Online Interoperability Criteria Training Course is Now Live

The State HIE Program Policy Office and the Regional Extension Center Program recently issued Interoperability Basics, a 75-minute online training course offering in-depth information to:

• define the Meaningful Use Stage 2 data exchange requirements,
• explain the necessary interoperability building blocks,
• outline the path to meeting the Stage 2 criteria, and
• highlight the effect of health data exchange on specific categories of care.

Designed for ONC grantees, providers and implementers, this is the first of five modules that will be released to help inform the process of meeting the Meaningful Stage 2 interoperability data exchange requirements.

The value of any technical product or service is greatly enhanced by interoperability with other products and services that give users more options and benefits.

That’s a long sentence but the concept is simple…and critical.

Interoperability = enhanced value for everyone.

However, many factors influence technical interoperability and as we all know, none more than competitiveness.  This has been true for electronic health record systems and health data in our country.

Having distinctly non-compatible systems has been the hallmark of health information technology in our past, denying patients and providers the full array of benefits that truly interoperable health information exchange makes possible.  That is now changing through Meaningful Use.

Upcoming Interoperability Trainings

Over the coming weeks, we will release four additional modules that cover the Meaningful Use Stage 2 interoperability data exchange criteria including:

1.       Transitions of care between care providers and care venues

2.       Lab interoperability between hospitals and ambulatory providers

3.       View, download, and transmit of information between patients and providers

4.       Transmission of information to public health agencies

The five training modules, collectively, provide a map of Meaningful Use Stage 2 attainment that help answer the “who, what, when and where” of achieving interoperability.

We have worked hard to develop relatable use cases designed around practical workflows and provide management tools so it is easier to understand who is accountable for each element.

Whether the responsibility is yours, your vendor’s, or your HIE service provider’s, you can find that guidance here.

Modules will launch every few weeks and we will keep you posted here on the Health IT Buzz blog and through announcements on HealthIT.gov.

In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Lee Stevens, State HIE Policy Office Director, at lee.stevens@hhs.gov or REC Program Analyst Larry Jessup at larry.jessup@hhs.gov.