The AAMC and six national hospital associations Jan. 22 released the report Sharing Data, Saving Lives: The Hospital Agenda for Interoperability. The publication outlines the current challenges related to health information technology (health IT), provides examples of ways that health systems are effectively sharing data, and identifies priorities that stakeholders must address to improve interoperability moving forward.
The report describes a six-point agenda to create a pathway to interoperability, highlighting the following topics:
- Security and privacy
- Efficient, usable solutions
- Cost effective, enhanced infrastructure
- Standards that work
- Shared best practices
- Connecting beyond electronic health records (EHRs)
The report also identifies ways that various stakeholders can collaborate to work toward achieving interoperable health IT systems. Along with the report, the groups released a supplemental one-pager to summarize this six-point interoperability agenda.
In addition to the AAMC, contributors to the report include the American Hospital Association, America’s Essential Hospitals, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the Children’s Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, and the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare.