As 2017 draws to a close, functional interoperability continues to be a concern for clinicians and healthcare leaders in an effort to move information more seamlessly and with exacting purpose in 2018. Given the collective impact of universal information sharing initiatives, it is not surprising that the focus of those initiatives vary from organization to organization:

Whether we are trying to accomplish meaningful use or improve the overall care of our patients, we need improved functional interoperability. Data must be available and needs to be seamlessly transferred from one source to the next.

David Ratto, MD, Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialist and Hospitalist, Methodist Hospital of Southern California

EHR systems should be open to accept data from outside resources such as daily living settings and nursing homes. As more and more health-related activities take place in daily living settings – home, work, restaurants, etc. – EHRs should be able to use the data collected in daily living settings.

Mustafa Ozkaynak, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

In preparation for the New Year and the HIMSS18 Conference & Exhibition, Healthcare IT News will host the #EmpowerHIT Twitter Chat to unpack the interconnectedness of interoperability impact among healthcare stakeholders and identify priority areas and strategies to move forward. Build on the above interoperability perspectives by bringing your own during our Jan. 25 discussion

⇒ Add Chat to Calendar

Jan. 25 from noon to 1 p.m.  CST
Where: #EmpowerHIT (Tweetchat Room Available)
Host: Host: Healthcare IT News | @HealthITNews
Moderator: Tom Sullivan | @SullyHIT
Expert Guest: Russell Leftwich, MD | @DocOnFHIR
HIMSS Social Media Ambassador Panelist: Max Stroud | @MMaxwellStroud 

• T1: In the new year, what interoperability challenge should we focus on that will make the biggest impact and move interoperability forward? #EmpowerHIT
• T2: FHIR appears to be the ‘next big thing’ in interoperability. What has FHIR already done for you? #EmpowerHIT
• T3: Will the use of voice activation (i.e. Alexa) in healthcare bypass mobile connected health? #EmpowerHIT
• T4: What types of patient generated data are most valuable to integrate into clinical systems? #EmpowerHIT
• T5: How will blockchain technology further our effort towards semantic interoperability? #EmpowerHIT