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Interoperability and Electronic Health Record (EHR) integration are foundational pillars in the modernization of healthcare systems and the ongoing quest to improve patient engagement. Interoperability is a term that can have different meanings in different contexts. In general, it refers to the ability of different systems or entities to work together and share information. However, in the healthcare domain, interoperability has a more specific and complex definition. Let’s further define interoperability in healthcare to help us understand the challenges and opportunities that interoperability presents for improving health outcomes and reducing costs.
Interoperability in Healthcare
If we define interoperability in healthcare as the seamless exchange of information between different healthcare systems, applications, and devices, ensuring a cohesive and interconnected healthcare ecosystem, then interoperability is vital for delivering high-quality, coordinated, and personalized care. It enables healthcare providers to access, share, and use critical data across various patient journey touchpoints, such as diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and billing. It also enables patient engagement with access to their own health information, manage their care, and communicate with their providers.
Many healthcare providers continue to face these common obstacles in achieving interoperability:
- Standardization and alignment: Different systems use different formats, terms, and rules for exchanging data, making it hard to share and understand information.
- Fragmented EHR integrations: Electronic health records (EHRs) are often not integrated with other health IT systems, limiting the access and use of patient data across the care continuum.
- Lack of collaboration and trust: Health ecosystem partners lack collaboration and trust, resulting in siloed and inefficient workflows.
- Adoption and readiness: Lack of technical expertise, resources, current and future capabilities
- Competing priorities: Competing entities and different levels of care have little incentive to share data and cooperate, as they may perceive interoperability as a threat to their market share or quality of care.
- Compliance standards, policies and standards: Remaining compliant with HIPAA, FHIR, and HL7 to maintain security, compliance and the privacy of patient data is complex
To overcome these major challenges that hinder interoperability, healthcare providers need a robust and flexible patient engagement solution that can securely connect different systems, streamline data exchange, foster collaboration, and create value for all stakeholders. That’s where SpinSci delivers.
Breaking Down Silos with Interoperability
Interoperability and secure EHR integration executing HIPAA, FHIR and HL7 is the key to overcoming this challenge. Interoperability ensures that patient data is accessible and usable across various applications, creating a unified healthcare patient engagement ecosystem. This not only improves operational efficiency but also facilitates better-informed decision-making by care teams.
A seamless EHR integration takes this a step further by enabling comprehensive and real-time access to crucial health information. Together, these concepts facilitate a holistic approach to patient care, allowing healthcare providers to access, share, and utilize critical data across various touchpoints.
SpinSci’s EHR integration enhances the functionality and usability of EHRs by connecting them with other healthcare systems and applications. This allows for comprehensive and real-time access to crucial health information, such as medical history, medications, allergies, lab results, and imaging. EHR integration also enables interoperability, as it facilitates the exchange of data between EHRs and other systems.
A recent study published in JAMIA sheds light on the prevalent use of these APIs within the digital health sector. 73% of digital health companies use standards-based EHR APIs as they are more critical.
EHR Integration for Streamlined Workflows
Interoperability and EHR integration are not just technical terms and the benefits of both extend beyond operational efficiency. Healthcare workflows can also be affected by the level of interoperability among the systems and applications that support them, having a direct impact on patient outcomes and experiences. Workflows like quick and accurate patient identification, streamlined communication through automated notifications, and self-service options for patients are all made possible through a well-integrated healthcare ecosystem.
By enabling interoperability and EHR integration, SpinSci helps healthcare providers and patients to:
- Achieve quick and accurate patient identification, reducing errors and duplication
- Streamline communication and collaboration through automated notifications and reminders
- Enhance patient engagement and satisfaction through self-service options and feedback
- Improve quality and safety of care through data-driven decision making and best practices
- Reduce costs and inefficiencies through optimized workflows and reduced paperwork
- Increase revenue and profitability through improved billing and reimbursement
The interconnected healthcare ecosystem not only enhances operational efficiency but also significantly improves patient outcomes, ultimately leading to a healthier and more satisfied patient population.
Real-time access for Value Based Care
SpinSci’s commitment to enabling interoperability is evident in its vision of creating a unified and holistic view of the patient’s healthcare journey. By prioritizing digital patient engagement and workflow orchestration with real-time access, health systems experience an advanced patient engagement platform with AI-enhanced intelligent workflows and personalized patient access.
To learn more about how SpinSci enables interoperability and EHR integrations, visit www.spinsci.com
