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Interoperability in healthcare today is too focused on equality, not equity. Getting everyone to use the same technology or platform is a good idea in theory but rarely works in practice. Healthcare organizations must understand how they communicate today, why they communicate and what they are communicating to make better tech decisions.
Only by understanding your communication workflows can you develop better interoperability solutions that serve everyone equitably and efficiently.
As healthcare adjusts to the rapid technological advancements spreading through the industry, one area that’s still a challenge is fragmented and isolated healthcare data. Organizations use various methods to communicate and store data based on their needs and budgets. It’s a battle to stay ahead of the curve to provide excellent care. Healthcare providers could drive more effective patient care decisions with access to as much information as possible.
Interoperability between these disparate systems can break down the informational silos. It eliminates the need for everyone to use the same technology while streamlining operations, expanding research applications and improving patient outcomes — all without significant investment because it uses the same technologies you already have.
Interoperability benefits everyone, from clinicians to non-clinician workers, patients to care coordinators. It improves patient care at scale and streamlines healthcare operations.
When apps and other technologies work together well, healthcare staff are more productive and efficient. Combining the data from wider sources means it can be analyzed and used more easily. Interoperability allows healthcare providers to study data trends and past performance to make data-driven improvements in patient care, healthcare workflows and other related areas.
Most healthcare involves various stakeholders, including patients, caregivers and care teams. Each one requires specific information to successfully manage care. Interoperability enables faster and more efficient real-time data movement across platforms and among service providers to drive successful patient outcomes.
Patients enjoy more holistic care because their providers can access all the data they need. This includes historical records, which can help healthcare providers spot chronic issues, proactively identify new issues before they become acute and generally allow providers to focus on delivering better patient care.
Data interoperability gives healthcare providers a full picture of a patient’s health through access to disparate data, no matter where it’s located. Clinicians can make better decisions based on the patient’s full medical history, preferences and past encounters. They can focus on delivering better patient experiences because they know the health information they enter or see in the system is tracked, managed and shared with all relevant systems and team members. Interoperability avoids duplicate testing, reduces adverse events, informs care decisions and allows for more relevant follow-up to ensure successful care management.
Accessing healthcare information from a single entry point is revolutionary for many healthcare organizations. This single point ensures everyone’s looking at the same data to make patient healthcare decisions. Entering new data through a single entry point ensures everyone has the latest information and can make better healthcare decisions. Staff can rest assured that they’re seeing all the information and can trust what they see.
The frictionless exchange of healthcare data between siloed systems eliminates redundancies and streamlines admin tasks. Interoperability reduces the amount of redundant administrative work, improves business processes and eliminates most time-consuming tasks within a health system — e.g., processing intake information, care coordination across teams and reporting needs associated with regulatory requirements.
Built-in workflows that facilitate the intake of unstructured information from faxes. Includes advanced quality control tools to efficiently parse, reorder and delete multiple pages by patient or document for improved filing.
Easy-to-use manual fax processing tools when you want to navigate through them individually and assign them to the proper patient records.
A single dashboard set up like an email inbox makes managing faxes, direct protected messages, CDA documents and referrals easy. Sort, respond, move and delete as needed.
Uses safe APIs and standards-based integrations to connect to the most available EHR solutions for more efficient patient record workflow planning.
Optimize provider communications by leveraging eFax Corporate’s built-in access to the National Provider Directory. It lists providers’ preferred data exchange methods so you can communicate with them more effectively than just by fax.
eFax Corporate meets most industry compliance and security regulations, including HIPAA, HITECH, SOX and GLBA. It meets TruSight requirements and provides SOC 2 Type 2 reports annually.
An American healthcare network sought a more robust downtime solution after several scheduled and unscheduled downtimes following a technology upgrade initiative. The one they had was effective but could’ve been more efficient.
They turned to Consensus for its safe, advanced, turn-key downtime technology solution since it worked with their entire tech stack. Interoperability ensures the downtime platform is connected to all relevant patient, EHR and related health services and contains updated copies of all data. So no matter the downtime reason, clinical and non-clinical teams have access to all the pertinent patient data and information they need.
