Healthcare interoperability is the ability of different health information systems, devices, and software applications to communicate and exchange data with each other. With the increasing focus on improving healthcare interoperability, several trends have emerged to facilitate the sharing of patient health information and enable more seamless care delivery.
The Philips Future Health Index found that difficulties with data management (44%) and lack of healthcare interoperability and data standards (37%) present the biggest barriers to adoption of digital health information technology in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
More than half of technology leaders at the country’s top health systems said they’re investing more money into interoperability initiatives in 2023 than they did last year, according to a recent report from healthcare interoperability software provider Health Gorilla.
Health Gorilla surveyed 40 chief information officers and chief medical information officers at the top 50 U.S. health systems by net patient revenue. A full 55% of them said they will increase their organization’s investment in interoperability initiatives by 5-20% in 2023 compared to 2022, and 2% of executives said they will increase that spend by 20% or higher. No one said their year-over-year spend on interoperability initiatives would decrease, but 43% said it would stay roughly the same.
Recent trends in healthcare interoperability solutions include:
To enable better health information exchange, countries have started to adopt shared standards and technologies in several key areas, including:
- APIs: The increasing use of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) enables communication between different systems, allowing them to exchange data in a standardized way.
- Data content standards: such as the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED), International Classification of Diseases (ICD), National Drug Codes (NDCs), and Healthcare Common Procedures Coding System (HCPCS) codes.
- FHIR: Adoption of the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard has gained widespread adoption in the healthcare industry as a way to facilitate interoperability.
- HL7 v2: The adoption of the HL7 v2 standard is primarily used for sharing patient data between hospitals, practices, laboratories, and insurance companies. The messaging protocols designed to help healthcare organizations exchange relevant information in an organized way.
- EHRs: Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are electronic systems that store and manage patient health information. They have become increasingly prevalent in recent years and are helping to improve interoperability by allowing healthcare providers to access and share patient data more easily.
- Cloud-based solutions: Cloud-based solutions for easier access and storage of clinical information and data analytics models, such as predictive analytics models, make it easier for clinicians to access patient records from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Data security and privacy: With the growing concern about the security and privacy of healthcare data, there is an emphasis on implementing strong security measures and complying with data privacy regulations to ensure the protection of sensitive patient information.
- Development of new technologies and tools: New technologies and tools, including blockchain-based systems for securely storing and sharing data and machine learning algorithms, can help to extract and analyze data from various sources.
Challenges to achieving interoperability:
Compatibility:
Interoperability requires standardized protocols and interfaces that enable different systems to communicate with each other. However, the absence of these standardization protocols makes it difficult for different systems to communicate and exchange data seamlessly. Healthcare organizations must adopt industry-standard data models and protocols to facilitate data exchange between different systems and devices.
Security:
Interoperability involves the exchange of sensitive data, making it essential to ensure robust security measures to protect against unauthorized access or tampering. Organizations must invest in data security and privacy measures that are compliant with HIPAA and other data privacy regulations to build trust with patients and stakeholders.
Complexity:
Interoperability involves a large number of different systems, protocols, and standards, which can make it challenging to design and implement a solution that works seamlessly across all of these different elements. Mapping and converting data from different systems to ensure that it is in a standardized format can help make data accessible and usable by authorized parties.
Cost:
Implementing interoperability can be expensive, as it often requires significant investments in technology, infrastructure, and training. Healthcare IT solution providers can provide training and support to healthcare providers to ensure that they are using the interoperable system effectively.
Regulatory hurdles:
Regulatory hurdles can pose a challenge to achieving interoperability, particularly if the systems being integrated involve sensitive data or involve critical infrastructure. Healthcare organizations can work with regulators and policymakers to advocate for policies that support interoperability and data exchange.
Ways to mitigate challenges:
- Adopt industry standards and interoperability frameworks:
Adopting industry-standard data models and protocols can facilitate the exchange of information between different systems and devices. Healthcare organizations can also engage with technology vendors and industry groups to facilitate the development and adoption of interoperability solutions.
- Invest in data security and privacy measures:
Investing in data security and privacy measures that are compliant with HIPAA and other data privacy regulations can help build trust with patients and stakeholders.
- Engage with regulators and policymakers:
Healthcare organizations can work with regulators and policymakers to advocate for policies that support interoperability and data exchange. Engaging with regulators and policymakers can also help organizations overcome regulatory hurdles that pose a challenge to achieving interoperability.
- Educate stakeholders:
Educating healthcare professionals and other stakeholders on the importance of interoperability and how to achieve it is crucial. This includes educating them on the benefits of interoperability and how to use interoperability tools and technologies.
- Collaborate with other stakeholders:
Collaborating with other healthcare organizations, technology vendors, and industry groups can help facilitate the development and adoption of interoperability solutions. Healthcare organizations can work with these stakeholders to map and convert data from different systems to ensure that it is in a standardized format, making it easily accessible and usable by authorized parties.
Achieve Healthcare Interoperability with KPi-Tech
Healthcare Interoperability is crucial in the for improving patient care, enhancing efficiency, and reducing costs. Healthcare organizations must work to mitigate challenges to achieving interoperability by adopting industry standards, investing in data security and privacy measures.
Experts at KPi-Tech will help you analyze your entire workflow and figure out all the places where you can utilize healthcare interoperability solutions and services. The last step will be to facilitate the seamless integration of these solutions in your ecosystem.
Visit us at for healthcare integration services: https://kpitechservices.com/healthcare-it/hl7-fhir.html
