News Feature | August 28, 2015

Can The ONC Achieve Full Interoperability In 10 Years?

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

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Very few doctors think so, according to a survey by document management company Scrypt.

Fewer than one in five doctors think the ONC can achieve full interoperability in the next ten years, according to a survey by document management company Scrypt. Earlier in 2015, the ONC revealed a roadmap which outlined goals for meeting interoperability standards by 2017.

“The ONC’s vision is that by 2024, the nation’s health IT infrastructure will support better health for all through a more connected healthcare system and active individual health management; information sharing will be improved at all levels of public health, and research will better generate evidence that is delivered to the point of care,” explained Scrypt in a statement.

Healthcare IT News reports only 17 percent of providers surveyed believed that ONC would achieve its goal. According to iHealth Beat, the survey also found that, while 98 percent of respondents said their organizations have policies in place to keep staff updated about HIPAA compliance changes in their practice, staff or human error remains the largest concern among providers in terms of HIPAA breaches.

"Interoperability in 10 years is unquestionably a worthy goal, but our experience has shown that this is a complex area and providers need secure universal solutions in the interim," said Scrypt CEO Aleks Szymanski.

The ONC is proceeding with interoperability plans, noting that the following stats are true:

  • Exchange with outside ambulatory care providers and outside hospitals is increasing (for hospitals, the increase is from 40 percent in 2008 to 76 percent in 2014, according to an AHA survey).
  • On quarter of hospitals nationwide are finding, sending and receiving and using data electronically.
  • Hospitals engaging in more interoperable exchange activity have higher levels of information electronically available from outside settings.
  • Limited ability of exchange partners to receive information electronically is a major barrier.
  • Exchange activity among hospitals is increasing. However more progress is needed.