A Bristol, Connecticut hospital needed a safer and more effective way to share critical patient data with area providers such as community physicians, post-acute care facilities, nursing homes and care coordinators. Their previous solution was costly, didn’t meet all healthcare regulatory requirements, and didn’t give them technical control over it. They couldn’t make changes or enact better data protection methods.
By connecting their systems through Consensus’ Interoperability solution, they now have a one-stop-shop for strategically managing patient data throughout their network. It connects their databases, network, EHR solution and providers through an always-on web-enabled platform. The hospital can upgrade or change the connected systems more easily and control who can access the data through fine-grained role-based access controls in Consensus.
An American healthcare network with nearly 200 facilities nationally wanted to better connect their disparate systems. They faced significant tech challenges as many locations used different versions and editions of the same EHR software, several used different apps entirely, and many are located in rural communities that need to focus on more critical health and tech initiatives.
Our Interoperability solutions helped the network connect locations and data agnostically so they could still use the existing data and systems and enjoy more streamlined workflows. Their system now accesses data across their locations to run reports, automate access tasks, load large data files and verify data entry because it’s better integrated throughout. They’re saving over $150,000 annually using their existing systems with Consensus.
Another industry tied to manual, paper-based processes and the fax machine, financial services companies are looking to digital transformation for solutions. They recognize the need to evolve their business processes as they face the dual challenges of an ever-growing list of competitors and demanding customers. They have already made significant technology investments and need solutions that enhance their processes without adding more money or complexity.
Financial services companies need interoperability solutions that can increase efficiencies in client service while maintaining security and regulatory compliance.
The legal profession still depends on faxing for mission-critical communications with courts, opposing counsel, insurance companies and clients. Unlike other fax-dependent professionals, attorneys often spend much of their time away from their offices and require mobile solutions that match their workflows, security needs and regulatory requirements. Large firms can afford to implement an enterprise-level solution that meets those requirements. However, smaller firms and one-attorney firms don’t have the flexibility or budget to do so. And most firms, regardless of size, don’t want to waste the technology investments they’ve already made.
The law industry needs interoperability solutions that match their workflows and budgetary needs while still meeting confidentiality and legal communication requirements.
The manufacturing and industrial industries continue to rely on paper for communication and document storage. Much of that information is highly sensitive and should be protected throughout its lifecycle, but it isn’t. Add in a workforce that hesitates to upgrade to digital, safe faxing and communication or are using legacy technology that can’t be upgraded and these industries fall further behind.
Forward-thinking manufacturing and industrial companies are looking for ways to modernize while still supporting the technology and workflows they’re currently using. Interoperability solutions can help, integrating the old with the new so they enjoy the benefits of updated workflows without significant investments.
State and local government agencies rely heavily on faxing as an essential component of their daily operations. They need to efficiently and safely send and receive documentation to optimize workflows while moving away from the inconvenience and security risks inherent in paper-based faxing. They must also adhere to stringent budgets and vendor workflows that dictate how much they can spend and who they can work with.
Looking beyond these industries, everyone in the U.S. will eventually be affected by FCC Order 19-72A1, adopted in 2019. It calls for the retirement of copper landline transmission lines and replacing legacy communication services (Plain Old Telephone Service – POTS) with digital and internet-based communications such as VoIP. This order started in August 2022 and effectively ushers in a sunset scenario for traditional analog copper POTS line systems.
Any industry that uses communication technology connected to POTS lines (which is a large part of the American infrastructure) will be affected. They need to consider how the switch from analog to digital at the entry point to their network will affect them and if there are any interoperability considerations to factor in. That goes for their existing technology and future tech that will inevitably arrive at some point.
Achieving true interoperability across any organization, from healthcare to manufacturing, means understanding how staff communicate today and why and what they’re communicating. This knowledge is crucial for creating digital solutions and tech stacks that align with the underlying workflows of your organization.
Transitioning from paper communication or legacy tools to cloud faxing and online communication management can be challenging. Enabling a hybrid approach through interoperability solutions combines the best of both worlds. Staff can automate processes, smooth workflows, improve outcomes and reach business goals.
Interoperability unlocks the full potential of communication in healthcare or any industry.
