Post on 07-Jul-2015
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4010, Moorpark Avenue, #205, San Jose, California 95117
April18, 2014
Interoperability between disparate components of the healthcare spectrum has largely been limited to big hospitals that had a dire necessity for systems that spoke to each other. However, a quantum shift is taking place in the health IT industry to develop interfaces that facilitate seamless connectivity, exchange and sharing of information. Connecting Laboratories to Electronic Medical Record/ Health Record (EMR/EHR) systems is a critical piece of the interoperability puzzle. In order to navigate this puzzle better, let’s look at some of the challenges faced by EHR vendors in connecting with Labs:
Lack of Standardized Interface
With a variety of EMR’s / EHR’s available in
the market, there are several interface
standards.
Every EMR/EHR has its own standard and
varies depending on the end-user
requirement.
For instance, the HL7 standard does not
remain the same between different
EMR/EHR vendors. This results in complex
connectivity issues when connecting with
Labs.
Lack of Intuitive Intelligence
Most EHR software does not have intuitive
intelligence to detect a lab order and send
an acknowledgement to the ordering
physicians.
Due to this, physicians and lab staff are
forced to manually follow-up on the status
of the lab order and to retrieve the lab
result.
Lack of Troubleshooting Engine
When a lab order is placed from the
EMR/EHR, due to a variety of reasons
format mismatches can happen.
Rigid error-catch engines to troubleshoot
such issues are required to validate and
notify the user.
Mismatch of Codes
When the lab order is placed from the EMR/EHR, it contains the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) codes, ICD codes that describe the patient problem.
These codes need to be mapped with the codes used by the laboratories. If the codes are different, it will result in a mismatch and create interpretation issues.
In addition, the EMR/EHR needs to be up-to-date with the latest collection of medical codes. If not, there are chances for wrong interpretation of the codes at the receiver end.
Complex Connectivity
Every EMR/EHR is designed differently to connect with third parties such as laboratories.
Vendors are required to design separate interfaces individually to connect with each laboratory.
EHR and Labs – Connectivity Challenges
4010, Moorpark Avenue, #205, San Jose, California 95117
What next?
With a huge wave of consolidation happening in the Health IT industry, a lot of interest has been generated around interoperability solutions. The need of the hour is a bi-directional lab interface that can connect any EMR/EHR with any laboratory.
About ViSolve
ViSolve,Inc. is a software services and consulting firm with expertise in Healthcare and Cloud. ViSolve is headquartered at San Jose, CA with best in class Development & Support center in Coimbatore, India.To know more about how ViSolve can enhance your IT capabilities, get in touch with us:
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