Healthcare interoperability remains one of the most critical and challenging aspects of the healthcare industry. Despite significant progress over the past few years, achieving full interoperability is still a work in progress.
How can we break down the barriers that prevent us from achieving full interoperability? I know what you’re thinking. Aren’t we done with this yet? Haven’t we already achieved interoperability? Spoiler alert – there is more to do and we’re not there yet.
Although we’ve made significant strides in recent years, we still have miles ahead of us. Healthcare interoperability has lagged other industries for decades. But the good news is that the adoption of legislation specifically targeting the healthcare sector, and the emergence of new technologies have been a catalyst for transformative change in this space.
The path toward improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs is paved with legislative reforms and technological advancements. Let’s delve deeper into how these factors are shaping the future of healthcare.
The Role of Legislation: 21st Century Cures Act
A major catalyst for change in healthcare interoperability has been the 21st Century Cures Act. This legislation has significantly influenced data-sharing practices by mandating more robust standards for interoperability. The Cures Act, signed into law in Dec. 2016, aims to make health information more accessible to patients and providers – fostering a more connected and efficient healthcare system. However, compliance with these regulations requires significant effort from healthcare organizations, pushing them to adopt new technologies and workflows to ensure seamless data exchange.
Technical Challenges: The Need for Common Data Standards
While regulatory frameworks provide a foundation, technical challenges persist, primarily due to the lack of common data standards. The healthcare industry is characterized by many different systems and platforms, each with its own data formats and communication protocols. Achieving true interoperability necessitates the adoption of standardized data formats like HL7 CDA (Clinical Document Architecture) and HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources). These standards enable different systems to communicate effectively, ensuring that patient data is accurately and consistently shared across the healthcare continuum.
Implementing Data Lifecycle Management
A cornerstone of effective interoperability is a robust data lifecycle management system. This system oversees the entire journey of data within an organization, from creation to storage and eventual disposal. By ensuring data accuracy, security, and availability, organizations can optimize their information management practices. Maintaining a detailed inventory of data assets and adhering to standards like HIPAA helps organizations safeguard their data and enhance interoperability
The Transformative Potential of AI and Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are revolutionizing healthcare interoperability. These technologies can automate the analysis of vast datasets, uncovering patterns and insights that would be impossible for humans to detect. AI can streamline data sharing processes, enhance data accuracy, and improve decision-making. For instance, AI algorithms can identify discrepancies in patient records across different systems and suggest corrections, thereby enhancing the quality of care.
Breaking Down Silos
In addition to understanding how interoperability is impacted by legislation and technology, it is important to also look at how each healthcare setting is different and how each has their unique set of challenges. The issues can vary significantly between different facilities and organizations.
Typically, hospitals have advanced infrastructure and resources that support higher levels of integration. Centralized patient records and integrated ancillary systems facilitate seamless information sharing within the hospital. When primary care facilities are part of a larger hospital network, interoperability is usually robust. However, challenges arise when patients receive care outside this network, requiring systems to push or pull data across disparate platforms.
When examining interoperability in specialty sectors like cancer treatment, we must consider how these organizations manage extensive data across multiple patient visits and providers. Given the complexity and volume of information involved, effective interoperability is crucial. Another critical area is laboratory services. Ensuring seamless access to lab results across diverse care settings, including mental health and long-term care facilities, can be challenging due to potential silos within these organizations.
Another challenge is with urgent care and long-term care. These settings often lack the financial resources for advanced EHR systems, making interoperability difficult. Long-term care facilities stand to benefit significantly from improved data-sharing capabilities.
The Growing Volume of Healthcare Data
The healthcare industry is generating data at an unprecedented rate, with a compound annual growth rate of 36% projected by 2025. This explosion of data is driven by the adoption of EHR technology, advancements in medical imaging, and the proliferation of wearable devices. Managing this deluge of information is a significant challenge, requiring robust systems and standards to ensure data is usable and accessible.
The Path Forward
While complex, realizing full interoperability in healthcare is within our reach. It requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders, including healthcare providers, technology vendors, and policymakers. By embracing standardized data formats, implementing robust data management practices, and leveraging the power of advanced technology, the healthcare industry can break down the barriers to interoperability, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and more efficient care delivery.
While the journey towards full healthcare interoperability is ongoing, the progress made so far is promising. Continued innovation and collaboration will be key to overcoming the remaining challenges and realizing the full potential of a connected healthcare system.
About David Navarro
David Navarro is the Senior Director of Data Science at Harmony Healthcare IT and has over 22 years of health information technology (HIT) experience in Integration and Health Information Exchange. He provides vision and leadership for the design, development, and execution of HIT initiatives. David previously held technical leadership positions at both Indiana Health Information Network and Michiana Health Information Network, serving as a Solution Architecture Director and Chief Architect. He has also served as an Integration Support Engineer and Senior Systems Analyst at Cerner Corporation. In his professional career, David has focused on data quality, data insights, and interoperability. He has implemented hundreds of interfaces between clinical and financial systems utilizing a variety of integration platforms, custom ETL processes, and nationally accepted standards. He has driven interoperability initiatives throughout his career and continues to focus on the curation and accessibility of data in the healthcare ecosystem.