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The Healthcare Information And Management Systems Society

Decent Essays

Today’s healthcare industry relies heavily on interoperability standards to ensure that the correct data is available when needed. Not only is it important for patients and providers to have access to this information, but it is also important that the information is accessible in a way that is reliable and meaningfully used. In healthcare, interoperability can be defined as the “ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and use the information that has been exchanged” (HIMSS Dictionary of Healthcare Information Technology, Terms, Acronyms and Organizations, 2013). Effective interoperability should mean that health information systems can work together within and across organizational boundaries for to advance the quality of healthcare to individuals and communities alike. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) identifies three separate levels of health information technology interoperability: foundational, structural, and semantic. Foundational interoperability permits data exchange between systems without requiring the receiving system to interpret the data. Structural interoperability defines the syntax of data exchange and helps to ensure that data exchanges between systems can be interpreted at the data field level. Lastly, semantic interoperability is interoperability at the highest level, and it is supported by EHR systems, mobile technologies, and other medical devices to

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