A new era in healthcare interoperability

 Integration and interoperability are considered essential elements in digital healthcare systems development; however, integration is no longer about incorporating only local administrative and clinical systems, but includes a variety of remote systems, too. Phil Birchall, Director of Healthcare Business Development at InterSystems, says that NHS Trusts and others involved in healthcare have entered "a new era of interoperability, based on more complex business-critical needs."

 

The demand is growing for advanced solutions, such as order communications, results reporting, e-prescribing, radiology/PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) integration, e-referral and discharge summary. The deployment of such solutions requires that real-time data exchange be performed in person by the clinical staff and that means that IT must be an integral part of patient-care delivery.

 

 Additionally, healthcare organizations are being forced to respond to nationwide business initiatives, such as electronic referrals, demographic service integration, electronic prescription transfer, doctor2doctor record transfers, links with social services as well as new e-health applications, such as telecare (healthcare initiatives provided by phone), requiring still more interaction with other institutions and systems. Sites running their own local patient administration systems interfaced to local clinical and departmental applications also need to interact with national applications, including the Spine Personal Demographic Service and England's Choose and Book.

 

Every country is gearing up to furnish cost-effective healthcare to an increasingly aging population and innovative IT as a major player in meeting modern healthcare challenges.