Even using the same EHR vendor doesn't guarantee interoperability

The researchers sought to calculate what they called objective interoperability scores using data from 68 real-world EHR implementations. In order to assess interoperability, the scientists measured the likelihood that an unmodified record transmitted from one site to another can be understood – meaning, as they wrote, "the specific text string used to define the meaning of the data ele- ment was used in the recipient site."   "Institutional EHR implementations were interoperable to the extent that they could meaningfully exchange data element pairs," they added. Tackling interoperability has been a project decades in the making, with several EHR vendors developing their own products to help contribute to more seamless data sharing.