Healthcare is at a crossroads. For decades, fragmented patient records and disjointed systems have plagued care delivery. When medical histories are incomplete or delayed, the consequences are severe: delayed cancer treatments, prolonged transplant evaluations, and unnecessary tests that frustrate both patients and providers.
Interoperability—the seamless exchange of healthcare data between providers, payers, and patients—has the potential to solve this. It can reduce treatment delays, streamline care coordination, and empower clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions. Yet, while the goal is clear, the path to true interoperability remains riddled with challenges.
What’s holding healthcare organizations back from achieving interoperability?
If the benefits of interoperability are so obvious, why has it taken so long to achieve? The truth is several technical, operational, and cost barriers continue to slow progress.
- Outdated processes
Despite the rise of digital health records, many healthcare providers still rely on manual processes, including faxing and mailing patient information. These methods are slow, error-prone, and incompatible with real-time decision-making. - Siloed systems
Healthcare providers use a wide variety of electronic medical record (EMR) systems, health information exchanges (HIEs), and specialized platforms. Unfortunately, these systems don’t easily “talk” to each other, leading to fragmented patient records. Without industry-wide standardization, care teams face significant delays in collecting and reviewing patient data. - Cost, complexity, and security concerns
Hospitals and healthcare systems are reluctant to overhaul the ways they currently work. Implementing new interoperability tools requires investments in technology, security upgrades, and staff training. Data privacy and compliance regulations also increase complexity, as providers must protect sensitive patient information at every stage of exchange.
Achieving true interoperability requires more than just technology upgrades. It demands a cultural shift in how healthcare systems view data access, patient empowerment, and care coordination.
The good news? Change is underway.
Advances in technology and regulatory support are driving significant improvements in interoperability. Healthcare organizations have a growing array of tools and frameworks at their disposal to overcome these barriers and foster more connected, efficient systems.
Embracing Industry Standards: FHIR and TEFCA
- FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources): FHIR is a modern data exchange standard designed to make it easier for healthcare systems to integrate with each other. By supporting FHIR, healthcare organizations can create consistent, shareable patient records across platforms.
- TEFCA (Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement): TEFCA establishes a “network of networks” to ensure secure, nationwide data exchange. Healthcare systems that align with TEFCA can access broader, cross-organizational patient data.
Leveraging Advanced Technologies
Healthcare organizations are no longer limited to traditional workflows. Today, AI, machine learning, and API-driven data exchange are transforming how patient information is securely collected and shared. These advancements offer real-time solutions that have the potential to significantly enhance data accuracy and accessibility across the care continuum.
- AI-driven automation: AI and machine learning can quickly process large volumes of patient data from multiple sources. For example, AI can normalize data formats, flag discrepancies, and ensure that the most accurate, up-to-date patient records are available to care teams.
- API integrations: Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) enable healthcare systems to integrate disparate platforms, such as EHRs, HIEs, and networks, creating a more cohesive data ecosystem.
- Single sign-on (SSO): SSO streamlines access by allowing clinicians to connect seamlessly between systems using a single login—eliminating frustrations like forgotten passwords and account lockouts.
Imagine a world where an oncologist doesn’t have to wait days to access a patient’s prior pathology report. With real-time data exchange, care teams can access comprehensive patient histories at the point of care, leading to faster, better-informed treatment decisions.
What can healthcare providers do now?
Achieving true interoperability requires a proactive, strategic approach. Healthcare organizations must take control of their data-sharing capabilities to improve care quality, reduce costs, and avoid penalties under new information-blocking rules. Here’s how to start:
- Invest in scalable, standards-based solutions
- Look for solutions built on TEFCA standards, ensuring long-term compliance with industry regulations.
- Seek platforms with robust API capabilities, enabling seamless integration with existing EHRs and other key systems.
- Eliminate workflow gaps
- Identify bottlenecks where clinicians experience delays in accessing patient records.
- Invest in integrated tools to eliminate manual logins and allow care teams to access patient records directly from their EHRs.
- Empower care teams
- Provide clinicians and administrators with interoperability between departments and hospitals for better and faster treatment.
- Foster a patient-centered care approach where access to comprehensive patient data drives better health outcomes.
- Reduce redundancies
- Leverage AI and automation to streamline manual, paper, or fax-based processes.
- Enable care teams to access imaging, lab results, and prior medical histories in one place, eliminating the need for duplicate tests or treatments.
Government policy and the future
TEFCA is reshaping how data is shared, creating a more connected, nationwide framework. This regulation is pushing healthcare providers, payers, and technology vendors to collaborate on achieving interoperability. Over the next 12 to 24 months, expect to see significant changes, including:
- A shift to patient-centric care: Patients will have more control over their medical records, with instant access via patient portals and health apps.
- Expansion of patient data exchange: Moving from batch processing to real-time data flows will become the norm, not the exception.
- New Healthcare IT innovations: Vendors will continue to launch new tools to address workflow gaps, improve patient engagement, and ensure compliance with TEFCA and the Cures Act Rule.
The role of healthcare IT industry leaders
While the healthcare industry is making progress at large, some organizations are driving change more rapidly than others. Strategic partnerships with experienced technology partners can play a critical role in advancing interoperability efforts. By working with partners who understand the complexities of healthcare data exchange, organizations can leverage the latest innovations, like FHIR integration, AI-driven automation, and secure API connections, to streamline workflows and help healthcare providers achieve faster, more accurate patient care.
In this evolving landscape, organizations that invest in interoperability tools today will be better positioned for success tomorrow, improving not only the quality of care but also the efficiency of care delivery.
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