Interoperability is the key to maximizing the use of electronic health records (EHRs). Imagine a healthcare system where critical patient information is locked away in multiple separate databases, preventing medical professionals from getting a complete picture of a patient’s records.
Many clinicians and hospitals face challenges related to interoperability in healthcare, including disparate data transactions and incompatible software solutions that disrupt operations and compromise the quality of patient care.
So, how can healthcare practices improve EHR interoperability and address these challenges?
This blog will explore the five most prevalent EHR interoperability barriers faced by healthcare organizations today and provide strategies to overcome them.
EHR interoperability refers to the capacity of several EHR systems to share, analyze, and utilize healthcare information across various systems. As per an ONC report, approximately 70% of hospitals participated in all four domains of interoperable data exchange in 2023.
For example, interoperability allows a clinic to instantly access a patient’s medical history from a local hospital during a visit.
The following highlights the importance of interoperability of electronic health records:
- Improved Patient Care: It helps healthcare providers make the right decisions concerning the patient’s treatment as they will have access to complete medical records, reducing the rate of medical errors.
- Streamlined Workflows: Interoperability reduces delays by eliminating repetitive tasks, allowing healthcare providers to focus on patient care rather than administrative tasks.
- Enhanced Collaboration: It enables medical providers to share patient data in different healthcare settings, improving communication between practitioners.
- Saves Cost: EHR interoperability eliminates the repetition of tests and treatments, reducing the expenses of patients and providers.
- Data-Driven Insights: Interoperability enables efficient data analysis, helping healthcare organizations to manage population health and early interventions effectively.
Thus, a lack of interoperability in healthcare can result in compromised quality care.
Interoperability issues in healthcare information exchange still exist in 2024. According to the ONC report, 48% of hospitals have explained that they exchange patient information with other providers but do not get information from them in return. This is because the path to interoperability is challenging.
The following section will explain in detail some of the prevalent healthcare interoperability challenges and their potential solutions that will enable healthcare providers to optimize their systems.
Lack of Standardization
Lack of standardized data exchange between different systems is a major complexity of EHR interoperability. EHR vendors often employ different coding and message structures to share data, making communication between systems more challenging.
Solutions:
- Adopting Industry Standards: Adopting commonly accepted frameworks like Health Level 7 (HL7) and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) can help promote common approaches to data exchange
- Data Mapping Tools: These tools can minimize the gap between coding systems and message formats, translating information into standardized formats
Data Privacy and Security Concerns
Privacy and security issues are a major concern when it comes to EHR interoperability standards, as health information is considered highly confidential and sensitive. Data sharing often poses challenges to many organizations because of the risks associated with data breaches and non-compliance with set rules, such as HIPAA.
As also highlighted by Babatope Fatuyi, MD, chief medical information officer at UTHealth Houston,
“The biggest threat in health IT and Revenue Cycle Management at UTHealth Houston is the growing challenge of ensuring secure and compliant data interoperability, particularly in light of incidents like the recent Change Healthcare breach.”
Solution:
- Implement Strong Security Measures: Organizations should implement strict security measures, such as encryption, access control, and frequent audits to ensure adherence to compliance and security protocols
- Create a Culture of Transparency: Providing education to administration and patients regarding data privacy measures is crucial to develop trust and encourage more data sharing
High Implementation Costs
In 2021, only 46% of the US hospitals achieved basic EHR interoperability, indicating that there is still a lot to be done in this area. This lack of interoperability, reportedly, costs the healthcare industry over $30 billion every year due to inefficiencies and repetitive testing.
The cost of establishing and maintaining interoperable systems is relatively high for most healthcare organizations, especially small practices. Additional costs like software upgrades, training, and maintenance efforts can dissuade providers from interoperability.
Such high costs have even led to disparities among the behavioral healthcare practitioners, who were left out in the 2009 HITECH Act as explained by the attorney, Alisa L. Chester, a Data Protection, Privacy & Cybersecurity Team Chair at Baker Donelson Health Law, in an interview.
Solutions:
- Explore Funding Options: Healthcare organizations should look for grants, subsidies, or incentive programs, including the ones offered by the government, to enhance EHR compatibility
- Phased Implementation: Clinics do not have to adopt interoperability solutions altogether at once. This model can be incorporated in stages, allowing costs to be incurred over time while the clinical systems are gradually enhanced
Inadequate Training And User Adoption
Widespread implementation of interoperable systems may be hampered by insufficient experience and training of the personnel involved in the health sector. There is a high possibility that the staff does not know how to optimally use newer tools or find ways to interact with a more intricate interface, which will lead to underutilization.
As the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), Micky Tripathi aptly points out:
“When it’s easier to fax something, people will continue to fax things. There are adoption issues.”
This reliance on outdated processes illustrates how difficult it can be to fully embrace EHR interoperability.
An annual update to the EHR matrix by LeadingAge CAST in 2024 shows that ‘25% of the medical providers use a basic integration between the EHR and other external and ancillary systems whereas only 8% utilize EHR interoperability to the fullest’.
Solution:
- Training Programs: Regular training sessions for administrative staff should be held that should not only educate workforce about features of the EHR system and its functioning but also emphasize the positive impact of EHR interoperability on patient’s treatment
- User Support Systems: Creating help desks and mentoring programs will also assist in addressing any challenges staff may face; hence will boost their confidence in the utilization of such technology
Resistance To Change
Healthcare practitioners and administrative staff often resist changes in technology and work processes. This is due to inexperience in using new systems or resistance to altering the routine processes.
Solutions:
- Engage Stakeholders Early: In addition to training the administrative workforce, making healthcare staff a part of the decision-making processes can help overcome resistance on their part early. Their feedback during the implementation phase might make the transitions smoother
These EHR problems and solutions can help healthcare providers improve the functionality of all their healthcare systems, benefiting patients and providing quality care.
Navigating the complexities of EHR interoperability is important for enhancing patient care and improving healthcare outcomes. By addressing the challenges outlined in this blog, healthcare organizations can work towards a more integrated system that benefits both providers and patients.
Embracing interoperability is not just a technological shift, it represents a commitment to delivering quality care. There are several examples of interoperability in healthcare. Visit Software Finder to explore effective EHR/EMR interoperability software solutions tailored to your needs.
Empower your healthcare practice with the right tools to overcome these challenges and foster seamless communication across your system.
