New Interoperability Program Set to Improve EHRs and HIE

The Interoperability Workgroup (IWG) formed a strategic relationship with Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) USA to improve the connectivity building process between EHR and HIE systems.

The partnership will be part of IWG’s current program that tests and certifies EHRs and HIE vendors to enable reliable transfer of data within and across organizational and state boundaries, according to an IWG statement. Additionally, ICSA Labs was selected to be the testing and certification body for the groups.

“This joint effort will help pave the way for health information to be exchanged seamlessly between systems, allowing clinicians and health systems to more easily and securely share patient data,” Dave Whitlinger, Executive Director of the New York-eHealth Collaborative, said in the release. “By making it easier for electronic health record systems to communicate, this new collaboration will help fulfill the promise of health information exchange, improving patient care and lowering healthcare costs.”

HIMSS North America Executive Vice President Carla Smith, MA, CNM, FHIMSS, added that the program “builds on current activities to certify EHR and HIE products that are able to reliably transfer data within and across organizational and state boundaries.”

Moreover, the organizations recognize the importance of creating a secure and interoperable HIE, Smith said.

Each entity has important aspects to contribute toward this effort, according to IHE President Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN-BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, FAAN. For example, HIMSS has consistently strong public policy channels, stakeholder representation and sector support. IWG on the other hand offers the specifications, a robust, automated testing tool, and significant workgroup membership of states and vendors.

“The consolidation of our efforts, along with the commitment of these organizations, offers the most promise to create a real, lasting impact and make interoperability a reality in healthcare,” Sensmeier said.

Programs like these are especially critical in a healthcare industry that is seemingly ever-evolving when it comes to technological innovations. Health data security must remain a top priority, especially as more providers become connected to one another through HIEs.

A recent eHealth Initiative Survey said that cost and technical challenges were still major barriers to HIE interoperability. Specifically, out of 125 identified HIEs, 74 said that financial costs of building interfaces were the main issue. Moreover, getting consistent and timely response from EHR vendor interface developers and the technical difficulty of building interfaces were cited as issues by 68 respondents and 48 respondents, respectively.

HIEs might not be on the forefront of cyber attackers minds just yet, but that doesn’t mean that healthcare privacy and security issues can take a backseat. As long as healthcare organizations make an effort to keep data secure as they become further connected, patients protected health information (PHI) stands a better chance of remaining out of cyber criminals’ hands.