Mastering Data Management

Information-Level Integration opens doors to new kinds of sharing

I recently talked with the CIO at Baylor, a large IDN in Dallas. We were discussing interoperability – what it means generally speaking and what it means to Baylor. Given that “interoperability” means so many things to so many people, I decided to pursue what it means to him.

He explained that the goal at Baylor is connectivity and interoperability to enable information sharing with all stakeholders in the healthcare space including, most importantly, the consumer or patient. He refers to this as “I-Level” integration where the “I” stands for information.

By achieving I-Level integration, he will deliver enough information about a patient so that a viewer of data (i.e. a clinician) can make a more intelligent decision than they can make on paper today.

In fact, even if he can ensure that the viewer is looking at information for the patient they think they are looking at – it’s an advance from paper and he and his team see that as a win.

As organizations like Baylor start to achieve I-Level interoperability within their four walls, I often hear them explain that they have begun to anticipate broader information sharing – sharing with pharmacies, benefits managers, nursing homes, payers, states, RHIOs, patients, etc.

This happens because they realize that beyond qualifying for ARRA dollars, there is a community that stands to benefit and efficiencies to be realized. In this new era of competitive healthcare, the winner will not be he who has data, it will be he who shares data – creating competition driven by quality and service provided.

I really like this concept of I-Level integration because it moves us beyond traditional system to system message or transaction routing and encourages putting information at the fingertips of decision makers. It opens healthcare up to innovation which we have typically been laggards at driving.

We will begin to take advantage of software as services, create platforms for easy application development and deployment and form networks of shared information.

What will you do to achieve I-Level Integration?