By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Anecdote-Driven Systems Engineering and Complaint-Based Interoperability Design Won’t Solve Health IT Woes
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Anecdote-Driven Systems Engineering and Complaint-Based Interoperability Design Won’t Solve Health IT Woes
eHealthHospital AdministrationTechnology

Anecdote-Driven Systems Engineering and Complaint-Based Interoperability Design Won’t Solve Health IT Woes

ShahidShah
Last updated: April 3, 2014 8:00 am
ShahidShah
Share
6 Min Read
interoperability in health IT
SHARE

interoperability in health ITAs I’ve been preparing to chair the HealthIMPACT conference in Houston next Thursday I’ve been having some terrific conversations with big companies like Cisco, some of our publishing partners, and smaller vendors entering the health IT space for the first time.

interoperability in health ITAs I’ve been preparing to chair the HealthIMPACT conference in Houston next Thursday I’ve been having some terrific conversations with big companies like Cisco, some of our publishing partners, and smaller vendors entering the health IT space for the first time. One great question I was asked during a discussion yesterday by a tech publisher was, “So what’s it going to take to achieve real interoperability in healthcare and how long will it take?” To that my answer was:

  • We need to move from anecdote-driven systems engineering to evidence-driven systems engineering and
  • We need to move from complaint-based interoperability design to evidence- and workflow-driven interoperability design

Although the discussion was over an audio telecon I could almost see the eyebrows being raised by the editors on the other side of the phone and could tell they were thinking I might be a little weird. I proceeded to explain that systems engineering and interoperability design in healthcare IT suffer from three major flaws:

  • The myth that there is a lack of interoperability
  • The myth that we don’t have enough standards
  • The assumption that health IT leadership has provided staff with the tools they need to do proper systems engineering and interoperbility design

The first myth is perpetuated usually through anecdote after anecdote by anyone who has ever had to fill out their name on two separate paper forms in a waiting room. The fact that you have to fill out forms (the anecdote) doesn’t mean that there isn’t interoperability — it just means that the cost of filling out a form is probably lower than the cost of integrating two systems. Healthcare systems are already interoperable in areas where they have to be — namely, where required by statue, regulation, or law. And, systems are interoperable where there’s a reimbursement (payment) reason to have it or in many cases if there’s a patient safety reason to have it (e.g. for Pharmacy or Lab Orders). Unfortunately, convenience and preference (e.g. for patients to not have to fill out forms twice) doesn’t factor into designs much right now because we have bigger fish to fry. If a non-integrated multi-system workflow isn’t demonstrably unsafe for patients, isn’t costing a lot of money that can be easily counted, or isn’t required by a law that will force leadership’s hands then complaining about lack of interoperability won’t make it so. We need to come up with crisp and clear evidence-driven workflow reasons, patient safety reasons, cost savings reasons, or revenue generating reasons for interoperability if we want improvement.

More Read

Invisiport Less Invasive Skin Port for Medication Delivery
Just Because You Can, Does That Mean You Should?
Funding for Medical Device That Seals Varicose Veins with Glue
Hospitals and Providers Using NHIN (Nationwide Health Information Network)
How Patient Experience Will Affect Medical Billing

The second myth of lack of standards is perpetuated by folks who are new to the industry, looking for excuses (vendors do this), or are otherwise clueless (some of our health IT leaders are guilty of this). There are more than enough standards available to solve most of our interoperability woes. If we do workflow-based evidence-driven analysis of systems we come to see that most interoperability can be achieved quickly and without fanfare using existing MU-compliant standards. We have HL7, we have CCDA, ICD, CPT, LOINC, and many other format, transport, and related standards available. I’m not talking about flawless, pain free, error-free, interoperability across systems — I’m talking about “good enough” interoperability across systems where workflow reasons, patient safety reasons, cost savings reasons, or revenue generating reasons are clearly identifiable.

The third problem, lack of proper leadership, is probably the most difficult to tackle but perhaps the most important one. I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone else — we have many environments where we’re demanding interoperability and not giving the time, resources, budget, or tools to our staff that will allow them to prioritize and execute on our interoperability requirements. Leadership means understanding the real problem (workflow-driven, not anecdotal), making decisions, and then providing your staff with everything they need to do their jobs.

If we want to make progress in healthcare interoperability we need to train the next generation of leaders that proper systems engineering approaches are required, better interoperability is possible because some of it already exists now, and that you shouldnt wait for standards to get started on anything that will benefit patients and caregivers. Health IT integration woes can be overcome if we get beyond anecdotes and complaining and start doing something about it.

(interoperability in healthcare / shutterstock)

TAGGED:Health ITinteroperability
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Health Start-Ups! – FDA-Cleared iPhone App Measures Balance As a Part of Concussion Screening

June 30, 2013
Paternalistic vs Patient Centered
BusinesseHealthMedical RecordsMobile HealthTechnology

Is “Convincing” People to Use Health Apps the Right Approach to Patient Engagement?

April 10, 2015
Medical Devices

4 Common Medical Device Digital Marketing Mistakes

September 16, 2015

5 reasons why patient engagement is critical for pharma

July 5, 2016
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?