System Interoperability

For health care organizations in this country and around the world, the achievement of system interoperability is an ever-present aim as health information technology solutions are selected and implemented. Ideally, the technology solution that is selected will work in concert with current and evolving standards and processes. Yet there are a number of factors that can slow or even prevent altogether the achievement of system harmony and integration.Prepare for this Discussion as follows:

• Review the main challenges to interoperability among health care systems, as described in this week's Learning Resources.
• Select a clinical or administrative area or function in a health care setting, such as radiology, pharmacy, laboratory, ICU, admissions, or patient billing. Preferably, this will be an area in which you intend to work in the near future. Through online research, find out more about the IT standards that would be most relevant to this department or function. Identify interoperability issues that commonly arise and solutions that have been found or are being proposed.
• Consider the ways in which management can help to find solutions to these challenges.

Post by Day 4 a response to the following:

• In the first line of your posting, identify the health care area or function you selected.
• Describe one significant impediment to achieving system interoperability within and between health care organizations.
• What is the most relevant standard(s) in your selected clinical or administrative area or function, and what are important interoperability issues that arise here? Provide a specific example that illustrates this problem in practice.
• How are these interoperability issues best addressed? What could you, as a manager in this area, do to assist in resolving the problem?

Read a selection of your colleagues' postings.