Interoperability in the healthcare IT setting allows for different information systems, devices and applications to use data in a coordinated manner across organizational, regional and national boundaries. While interoperability has been mainly discussed in terms of providers’ businesses, every sector of health would benefit greatly from the real-time exchange of information. It is estimated that the healthcare industry could save $12.4 billion by adopting additional electronic workflows for emerging needs, which can drive cost savings while maintaining quality care. As health plans adopt advanced technology, it is crucial to implement tools capable of streamlining their communication internally and with providers. This technology enables the secure transmission of clinical and administrative information in near real-time, which has huge implications for streamlining workflows and communication, integrating data and ultimately optimizing business outcomes.
It costs nearly $250 billion to process 30 billion healthcare transactions each year (around half of which are faxes), according to a ReferralMD 2018 report. This is one example of the cost inefficiencies in healthcare that highlight a lack of coordination as the industry continues to evolve into a digital model. These inefficiencies provide a great opportunity for new technology that coordinates devices, data and organizations. The West Health Institute calculated that medical device interoperability could save the U.S. healthcare system $30 billion per year. After a few decades of the digital era, the industry has implemented data collection technology that allows for the compilation of large amounts of information. The next wave of digital health is implementing technology to coordinate this data to create a truly interoperable environment, allowing key stakeholders to analyze data efficiently and effectively. Check out how NaviNet Open can help health plans on this journey.
