What Is Interoperability In Healthcare?

Interoperability in healthcare is crucial for modernizing health IT infrastructure, improving patient outcomes, and streamlining operational efficiencies. However, achieving true healthcare interoperability remains a significant challenge due to the complexity of integrating disparate systems necessary for a modern healthcare organization in the digital age.

This article explores interoperability in healthcare, its benefits, key challenges, and how organizations can leverage tools like BridgeInteract’s composable patient engagement software to achieve a healthcare interoperability solution that elevates the experience of patients and staff alike.

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What Is Interoperability In Healthcare?

Interoperability in healthcare refers to the ability of different information systems, applications, and devices to access, exchange, and integrate electronic health data securely and efficiently.

Like any modern industry, healthcare is becoming increasingly digitized as it adapts to latest business practices and evolves to meet the needs of an expanding to a growing consumer-conscious patient base.

To stay afloat in this environment, healthcare organizations, large and small, must leverage a sophisticated array of digital tools. These include, but are not limited to:

In theory, all these digital solutions should work together to streamline the patient journey from beginning to end. The goal is to ensure that electronic health information is easily accessible to those who need it—whether it’s a physician making a treatment decision, a patient reviewing their health records, or a researcher analyzing population health trends.

However, more complex digital environments mean more potential points of failure if these software systems cannot communicate with each other. Errors, missing and non-standardized data, and delays due to interoperability barriers can be costly, not just in business terms but also in human life.

Interoperability in healthcare aims to overcome these technical barriers both within and across organizations, ensuring that healthcare providers, patients, payers, and public health administrators can access and utilize the data they need to make informed decisions.

A truly interoperable system allows for:

  • Standardized data exchange across different EHR/EMR platforms.
  • Real-time updates of critical health data.
  • Patient access to health information via portals, apps, and wearable devices.
  • Secure and compliant data sharing among healthcare stakeholders such as hospitals, payers, public health agencies, and researchers.
  • Reduced redundancies and improved workflows for providers and staff.

The US government recognizes and incentivizes healthcare interoperability through regulatory mandates like the 21st Century Cures Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (1). For example, the intention behind HIPAA’s strict security requirements is to “support information sharing” between healthcare entities (2).

The 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 defines healthcare interoperability in terms of a system that: “(a) enables the secure exchange of electronic health information with, and use of electronic health information from, other health information technology without special effort on the part of the user; (b) allows for complete access, exchange, and use of all electronically accessible health information for authorized use under applicable State or Federal law; and (c) does not constitute information blocking” (3).

However, implementing healthcare interoperability is much more than just meeting regulations—organizations should be proactive in adopting new technologies to maximize efficiency and stay competitive.

Application programming interfaces (APIs) are the key technology behind healthcare interoperability. These essential tools enable different software systems to communicate and share data seamlessly, acting as the bridge between EHRs, patient portals, telehealth platforms, payment software, and other digital health solutions. By facilitating secure and standardized data exchange, APIs allow healthcare providers to access real-time patient information, improve care coordination, and enhance efficiency.

Modern healthcare interoperability solutions, like BridgeInteract, leverage APIs—specifically FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) APIs—to ensure seamless integration across various healthcare systems while maintaining compliance with HIPAA and other regulatory standards.

The Four Levels Of Interoperability In Healthcare

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) defines four levels of interoperability, each representing increasing complexity and integration:

1. Foundational Interoperability (Level 1)

  • Basic data exchange between systems without data interpretation.
  • Example: A hospital sends a patient’s discharge summary as a PDF via email.

2. Structural Interoperability (Level 2)

  • Standardized data formats ensure consistent structuring and transmission of information.
  • Example: An EHR system uses HL7 FHIR to format patient records, enabling seamless data exchange with another system.

3. Semantic Interoperability (Level 3)

  • Uses standardized terminology and coding (e.g., ICD-10, SNOMED-CT) for consistent interpretation of clinical data.
  • Example: A physician’s diagnosis coded in SNOMED-CT is accurately interpreted by another provider’s system.

4. Organizational Interoperability (Level 4)

  • Encompasses legal, policy, and governance structures to enable secure, cross-organization data sharing.
  • Example: A national health information exchange (HIE) allows hospitals, insurance providers, and public health agencies to collaborate efficiently.

The Importance Of Healthcare Interoperability

The healthcare industry continues to face significant barriers to efficient data sharing. The inability to access real-time patient information and promptly act on it can lead to treatment delays, redundant testing, prescription errors, and fragmented care. In contrast, implementing healthcare interoperability comes with many benefits.

Why healthcare interoperability matters

  • Better care coordination: Providers gain a comprehensive view of a patient’s medical history, reducing errors and unnecessary tests.
  • Enhanced patient experience: Patients can seamlessly access and share their health records, fostering engagement and self-management.
  • Cost efficiency: Eliminates duplicate testing and administrative inefficiencies, saving healthcare organizations millions.
  • Regulatory compliance: Organizations must meet FHIR, HL7, and HIPAA standards for secure data exchange or risk various fines and penalties.
  • Innovation and AI readiness: A unified data infrastructure enables AI-driven insights for predictive analytics and automation.
  • Informed public health insights: Population-level data analysis helps governments and organizations respond more effectively to public health crises.

