Objectives:

1. Define      interoperability and discuss primary challenges to interoperability in the      current health care environment.
2. Discuss the      organizations, standards, and regulations that are pertinent to      interoperability.
3. Examine the      role of health information exchange in improving consumers’ access to      quality care.
4. Examine      regulations that impact how health information is exchanged within and      across health care organizations.

Resources

• Read "Transforming Healthcare through API Governance," by Primeau, from Journal of AHIMA (2019).

http://bok.ahima.org/doc?oid=302730#.YSS29Y5KhPZ 

• Read "Scanning the HIM Environment AHIMA's 2015 Report Offers Insight on Emerging Industry Trends and Challenges," by Desai, from Journal of AHIMA (2015).
• Read "HIMSS Interoperability Call to Action and Interoperability Initiatives Environmental Scan," located on the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) website.
• Read Chapters 19 and 26 in Health Informatics: An Interprofessional Approach.
• Read, "What You Need to Know About Healthcare APIs And Interoperability," from Siwicki, located on the Healthcare IT News website (2019). 

http://library.ahima.org/doc?oid=107636#.YSTPt45KhPa 

https://www.himss.org/interoperability-and-health-information-exchange 

https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/what-you-need-know-about-healthcare-apis-and-interoperability 

Discussions

Discussion 1

Discuss the importance of health information exchanges in sharing data among clinicians when they are using different EHRS. What standards and regulations are most important for dictating how health data are shared within and across organizations?

Discussion 2

What are the primary challenges for interoperability? Discuss an organization that is working to promote interoperability within the clinical environment. Describe one of their initiatives, its benefits and challenges, and its impact on the delivery of care.

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Assignment

Addressing Challenges With Interoperability

The purpose of this assignment is to investigate solutions to challenges with interoperability in health care delivery environments. To complete the assignment, you will select a problem with interoperability you have witnessed in your current or past work environment, evaluate options for addressing the problem, and recommend a solution based on evidence.

Write a 750-1,000-word paper that addresses the following:

1. Describe      the problem with the lack of interoperability witnessed in the health care      delivery environment, as well as details about the scope of the problem,      including who and what was affected and how.
2. Provide an      analysis of the workflow and structure related to the problem to identify      its root cause.
3. Recommend a      potential solution to the problem and provide evidence from the literature      demonstrating its successful implementation in other cases to support your      recommendation.