Interoperability is Key to Care Coordination

Quality healthcare relies on the ability of providers to share patient data and coordinate care. A patient may visit their primary care physician at the beginning of a care episode and then be referred to a specialist, who may send the patient to an imaging lab for an ultrasound. But although patient data is generated and recorded in all three cases, that data is of little clinical value if it remains siloed and inaccessible to other providers treating the patient.

Care coordination requires interoperability among the electronic health records (EHRs) of primary care practices, specialists, hospitals, labs and payers. As we continue moving toward value-based care (VBC), it will become increasingly important that other relevant stakeholders, such as community-based organizations (CBOs), are able to share data with providers. Coordinated care not only results in better patient outcomes but also helps lower overall healthcare costs by preventing needless duplicative tests and procedures.