The benefits of electronic health records, and the appropriate sharing of health information among patients, physicians, and other authorized participants in the healthcare delivery value chain, are nearly universally understood and desired. However, the level of adoption of electronic health record systems in primary care settings remains low. The automated functions implemented in secondary and tertiary care settings generally fall far short of the expectations of clinicians. Further, there is only negligible sharing or exchange of health information concerning individuals or communities between the disparate electronic health record systems employed by provider organizations. Few systems take advantage of the full potential of the current state of the art in computer science and health informatics. The consequences of this situation include a drain on financial resources from the economy, the inability to truly mitigate the occurrence of medical errors, and a lack of national preparedness to respond to natural and man-made epidemics and disasters. HIMSS has convened the Integration and Interoperability Steering Committee to guide the industry on allocating resources to develop and implement standards and technology needed to achieve interoperability.
HIMSS Reports: Systemic Interoperability Commission Releases Report to Congress and Administration
In a public forum in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, the Commission on Systemic Interoperability presented its final report to the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.
