By Jonathan Draper – Every day, hospitals and health systems across the country struggle with exchanging patient data between electronic health records, PACS and other health information systems. In a recent survey, for example, accountable care organizations (ACOs) cited lack of interoperability as their number one challenge to achieving improved, patient-centered care.
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By Adam Culbertson – The promise of EHRs is that they will improve quality and lower cost. The basis of this claim is in part due to a presumption of EHR interoperability. Patient matching has been identified as a critical barrier to interoperability. Patient matching refers to the act of accurately linking individuals to their health data located in various disparate electronic health databases.
By Steven Posnack – The health IT landscape has changed considerably since the HITECH Act. The Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap is now front and center and we’re in a period of transition prompted by MACRA. We have also seen exciting and impactful industry work take shape like the development of HL7® FHIR® and the Argonaut Project.
By Keith Boone – You can find many different versions of five rights in healthcare. What are the five rights for interoperability? I would argue for these five:
By Bakul Patel – As Yoda might say: build a case for interoperability, we must. While we may not have yet realized the technological accomplishments of Yoda’s advanced world, today connectivity shows great promise for the future. From blood pressure to brain scans, today’s health care allows for the rapid transfer and use of information between and among different medical devices.
By Robert Rowley MD – The recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “Time for a Patient-Driven Health Information Economy?” presents a good overview of the need for, and hurdles in achieving, a unified patient-centered data platform that can be accessed from everyone taking care of the patient.
By Lucia Savage & Aja Brooks – At ONC, we hear all of the time that HIPAA makes it difficult, if not impossible, to move electronic health data when and where it is needed for patient care and health. This is a misconception, but unfortunately one that is widespread.
Modernizing Medicine is pleased to announce it is joining CommonWell Health Alliance as a Contributor member. CommonWell is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to cross-vendor interoperability that assures provider access to health data regardless of where care occurs.
By Lucia Savage & Aja Brooks – This post summarizes the new ONC fact sheets on HIPAA Permitted Uses and Disclosures for exchange (Treatment and Health Care Operations), developed in conjunction with the Office for Civil Rights.