From EMRs to Connected Care: The Role of the Health Tech Industry in Achieving Interoperability

The Vision of Seamless Connectivity

At Canada Health Infoway, our mission revolves around a vision of a seamlessly connected Canadian healthcare system.

At the core of this transformation is data portability—the ability to move and use health information seamlessly across care settings, systems, and borders. But turning this promise into reality relies in part on the innovation provided by healthcare technology, software, and importantly, the vendor service companies within the health sector.

1. Breaking Down Barriers with Interoperability

The challenge of interoperability lies at the heart of data portability. Different health systems and providers often use diverse software and platforms that don’t organically communicate with each other.

Healthcare vendor systems serve as the backbone of healthcare technology, providing essential tools and platforms for managing patient data, streamlining workflows, and improving the overall efficiency and quality of care delivery. Data portability, on the other hand, plays a pivotal role enabling the seamless transfer of patient information between various healthcare systems and vendors. It ensures that patient data remains accessible across different platforms and facilitates easier application, allowing healthcare providers to make informed decisions based on comprehensive and up-to-date information.

Together, data portability and vendor systems play a truly crucial role in optimizing healthcare operations and enhancing patient outcomes.

2. Keeping Your Health Data Safe

?In today's world, keeping health information secure is important, just like keeping financial information safe. Patients need to trust that their healthcare information is protected at all times.

Our 2022 Privacy Study found that 65% of people feel confident that their personal health information is safe from unauthorized access. This is a positive change in how people view digital health, but we need to ensure that healthcare providers have the tools and training to prioritize privacy and cybersecurity.

To achieve this, we need to establish processes that allow patients to access their data, implement privacy management programs, and provide extensive privacy training and education. Infoway's approach to digital health places great importance on the privacy, confidentiality, and security of personal health information. Further, effective legislation and best practices are crucial to enhancing and safeguarding data safety.

All stakeholders have a responsibility to protect patient data, and Infoway is working with jurisdictions and other stakeholders to develop resources and guidelines for personal health information (PHI) custodians. For digital health and interoperability efforts to succeed, we know that data security and a focus on patients need to remain at the heart of this work.

3. Reducing the Administrative Burden

Technology-driven solutions powered by interoperability optimize the transfer of health data, lightening the administrative load for healthcare providers and allowing them to concentrate more on patient care.

This efficiency not only enhances the quality of healthcare but also makes it more accessible. Patients can benefit from shorter wait times and more responsive treatment plans, thanks to quicker access to their comprehensive medical histories.

4. Empowering Patients Through Technology

Data portability is about more than just data movement—it empowers patients to take control of their health journeys, providing seamless access to their personal health records across various care settings.

Partnership with health tech companies is crucial in creating patient-centered platforms that provide access to personal health records anytime and anywhere, allowing patients to make informed health decisions and engage more effectively with their care providers.

Ultimately, the goal of data portability is to improve health outcomes.

The Need for Continued Industry Collaboration

The healthcare industry is currently facing a lot of pressure, and there is a growing need for innovative solutions. By working closely with Infoway and its stakeholders, vendors play a unique and crucial role in developing new tools that leverage greater portability to ensure safe and secure management of health data. These tools can also enhance the functionality and usability of health data across different platforms and interfaces.

As Infoway collaborates with policymakers, provinces, and territories across Canada to make healthcare services more efficient, we will increasingly need to implement strong, data-driven insights and best practices. Vendors play a vital part in this effort by offering technologies that promote interoperability and facilitate efficient data analysis and policy development. By doing so, they can help to improve public health services and policymaking.

• Vendors, how do you see data portability shaping the future of healthcare technology?
• Healthcare professionals and patients, how has data portability enhanced your experiences and expectations of care?