Healthcare Software

A Case for “Inter-Hospital” Interoperability

Much of the time when people talk about healthcare interoperability it applies to the different subsystems within a hospital. Within a hospital the task is relatively easy (despite itself being very daunting) since decisions are made according to a single organizational hierarchy. The true holy grail of interoperability rests in the ability for hospitals to exchange information with each other.

The case presented here considers the difficulty healthcare providers have with collecting and tracking blood test results. The process for this case is simple: a patient consults with a specialist, for example, and is given a requisition form for a blood test. The patient can take this form to any clinic he wishes to get the test completed. The test is performed and the results faxed back to the family physician with copies to the specialist. Later in the course of the patient’s treatment, another blood test is performed. Again, it is the patient’s prerogative where the test is performed.

From a clinical point of view, the above process works well enough. The physicians involved in the patient’s care are informed about the results. However, each case costs the physician a considerable amount of time to obtain results from the family doctor, cross-reference results, determine trends, explain results to the patient and so forth.

Software could help to reduce the time and effort required if only the different labs conducting the tests would adhere to a standard format so that the results can be easily exchanged between the clinics and individuals involved in the patient’s care. It would be a small step forward in terms of hospital interoperability to get everyone to agree and serve to demonstrate the challenges faced in getting it all to work.