We already see the benefits of interoperability standards in competitive industry sectors such as banking, finance, e-commerce, and logistics. These sectors have adopted interoperability standards that enhance efficiency, security, and customer satisfaction, even when managing cross-company and cross-border activities.

Although the US healthcare industry has unique challenges, it can overcome long-standing inefficiencies and improve patient outcomes by adopting similar interoperability frameworks.

Challenges In Achieving Healthcare Interoperability

Despite its importance, achieving full healthcare interoperability remains complex due to various roadblocks, including:

  • 1. Lack of standardization: Different healthcare vendors use proprietary systems that do not communicate effectively.
  • 2. Closed platforms: Many legacy EHRs, such as Epic and Greenway, create vendor lock-in, making data exchange difficult.
  • 3. Data security and privacy concerns: Ensuring HIPAA compliance while enabling data access requires robust security measures.
  • 4. Integration costs and resource constraints: Many healthcare providers lack the financial and technical resources to upgrade their systems for full interoperability.
  • 5. Slow adoption of modern APIs: While FHIR and REST APIs offer improved interoperability, many organizations still rely on outdated technologies.
  • 6. Data standardization: while data standard exist many systems still use their own “home grown” codes.

Recent research indicates that US healthcare organizations still have a long way to go regarding interoperability. Fewer than one in three hospitals can electronically find, send, receive, and integrate patient information from a different provider, resulting in staff burnout from manually addressing interoperability issues and a waste of resources from unnecessary tests or procedures (4).

Best Practices For Healthcare Interoperability

Open Architecture

Just as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android have created open ecosystems for app development, the healthcare industry must embrace API-driven platforms that facilitate third-party integrations. Some open development platforms, like Mirth Connect and DHIS2, are seeing widespread adoption for building healthcare integrations, and several API formats specialized for healthcare have become industry standards. By leveraging standardized frameworks such as FHIR and HL7, healthcare systems can ensure seamless data exchange while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards like HIPAA.

Robust Cybersecurity

Healthcare interoperability solutions must prioritize data privacy and security to protect sensitive patient information at every stage of the supply chain. Implementing end-to-end encryption, role-based access controls (RBAC), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and continuous security monitoring helps prevent breaches and unauthorized access. Healthcare organizations must comply with industry regulations to mitigate risks and maintain patient trust.

Headless Platforms

A headless interoperability platform separates the back-end data infrastructure from the front-end user interface, allowing greater flexibility, scalability, and customization. This approach enables healthcare providers to deliver personalized experiences across multiple applications—patient portals, mobile apps, or provider dashboards—without being restricted by legacy system limitations. Headless platforms facilitate real-time data access using APIs and microservices, ensuring healthcare organizations adapt quickly to new technologies, AI opportunities, and regulatory requirements.

Embracing these best practices ensures that healthcare interoperability is efficient, secure, and adaptable, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes, smooth operations, and a more connected healthcare ecosystem.

Get A Complete Healthcare Interoperability Solution

Healthcare interoperability starts with leaving behind rigid, closed systems and adopting open, flexible platforms. For example, we designed the BridgeInteract patient engagement platform with interoperability in mind.

Here’s how BridgeInteract empowers healthcare organizations to overcome interoperability challenges:

1. Open, API-driven headless platform

  • Supports FHIR, HL7, REST APIs, and other industry standards.
  • Allows seamless integration with EHRs, PMs, RCMs, patient portals, and telehealth systems.
  • Enables organizations to use their own front-end solutions while leveraging BridgeInteract’s powerful back-end infrastructure.

2. Modular and scalable design

3. Seamless data exchange and integration

  • Connects disparate systems, ensuring real-time data synchronization.
  • Automates workflows such as billing, scheduling, and eligibility verification.
  • Enhances care coordination by providing providers with a unified patient view.

4. Customizable interoperability solutions

  • Configurable workflows, user interfaces, and data pipelines to fit specific healthcare needs.
  • Branded patient portals for seamless user experiences with your own systems.
  • Role-based access control for enhanced security and compliance.

5. Security and compliance excellence

  • HIPAA-compliant and ONC-certified solutions for data privacy and protection.
  • Advanced identity verification, audit logs, and encrypted data transmission.
  • AI-powered security enhancements for fraud prevention and compliance monitoring.

Final Thoughts

Achieving interoperability in healthcare is no longer optional—it is essential for improving patient outcomes, reducing operational inefficiencies, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations. With BridgeInteract, healthcare organizations can take control of their healthcare interoperability strategy and build a future-ready digital ecosystem that prioritizes efficiency, innovation, and patient-centric care.

Ready to revolutionize your healthcare interoperability strategy? View a demo of BridgeInteract and discover how our cutting-edge solutions can transform your organization.

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References:

  1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 2025. CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F). [online] Available at: Link. [Accessed 3 February 2025].
  2. US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), 2016. Permitted uses and disclosures: Guidance for professionals. [online] Available at: Link. [Accessed 3 February 2025].
  3. 114th Congress, 2015. 21st Century Cures Act, H.R. 34. [online] Available at: Link. [Accessed 3 February 2025].
  4. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 2021. Interoperability in Healthcare. [online] Available at: Link. [Accessed 3 February 2025].
The Bridge Team
The Bridge Team