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Tip: Use standards to improve interoperability

EHR Connection, August 27, 2007

Interoperability allows data from distinct healthcare information systems to be used and shared, according to Blackford Middleton, MD, MPH, MSc, director of clinical informatics research and development at Partners HealthCare in Wellesley, MA.

An interoperable hospital is one where you're able to share data with both partners and potential competitors within the healthcare marketplace or region. When organizations rely on standards that provide guidelines and definitions for shared terms, words and content, they understand each other when information is exchanged.

Healthcare organizations striving to achieve or improve interoperability should follow the standards established by the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) which support and define interoperability for healthcare entities and vendors. They should pay special attention to three types of standards: messaging, content, and controlled medical terminology.

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