If you've attended any major health IT conference in the last year, there's a good chance you've seen this buzzword more than ever -- interoperability. Rarely does the word just rest by itself, as most of the time it's teamed up with HL7 and FHIR.
So what exactly do these words mean for your healthcare entity's IT organization, and how can they help improve results for your patients, as well as job satisfaction for your staff? How can a low-code platform like Appian work with these to even further benefit your entire organization?
Integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information, like electronic medical records (EMRs), requires a delicate balance: maintain standardization to keep data secure, yet make the information easy to exchange between providers. This is why interoperability has become such a hot topic.
HL7 standards are in place to standardize interoperability and keep the flow of information flowing smoothly. This not only benefits patients, as it can result in better outcomes when clinicians across organizations can easily communicate, but it also benefits providers, as it can lower costs and increase patient satisfaction.
Most recently, there is also now HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIRÆ) standards which take interoperability to the next level. With FHIR, sharing health information is even easier between clinicians at various practices which can reduce duplicate records or testing for patients. Ultimately, FHIR can help improve patient outcomes and cut down on staff headaches by reducing duplicate data and streamlining billing and finance, along with staff and physician admittance. Plus, FHIR allows various healthcare organizations to share patient data in real-time to ensure care given is always based on current information.
The speed and power of Appian's low-code platform make HL7 and FHIR interoperability much easier to achieve. Appian is able to ingest HL7 medical record information, store that data in the appropriate systems, and then share that information in a way that maintains HL7 standards.
With Appian Records, health systems have a coordinated view of information as they tackle ad-hoc options and orders throughout the standardization process. This way, they can keep their data running smoothly.
Appian also lets healthcare providers capitalize upon their current IT investments by enabling them to work with both new systems, as well as their legacy ones.
As patients look for a seamless healthcare experience, and as more providers turn to a value-based care model, interoperability and meeting HL7 and FHIR standards are more important than ever. Appian can help make that happen. Visit the Appian healthcare page, or send an email to Fritz.Haimberger@appian.com, and we'll discuss how Appian can help your organization meet their interoperability goals.
Fritz Haimberger
Global Industry Leader, Healthcare Provider
