Interoperability

Simply put, interoperability is the capacity for “two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged.” (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1990)

But given the technical, social, political, and organizational factors that revolve interoperability, the term means difference things to different people. The HIMSS Dictionary of Healthcare Information Technology Terms, Acronyms and Organizations lists 17 different definitions to encapsulate these different perspectives. The HL7 EHR Interoperability Work Group attempts to define interoperability through a 3-prong framework:

- Technical Interoperability – The exchange of data between different systems, where the meaning of the content is irrelevant to the act of communication between the systems.

- Semantic Interoperability - The exchange of information where meaning of the data is understood and interpreted uniformly between all systems.

- Process Interoperability - The coordination of business processes between stakeholders so systems interoperate symbiotically. Work processes need to revolve around electronic systems, and systems need to be used in day-to-day business operation, and as intended for this interoperability to be effective.

Submitted by Brian Sandoval