There has been an increasing recognition by both the public and private sectors of the ability to improve the quality and safety of healthcare with interoperable healthcare information technology (IT) systems. The need for standards adoption to enable information systems to exchange clinical data in a private and secure manner both within and across institutions is also more widely recognized than ever before.
This paper will: (1) provide an overview of the significant activity that is occurring both within the public and private sectors regarding interoperable information systems and data standards; (2) provide a high-level summary of the evidence supporting the use of information technology in healthcare; (3) summarize both the limited research and anecdotal evidence that currently exists related to the value of connectivity across systems; (4) describe the importance of pilot projects for both better understanding the value and of an interconnected electronic health system and for developing an effective migration strategy towards such a system; and (5) highlight the additional work needed in this area.
