The ability to consolidate health data across different electronic health record (EHR) systems—interoperability—is becoming a higher priority for healthcare providers and government administrators. The inability of one EHR system to communicate with another leads to inaccurate, incomplete electronic records that may pose a safety threat, and makes it more difficult for physicians to provide quality care.
Other difficulties with present-day EHR systems include:
- Patient portals that are difficult to navigate for non-tech savvy patients.
- CD’s of hospital records given to patients that newer computers cannot read.
- EHR summaries of a patient’s medical history may lack pertinent information.
- Data blocking by some providers who refuse to exchange information.
Read our guide to Interoperability and the Modern Healthcare Tech Stack to learn about interoperability in healthcare and the importance of choosing tools that integrate well with others.
Government Efforts for Interoperability in Healthcare
On March 6, 2018, the U.S. government announced a new initiative called MyHealthEData to try and address the issue of interoperability between EHR systems. As part of the initiative, Medicare administration is working on a program called Blue Button 2.0. The goal is to allow beneficiaries secure access to their claims data that they can then share with their doctor (via apps that are under development).
This is a good sign for interconnected health systems, but other organizations will have to adopt interoperable systems of their own to help the 266 million Americans under 65. In order to provide efficient, high-quality medical care, healthcare organizations need to start thinking about how to bring all these records together in a secure, reliable way.
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How Skedulo Works With Other Healthcare Systems
The Skedulo mobile workforce management platform is 100% secure and HIPAA-compliant. With the Lens API, healthcare organizations can bring the scheduling and workforce management capabilities of Skedulo into their own custom apps—rather than adding another independent system onto a complex stack.
Skedulo is designed to set specific appointment times, match the right provider to the right patient, and generate robust performance reports that help you understand capacity and forecast demand. Healthcare organizations around the world use Skedulo to improve efficiency and make informed decisions about resource allocation across patients and providers.
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