IT specialists, vendors, and healthcare SaaS companies alike have all been following the trends in healthcare interoperability for quite some time now. As a solution that allows for streamlined communication on all levels of the healthcare industry, interoperability is a priority within the industry for advancement in 2020. You may be wondering, however, how the healthcare industry is expected to tackle interoperability in the new year and decade. That’s why Iron Bridge - a leader among healthcare integration and healthcare Saas companies - is here to break down what’s next in the world of healthcare interoperability.
Tackling Interoperability Standards & Implementation
Using Healthcare SaaS Companies to Reach Interoperability Standards
As we’ve mentioned on our blog before, the implementation of interoperability standards has been a major point of contention since its inception. HL7’s FHIR standards are intentionally left incomplete in order to allow for implementation freedom, but the minute differences that occur in implementation create major barriers to successful integration across vendors.
On the business side of things, 2020 is expected to be the time in which a great amount of pressure is put on creating a fool-proof interoperable standard. It’s expected that the Department of Health and Human Services will declare the final rules soon on the information blocking prohibition in the 21st Century Cures Act: a major step in making interoperability standards more defined.
Not only will these types of decisions mean that health systems and healthcare SaaS companies must take steps to align with standards, but they will call for the government to enforce these rules. All in all, these motions are part of a greater shift in the healthcare system as a whole. The industry is forced to gradually shift toward a value-based care model in which providers are continuously challenged to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients. Placing business objectives around achieving interoperability initiatives is a great way to ensure that major aspects of value-based care are in place. These two initiatives go hand-in-hand, meaning that pressure will continue to be placed on defining standards for implementation.
Promoting Interoperability with At-Home Health Tests
At-Home Health Tests Call for Solutions from Healthcare SaaS Companies
Interoperability is the key to de-centralizing the healthcare system. The decentralization of healthcare sounds rather counter-intuitive in an industry that is working toward improved service and customer-facing interactions. However, decentralization is a worthwhile goal when data remains centralized, allowing healthcare itself to expand while data is still accessible.
A prime example of these efforts is the introduction of home health tests. Brands like EverlyWell and Cologuard have brought Colon cancer screenings, blood tests, food sensitivity tests, hormone tests, and STI screenings into the home at affordable rates for consumers -- many of which are uninsured yet still have access to screenings at an affordable rate.
While the places in which the screenings are taking place are decentralizing, this opens up a number of opportunities regarding the centralization of data. In other words, interoperability is what makes these at-home tests useful in a way that could revolutionize access to affordable health screenings. No longer confined to the four walls of the health system, communication of this health information stresses the importance of interoperability in providing access to data no matter where it originates.
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Interoperability
Getting Healthcare SaaS Companies and AI Initiatives on the Same Page
Healthcare SaaS companies - in addition to medical device companies and researchers - have actively made efforts to use AI to advance the healthcare industry on a number of levels. Artificial intelligence can not only be used in a digital transformation but for early diagnosis and pattern matching.
AI is expected to be integrated into patient monitoring systems on a large scale in 2020, forcing vendors to innovate and improve their products in the meantime. Going hand-in-hand with the rise of AI in healthcare is interoperability. Without proper integration, healthcare providers are unable to harness the complete power of artificial intelligence: a technology with the power to improve patient outcomes, reduce physician burnout and streamline communications across an industry that is primed and ready for advancement.
Interoperability initiatives exist at the core of healthcare advancement in 2020. It’s time to make sure your systems are following suit. To learn how healthcare integration can work for you, get in touch with the team at Iron Bridge today.
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