The majority of hospital and health system IT leaders feel their efforts to share data with other organizations have been largely unsuccessful, according to a new report.
Here are four findings from the "Improving Healthcare Interoperability" survey, conducted by the Center for Connected Medicine, which is jointly operated by Pittsburgh-based UPMC, GE Healthcare and Nokia.
1. Of the 100 hospital IT and business professionals surveyed, nearly one-third classified their data-sharing efforts both within their organizations and with others as "insufficient." Fewer than 40 percent said they have been successful at sharing data with other health systems.
2. The most popular action taken in an attempt to improve interoperability was moving to a single, integrated EHR platform: More than half of respondents said they have done so to boost data-sharing.
3. The top three elements believed by the survey's respondents to be most crucial to driving interoperability are buy-in from senior leadership, financial incentives or penalties that will encourage health systems to share data with each other, and advances in technology and other tools.
4. While 60 percent of those surveyed reported having made strides in meeting regulatory and compliance requirements associated with interoperability, only 27 percent said their attempts to improve data sharing and interoperability have led to reductions in the cost of care.