What is Interoperability?

Interoperability involves cross-platform software and computer systems that enable the sharing of patient information. It allows you to easily exchange health information and medical data for use with electronic health records (EHRs), practice management systems, health information exchanges (HIEs), and third-party applications. The true power of interoperability allows you to tap into interconnected systems to deliver accessibility, flexibility, and cross-functional care opportunities. 

At TempDev, we offer insight into the interoperability skillset trends, which will affect the needs of your practice for data governance, security skills, and interface expertise. Our team can help you identify digital healthcare trends as we help you understand your current technological capabilities. 

What is Interoperability?

Interoperability supports your ability to access, coordinate, exchange, and integrate information across information systems or devices, according to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). It allows you to easily share data within electronic health records (EHRs) with disparate health systems. It allows for the exchange of data with third-party applications to increase physician usability and patient experience.

What Are the Benefits of Interoperability?

Interoperability attempts to solve the problem of fragmentation. Instead of isolating data in incompatible systems, it supports the streamlined exchange of data. Here are three main benefits of interoperability. 

Reduced Errors

Some 80% of medical bills involve one or more errors, which can lead to misdiagnosis or death. Errors result in $210 billion in costs every year. Interoperability supports less paperwork as you automate the workflow at your practice and deliver error-free diagnostic results. 

Improved Patient Care

Interoperability allows you to dramatically improve the quality of your patient care. As you integrate your systems, you can improve the communication between the patient's entire care team. You can also streamline patient care to offer better patient access to educational resources, diagnostics, labs, and other patient-focused data.  

Reduced Costs

When care coordination goes wrong, patients face costs due to duplication, unnecessary treatment and hospitalizations, emergency services, and other extraneous costs. By connecting health systems, physicians can reduce costs by having all the data they need at their fingertips.

Interoperability allows you to reduce administrative costs by as much as one-third. You’re able to streamline your entire operations, including reducing the number of full-time employees you need for managing patients, entering data, and handling medical billing. 

How TempDev Can Help Your Practice With Interoperability

At TempDev, we help you better understand how interoperability will support the needs of your practice. We consult with your team to help you streamline your workflow, identify gaps in your skillsets, and better manage your medical billing. We help with project managers, interface analysts, and consultants to help you implement best practices when exchanging data with other health systems. Contact us today by calling 888.TEMP.DEV to begin connecting your systems.