Interoperability in Radiography Data: The Impossible Dream.
The technology used to communicate information in a healthcare setting is evolving
at a rapid pace. In a typical radiology department, there are many different types of equipment. The same company does not manufacture equipment.
To ensure that equipment can effectively communicate information to each other,
interoperability must be obtained. Interoperability is the ability of one machine to
identify and understand the information from another machine. In a typical radiology
department, there is a
variety of different software utilized to gather healthcare data.
These include Electronic Health Records, Hospital Information
Systems, Radiology Information Systems, and
Picture Archiving and Communication Systems.
Different types of software need to communicate to ensure that no information is lost.
If they do not communicate, the institution
would have to invest in an interface which will cost money, time, and manpower.
If interoperability is achieved, the investment in an interface is unnecessary. Savings in costs are critical to the field of healthcare, where expenses have increased in recent years. At
the end of the second quarter of 2014, the healthcare spending for the federal government increased at 4 percent annual rate.
Currently, the cost of health care has ballooned to
an astounding $1.9 trillion. With the total healthcare costs for the United
States rising, constitutional laws now mandate
health care providers use technology in meaningful ways.
It is important for technology to benefit radiology departments by lowering costs
and improving the efficiency of workflows.
Radiol Open J. 2016; 1(1): 13-16. doi: 10.17140/ROJ-1-102
