Think about how many times you visit with your doctors over the course of a few years. Most people go at least once or twice, but most of us also have more than one doctor that they see. When showing up for an appointment, we always just assume that the doctor can see our medical history. Since the records are electronic, this should make it easier for hospitals and clinics to share information from one another, right? Well, not necessarily. It all depends on a variety of factors, such as if the clinics and hospitals are all in the same network or not.
It’s an Issue of Interoperability
According to Webster’s Dictionary, interoperability is the “ability of a system to work with or use the parts or equipment of another system.” Sure, our medical records are stored electronically, but there are multiple networks that are being used by the medical industry in order to keep these records. Extra steps need to be taken in order for one system to talk to the other, and if you have three doctors that are all on different networks, it is likely that each doctor won’t be able to view your complete medical history.
In other words, the records all being stored electronically isn’t enough, the systems need to be able to communicate with one another in order for everyone to have access. Not only do the two systems need to be able to access each other’s information, but they also need to be able to use the information once they receive it.
Healthcare Interoperability Affects Treatment
Healthcare interoperability is complex and expensive to implement, and in the end, it is ultimately the patients who suffer. Let’s say that you show up at your primary care doctor with a medical complaint, such as a pain in your foot. Your primary care doctor suspects it might be fractured, so directs you to a clinic so they can run some tests. Your foot is, in fact, fractured, so your doctor refers you to a specialist.
The clinic where the specialist provides care isn’t in the same network, so this doctor doesn’t have access to all your records. Now, your medical information is on two separate systems, and unless those systems are able to communicate with one another, each of your doctors now has some information about you, but it is incomplete.
Let’s imagine that your foot isn’t quite healed yet after a few months, and it begins to hurt again so you make an appointment with your doctor. Your primary care physician from a few months ago left the clinic and you are seeing someone else. This doctor has no idea what is going on, so refers you to another specialist, a different one who treated your fractured foot. Your current primary care doctor can’t see those records, so has no idea you fractured your foot a few months ago, so wants to recommend you for all the same tests you’ve already had. Do you see how frustrating this can get? Your doctors need complete records in order to treat you correctly.
The healthcare industry has approached this issue by trying to develop methods that improve interoperability. These are expensive and difficult to implement. We have a much easier solution that is easy to implement and inexpensive. Please visit this page for more information.
Source:
https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/factsheets/onc_interoperabilityfactsheet.pdf
