Interoperability is the way we get to data that can empower patients to become more involved in their health care in a way that benefits them, plans, providers and the system as well by creating a healthier overall population.
As efforts to achieve interoperability move forward, many challenges and obstacles lie in the way, including reluctance to share information for many reasons, including competitive advantage for both providers and developers, costs and liability.
3. Achieving Interoperability: The Problem With EHRs
This article examines the two most important users of healthcare information—the clinician and the patient—and where they interface, in the electronic Health Record (EHR).
Everyone involved in EHR interoperability and adoption needs to take seriously physician concerns over loss of patient interaction & the squeeze on time that can potentially result in loss of revenues.
We need patients using their health information and giving their feedback to clinicians in shared decision making and care management relationships. From there we can improve the interaction that goes on there among those two human elements and the technology so we can create that world where patient-generated data comes to the forefront.
Interoperability should eventually take us to a place where patients and providers are enabled to work as a team toward preventive medicine and value-based care. This is a place where patients have access to their full medical records, and are working in decision making partnerships with their healthcare providers.
