The Journal of mHealth Vol 2 issue 5 (Oct) | Page 7

Interoperability and the Benefits of Connected Health Ecosystems

Interoperability and the Benefits of
Connected Health Ecosystems
Interoperability remains one of the
biggest digital challenges in healthcare.
In this interview Steve Rudland, Customer
Advocacy & Consulting Lead for Hyland,
creator of OnBase discusses digital
health technologies and how technology
standardisation
and
interoperability
are fundamental enablers in delivering
connected health services.
1) What would you say are the key considerations when it
comes to trying to effectively integrate new digital and connected health solutions with existing health technologies?
"There should be a shared understanding among stakeholders
to what the process involves and what a successful outcome
should look like. Each stakeholder – whether an end user or a
vendor, should be aware of the consequences of their specific
needs and uses of the system on other parties. Most importantly, they must all be prepared to work together for the benefit
of the patient. The management of stakeholder expectations is
one of the major considerations but is easily overlooked when
everyone is focused on the technology."
2) In your opinion, what are the main challenges when it
comes to dealing with interoperability in digital and connected health technologies?
"It is essential to create willingness within the vendor community to work together and share information. Cross-enterprise
interoperability and collaboration may also be stymied by a lack
of funding during an austerity regime, especially where no strategic budget is available."
3) Do you believe that these challenges are principally
driven by technical issues or implementation problems
within organisations and health systems?
"The technology itself is not the major challenge. The technology, standards and protocols exist today. Implementation can be
a problem, particularly if it is under-resourced.
"Customers need to understand that 'go-live' on any issue is
really the beginning of their journey, not the end of the project."
4) What are the common roadblocks in systems that prevent interoperability?
"It is usually human and increasingly budget issues. Interoperability projects cost money and the fragmented nature of health

systems, actively conspires against collaborative working and
interoperability across providers.”
5) Do you believe that a universal standard is possible for
the health tech industry? If so, what are the main changes
that would need to be adopted?
"Is an interoperability standard purely for the healthcare sector
either desirable of sustainable?  Interoperability must go beyond
the health sector.  We are dealing with larger, older populations
with a significant increase in chronic conditions.  The health of
an individual involves multiple agencies including health, social
care, housing, planning and education.  The patient as a citizen
has the right to expect that in socialised healthcare systems the
various agencies will be able to collaborate around consistent,
timely, accurate information.
"A change in emphasis is required across the healthcare sector,
to ensure individuals are treated as citizens, not patients."
6) Where are we in terms of achieving a universal standard for health tech?
"A universal standard may not be the ultimate objective. We
should be working towards standards for interoperability and
data exchange, which will serve not just the health sector but
other government and social sectors as well."
7) What steps do you think that healthcare organisations
and the wider health technology industry need to take
in order to address the lack of standardisation in digital
solutions?
"The technology providers need to accept the need to work
together and actively participate in ensuring interoperability
between their systems. Healthcare organisations can encourage
this through their procurement process by writing interoperability requirements into their contracts.
Continued on page 19

The Journal of mHealth

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