I’m convinced that the key term for healthcare providers in 2013 is, queue the drumroll, interoperability. Not just because it has 8 syllables (although my kids would love that) but because that is exactly what will be required from technical architectures. Interoperability will help providers work together across the entire care continuum to achieve the quality and cost cutting mandates required by healthcare reform.
The wave of information on interoperability has been steadily building through thoughtful articles in just about every publication, trade show presentation fodder and water cooler chatter. Senior care executives should be thinking about intelligent exchange of data between themselves, hospitals and other providers in the continuum that can impact their performance, and more specifically, their viability in the market.
The two questions that every provider will need to address are 1) Do you have systems in place that can meet the needs of delivering efficient and cost-effective care? And 2) Can your systems effectively communicate resident/patient data across the care continuum?
Many facilities and communities are well on their way with internal infrastructures or have a roadmap to get there. It’s the interoperability question that is harder to answer because electronic health records data will need to flow across different IT systems and providers.
I came across an article in Healthcare IT News: Six HIT heavy-hitters announce interoperability organization. Big names in the hospital space are behind this including Cerner, McKesson, and Allscripts. The mission of the CommonWell Health Alliance has an “an eye toward improving the quality and lowering costs … ease access to data across systems and settings”. They recognize the challenge “is not just automated healthcare but connected and together care” and they are openly encouraging other technology firms to join. I believe the time has come for IT vendors enabling post-acute care providers to join the larger initiatives and make sure systems can effectively share data across providers, including hospitals, easily and seamlessly. I know OnShift is actively evaluating how best to embrace these initiatives with technology and staffing best practices required to meet our user’s needs and become an efficient, collaborative partner in the continuum of care. So don’t forget, think interoperability in 2013.