Achieving interoperability in healthcare can help advance health equity, according to experts at the HIMSS23 global conference in Chicago. Widespread health data interchange can aid in bridging the digital divide, which is blocking certain people from gaining access to healthcare. The speakers emphasized how an open data architecture supports seamless data flow between healthcare, social care, and learning health systems. In addition to tackling social determinants of health, this will close the equity gap (SDOH). To ensure data privacy and confidentiality, it is necessary to overcome legal issues and difficulties.
Interoperability has been a buzzword in the healthcare industry for years, but it turns out that achieving this goal can also be a means of advancing health equity, which has been an ongoing focus of the current administration. The digital divide, creating a barrier for those wishing fuller participation in their care, is one of the most significant hurdles in achieving health equity. According to a panel of experts at the HIMSS23 global conference held in Chicago, ensuring broad interoperability of health data is an important first step in bridging this divide. The panelists agreed that an interoperable data structure supports the seamless exchange of data between healthcare delivery, social care delivery, and learning health systems, which is essential to address social determinants of health (SDOH) and help close the equity gap.
Evelyn Gallego, founder, and CEO of EMI Advisors emphasized the importance of interoperability in addressing social determinants of health. She believes that an interoperable data structure supports the seamless exchange of data between healthcare delivery, social care delivery, and learning health systems, which is essential to address SDOH and help close the equity gap. “We need this data to flow,” she said.
Melissa Soliz, a partner at Coppersmith Brockelman, pointed out that the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI), which she called the “bedrock” of data-sharing frameworks, added an SDOH assessment in version 2, and also added categories for sexual orientation and gender identity. “By collecting those data elements, that makes it so we can identify those folks who are in underserved populations,” said Soliz.
An easy trap to fall into, the panel agreed, is that healthcare professionals often adopt the mindset of interoperability encompassing solely what’s in the EHR record. But according to Ammon Fillmore, associate chief legal officer, of information and technology at AdventHealth, there’s much more data out there – and it’s subject to far fewer regulations. “We have these amazing data sets, and you don’t have to involve lawyers to interact with them,” said Fillmore. “We have such limited data in an interoperability environment that we tend to look for clusters and focus on that. Interoperability exposes data silos, and data deserts, where there isn’t any data to be found. If you don’t have the right data flowing through this, the interoperability value proposition becomes more difficult to execute.”
Rethinking which data can and should be interoperable is a part of addressing health inequity said, Fillmore. “Think back to the pandemic,” he said. “In some states, there were real-time dashboards regarding what beds were available, etc. That’s interoperability too. It’s not just having data flowing; it’s having bed counts. Think of what a real-time dashboard on dialysis could do.”
Having the right data can help identify the needs of underserved communities, with potentially positive implications for public health and maternal health, and several other historically marginalized subcategories. “Technology is a tool,” said Soliz. “It’s a means for implementing health equity. Patient access is important – you can level the playing field.”
Of course, there are legal challenges and considerations. Privacy, confidentiality – reaching health equity goals can be a complicated process. Different legal requirements could be necessary depending on the particular situation, and many states have laws governing health data. You must conduct yourself in a compliant manner, Soliz said. “It’s difficult, but you can do it and get through it.”
