the ONC/HITSP Roadmap for Cost-effective Chronic Care Improving Quality and Access through Administrative and Clinical Transaction Convergence The Health Story Project Interoperability Strategy The Role of Standards-Based Solutions in Driving Deployment of Connected Health Information Communit Integrated Medical Home Leverages PHR and E-Connectivity to Transform Care Interoperability and Public Health: CDC, Making the Connection with EHRs An International Consortium Exemplar: A Common Practice Framework for Standardizing and Advancing In Interoperability and the Meaningful Use Exchange Healthcare Interoperability: Achieving Meaningful Use and Beyond! Connecting with Community Practices: Benefiting from the Best of Both Worlds Interoperability in the Perioperative Environment Semantic Interoperability: Creating a Common Language to Transform Care The Healthstory Project: Harmony with Clinical Narrative/Structured Data in the EHR Interoperability: Putting the Word into Action