Challenges in Modern Interoperability
Interoperability simply refers to connecting information, people, and processes.
This may seem like a walk in the park with so many advancements in technology, but like every business solution, it faces many obstacles as well – even in the healthcare industry.
This internal connectivity concept in healthcare is still new and evolving, and while we have come a long way in the past few years with innovating new technologies and operational infrastructures…we still have quite a ways to go. Precautionary measures must be taken if healthcare institutions want to have an advantage over those barriers to understand them when implementing new processes and technologies to achieve this.
In much of the healthcare industry, complex patient data and regulatory standards circulate through an organizational system known as “legacy systems.” [1] This is essentially all the traditional, paper-based systems medical professionals have been using since the dawn of healthcare.
Establishing healthcare interoperability involves integrating the vast multitude of data and communications within these systems that have been accumulating over the length of each patient’s journey. Quickly and effortlessly sharing that information with various healthcare professionals at any time, and in any region of the world, is then made possible.
However, there are many issues associated with this style of operational connectivity, which include: integration complexities between traditional and modern systems; inability to maintain standards, regulations and modern terminology; reluctance to abandon those traditional paper-based methods; patient privacy and security concerns.
Integration Complexities Between Traditional and Modern Systems
To connect the old and the new, there are numerous multichannel interactions that take place as a mode of communication among providers over the course of the patient’s healthcare journey, exchanging their data across several platforms. Because these newer systems are now having to take on so much information, the process becomes overly complex, confusing the newer systems and causing miscommunication errors between providers.
An abundance of complex data being exchanged along these channels, also known as hospital information systems, impacts the feasibility of achieving interoperability within a healthcare institution. [2] An example of this complex data are the necessary standards that shape the infrastructure for communication, operational success, and patient privacy in healthcare.
Inability to Maintain Standards, Regulations, and Modern Terminology
Having these standards ensures that doctors are correctly organizing and transporting the information they need for the safety and security of the patient. Disrupting these standards, or having multiple parties in the process chain of a healthcare organization misinterpret these standards, can put the patient’s life at risk. Interoperability is unattainable when too many general standards and procedures are being misinterpreted, then implemented as such by various parties within a healthcare establishment. [3]
With so many standards, comes new sophisticated terminologies, making it virtually impossible for older systems to keep up with the evolving healthcare lingo. There are so many that are used in healthcare now that can’t all be programmed into the connectors and systems previously used to create interoperability…so hospitals would need to abandon paper-based processes and start utilizing the new advances in the technology that make that a feasible goal. [3]
That, however, is easier said than done.
Why are Healthcare Establishments Still Reluctant to Abandon Traditional Paper-Based Methods?
Security and Privacy Issues Associated with Multichannel Interactions
All in all, there are just too many different channels that healthcare professionals use to interact with each other. Due to the extensive transfer of patient information between several parties, the reliability of complex patient clinical data declines.
This poses the challenge of privacy and security concerns for the patient, as it has the potential to create breaches in these interactions, compromising patient data confidentiality that is supposed to be protected by HIPPA and GDPR regulations. Without this necessary security, all trust the patient has in their provider is lost. [2]
If we are to generate clear, precise communication standards among healthcare professionals and their patients, along these various multichannel systems (apps, emails, phone calls, letters, etc.), we must oblige ourselves to address the challenges associated with connecting these channels.
Is there a Successful Future for Interoperability?
There are many concerns regarding security and privacy for patient care, but new innovations are also accompanied by new ways to make sure that information and privacy is safe. Reliable interoperability can not only provide accurate continuity of a patient’s medical history, but it can revolutionize the way we protect data and abide by standards in healthcare – to restore their trust.
So, what’s the solution? The challenges mentioned above can be addressed by utilizing implementation teams for a change management approach to interoperability, delivering proper provider training upon implementation. This will in turn help them improve patient data privacy and security by having the ability to add further security measures to multichannel interactions and ensure they continue abiding by regulations, such as HIPPA, by accurately securing, organizing, and exchanging patient data. [4]
According to one study, “Implementations need to be viewed as a digitally enabled transformation of services, driven by skill development, organizational change management, and user engagement, to facilitate the implementation and exploitation of cloud-based infrastructures and to maximize returns on investment.” [1]
That is exactly what Bring IT is accomplishing with our transformative change management approach to cloud technology and implementation standards.
Bring IT will continue our pledge to help our customers revolutionize the healthcare industry and build a better future for us all. Contact us to achieve 360 interoperability within your business for operational and overall success!
Sources:
[1] Cresswell K, Domínguez Hernández A, Williams R, Sheikh A. Key Challenges and Opportunities for Cloud Technology in Health Care: Semistructured Interview Study. JMIR Hum Factors 2022; 9(1): e31246. URL: https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2022/1/e31246. DOI: 10.2196/31246
[2] Ailton Moreira, Tiago Guimarães, Ricardo Duarte, Maria Manuel Salazar, Manuel Santos, Interoperability and Security Issues on Multichannel Interaction in Healthcare Services, Procedia Computer Science, Volume 201, 2022, Pages 714-719, ISSN 1877-0509, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.03.096.
[3] Gupta, Deepti and Malik, Sushma and Rana, Anamika. (April 29, 2022). “Adopting Semantic Interoperability for Improved Healthcare.” Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4096399 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4096399
[4] Magar, Kabin. “Expanding the Interoperability of Healthcare Record Systems, in Spite of Personal Privacy Issues.” The University of Texas at Arlington: Libraries Research Commons, May 2022. https://doi.org/http://hdl.handle.net/10106/30303.
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