To further understand what’s currently going on with healthcare interoperability, read the following perspectives from some of the industry’s leaders.

Charles Aunger, Health2047

The .com boom happened in 1999, but healthcare didn’t come around to the tech revolution until 2008 – that’s almost a full decade behind. When it did finally arrive, the digitalization of healthcare introduced a number of challenges that continue to shape healthcare interoperability (or lack thereof) today. For one, the healthcare industry lacks trust and transparency, both of which are crucial to an interoperable system. Additionally, healthcare infrastructure is lacking and slow to evolve. Health data remains locked in silos, ownership is blurred and transportability is difficult. To have true healthcare interoperability, players and providers alike will need to have access to technology that allows them to utilize the right data, at the right time. Ultimately, the healthcare industry will achieve interoperability when it solves its connectivity issue. Technology, such as blockchain, holds the potential to create consistency, give patients confidence that their data is being used appropriately, reduce friction in payments by tying providers and payers together, and increase connectivity through decentralized internet and computer networks across geographic areas. As of now, we need to avoid innovation for the sake of innovating. The good news is that we have the tools we need to create a transparent system that will improve the quality of care for all.