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
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Healthcare’s Interoperability Problem: A Q and A with HIMSS CEO
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 > Finance > Healthcare’s Interoperability Problem: A Q and A with HIMSS CEO
BusinessFinanceHospital AdministrationPublic HealthTechnology

Healthcare’s Interoperability Problem: A Q and A with HIMSS CEO

Deanna Pogorelc
Deanna Pogorelc
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

HIMSS

First published in MedCityNews.

The idea that providers own patient data is still prevalent in healthcare today because payment models encourage it, and that’s one of the big barriers still standing in the way of widespread interoperability, according to H. Stephen Lieber.

HIMSS

More Read

Vestagen Gets $8.3M for Super Scrubs
Wellbeing Starts in the C-Suite
6 Benefits of Robotic Surgery
Google Glass – Day 2
The Buck Doesn’t Stop Here

First published in MedCityNews.

The idea that providers own patient data is still prevalent in healthcare today because payment models encourage it, and that’s one of the big barriers still standing in the way of widespread interoperability, according to H. Stephen Lieber.

I got the chance earlier this week to talk with Lieber, who heads up the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the not-for-profit membership association devoted to transforming healthcare through information technology and management systems.

Lieber is set to appear in Cleveland today at the new Global Center for Health Innovation (the $465 million project formerly known as the Cleveland Medical Mart), where HIMSS is opening an interoperability-focused innovation center on the fourth floor.

At the event, hosted by local technology non-profits Civic Commons and OneCommunity, he’ll be addressing how access to high-speed broadband plays into health IT innovation. But I wanted to tap his in-the-trenches view on some broader topics, like how the industry will keep health IT implementation and innovation moving forward.

Interoperability seems to be the biggest hurdle standing in the way for the most tech-savvy providers. What needs to happen to change that, and who needs to make it happen?

SL: There is some fine-tuning around how technology is adopted, but fundamentally it’s not a technology barrier. It’s a cultural barrier and it’s also a lack of a compelling case.

The cultural barrier is a still-prevalent mindset that the data belongs to the practitioner. This philosophy is fairly rapidly diminishing, and publicly almost no one will say that data belongs to institutions, but they act that way. Institutions and practices want to hold onto that data for competitive reasons. We don’t operate in a culture yet where there is absolute recognition that the data belongs to the patient.

Another is the lack of compelling case for interoperability. As much as we’ve tried for a dozen or more years to say that interoperability is critical for reduced errors and increased patient safety, it hasn’t become such a compelling case that the healthcare profession recognizes it. There is no financial disincentive or penalty – in fact there is an incentive not to be interoperable, because if I can’t get data about you, I repeat the test. I re-do things, and I get paid for it.

Is it eventually going to be policy that pushes the industry toward those changes?

SL: That financial barrier is going to play out in policy. Work is already being done in Washington to redesign reimbursement. Once Medicare heads down that path, commercial insurers will follow. There are already steps around this for not paying for certain services in certain situations, or for issuing bundled payments based on outcomes. If reimbursement mirrors the policy of data exchange, then it will happen.

What about the physicians who aren’t as far along with health IT implementation? How do we help them move the needle forward?

SL: It has more to do with resources. The value (of IT) is recognized, at least within the field. There is no debate about the value of IT in reducing medical errors, improving safety and lowering the cost of care. (But) there’s a significant difference in terms of financial viability from high end to low end in reallocating finances for information management versus medical devices and diagnostics, because (the latter) are things you get paid for. The majority of physicians practice in groups of three or less, so it’s a small business system. The decision to acquire IT comes right out of doctor’s pocket.

Let’s shift gears and talk about what’s happening at the Innovation Center. What is HIMSS’s role here?

SL: One thing we currently do once a year is testing of interoperability and a demonstration of competing products exchanging data. We felt like we would be more effective if we could do that on a more regular basis. We will have a testing and demonstration center, so that as a doctors start to look at acquiring a new system, they would be able to test it against others to see how it works. We’re also going to use it as a place to ensure that emerging technologies have a chance to be seen. It’s a great venue for bringing thought leadership together by virtue of having multiple organizations together in that building.

TAGGED:HIMSSpatient dataPrivacy
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
NewsPublic HealthSpecialties

Lung Cancer Part 2 – Early Diagnosis

April 27, 2013

Bringing HealthCare Home to the Patient: Video With Dr Joseph Kvedar

December 8, 2011

Panacea Dreamin’

April 1, 2011

Shyness By Any Other Name

May 14, 2012
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?