If you haven’t felt it yet, the phrase “HL7 Interface” is starting to resonate. Yes, it defines a specific message type within a very broad segment we call Healthcare IT, but “HL7 interface” has become the moniker of much more. We now hear “HL7 Interface,” and even “HL7” standing-alone defining activities, projects, professional disciplines, and even core objectives within healthcare organizations.
In 2004, when President Bush called for widespread adoption of EHRs within 10 years, he triggered a gradually tightening focus on data integration in healthcare. President Obama’s added incentive in 2009 with the HITECH ACT fueled an period of government and industry trying to move toward a target that was being defined simultaneously on the fly.
Today, we’re observing movement towards a target called Meaningful Use while also seeing attempts to tighten and better define that target. Whether you hear people talking about achieving Meaningful Use, improving clinical system integration, making advancements in data warehouses, creating and improving clinical data analytics, or the adoption of EMRs/EHRs, we know the playing field and even the rules may change, but one thing is clear – We’re not playing a game.
Our country’s focus on improving the quality of care, increasing the efficiency of how healthcare is administered, and even the goal decreasing healthcare cost all rely on healthcare integration. We’re all in.
Healthcare integration, increasingly tagged as HL7, is now an indicator of the health and progress of our ever-changing national healthcare system. Core Health Technologies, with specific expertise within healthcare integration and by working and interacting daily with healthcare IT leaders and integration professionals provides this blog as a resource for news, trends, and comments about the HL7 discipline, healthcare integration, and the impact of integration on the more broad Healthcare IT market.
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