Todays healthcare quality and treatment outcome rely heavily on computer systems and information exchange. Healthcare information technology (HIT) provides a framework for secure electronic healthcare information exchange among healthcare providers, patients, billing entities, government agencies, and insurance providers. HIT is focused on improving the overall healthcare quality safety and efficiency of the healthcare delivery. Government involvement by providing incentives influenced the facilitation and acceleration of the adoption of healthcare information exchange. HIT interoperability is one of the main topics of the ONC-Coordinated Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan with the number one goal to achieve nationwide electronic health record (EHR) adoption and information exchange through meaningful use of healthcare IT. HITECH Act was enacted to accelerate the federal initiative for adoption of an interoperable EHR and introducing incentive programs to healthcare providers. However, in order to become eligible, each provider or hospital has to prove the meaningful use of the interoperable EHR. Typical EHR consists of four main groups: clinical documentation, such as patient demographics, physicians notes, problem lists, medication lists, discharge summaries; decision support, such as clinical guidelines and reminders, drug related alerts and drug-dose support; order entry (e.g. CPOE) such as lab and imaging tests, prescribing; and test and imaging results such as lab and radiology reports, images, consultant reports. .
There are several definitions of interoperability. HIMSS definition of HIT interoperability is the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and use the information that has been exchanged. Data exchange schema and standards should permit data to be shared across clinicians, lab, hospital, pharmacy, and patient regardless of the application or application vendor.
