A Multi-Tiered Perspective on Healthcare Interoperability

The current healthcare delivery paradigm is defined by integrative care delivery across disparate providers and services. Therefore the ability to deliver efficient and effective healthcare services is dependent on designing and implementing interoperable systems. However, the notion of interoperability is multifaceted and complex. Although the exchange of data is often described as analogous with interoperability it must be remembered that healthcare is a process oriented domain and clinical, management, organizational and other processes must be considered as part of interoperability. This chapter discusses healthcare delivery and the role interoperability plays in supporting its delivery. First, the chapter provides a background on healthcare interoperability from multiple perspectives. Then it presents a case study of collaborative care delivery and uses it to outline specific interoperability requirements. The chapter then uses these requirements to develop a multi-tiered framework of healthcare interoperability, concluding with a discussion of the implications of the framework for interoperability research and for systems design to support integrated healthcare delivery.