We’re excited to share the topic and questions for this week’s #HITsm chat happening Friday, 7/17 at Noon ET (9 AM PT). This week’s chat will be hosted by Chris Notaro (@NotaroBridge) from @BridgeConnectUS on the topic of “Why Is Software and Data Integration So Hard in Healthcare, but Easily Available In Most Other Industries?“. Chris is VP and Head of Strategy at Bridge Connector, the fastest growing player in healthcare interoperability. Before that he was an early exec at Redox, and a longtime manager in Implementation at Epic.
With the average hospital using about 16 disparate EHR platforms on top of many other patient data solutions, the healthcare industry has long struggled to achieve interoperability. Disparate data systems create costly inefficiencies, such as duplicative data entry, that waste time and resources while increasing the likelihood of human error in patient medical records.
Now, factor in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and sharing timely clinical information that fuels data-driven decisions becomes even more critical to patient care. Industry-wide data sharing is pivotal to contain the virus and treat at-risk patients as safely, efficiently and effectively as possible. Beyond that, data sharing is equally pivotal in keeping up with the ever-changing delivery models to meet our collective “new normal.”
A lack of interoperability has been such a longstanding industry issue, many now think of interoperability as an overused buzzword instead of a critical problem we desperately need to solve. While other industries have effectively solved interoperability and data sharing challenges, healthcare remains far behind, with many providers still relying on fax machines. Why is this the case? Is it a lack of resources, staff bandwidth, money or participation from industry vendors? Let’s break down why this problem still exists in 2020, why it could be more easily fixable than you might think, and how the industry can move forward to achieve interoperability now and in the future.
Join us Friday for a chat on healthcare interoperability and overcoming data sharing challenges.
Topics for this week’s #HITsm Chat:
T1: Patient access to medical records is a big part of the push for interoperability, but data privacy concerns have arisen. How do you feel about initiatives like Apple’s to bring health records to consumer apps? #HITsm
T2: What have you personally observed to be your biggest challenge when it comes to interoperability? #HITsm
T3: What’s it like at your organization when you have two different technologies or systems that aren’t talking to each other? What is the integration process like? #HITsm
T4: What data systems are your highest priority to integrate and why? What about non-EHRs specifically? #HITsm
T5: What new interoperability challenges has the COVID-19 pandemic created for you and how has it impacted how you prioritize integration projects? #HITsm
Bonus: FHIR has been the government’s answer to healthcare interoperability. Do you think FHIR will solve the problem? Why or why not? #HITsm
Upcoming #HITsm Chat Schedule
7/24 – TBD
Hosted by TBD
We look forward to learning from the #HITsm community! As always, let us know if you’d like to host a future #HITsm chat or if you know someone you think we should invite to host.
If you’re searching for the latest #HITsm chat, you can always find the latest #HITsm chat and schedule of chats here.
