Dive Brief:
- A lack of interoperability between emergency department and hospital systems is getting in the way of effective data-sharing between emergency crews and hospitals.
- To address this issue, collaboration between the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Emergency Care Coordination Center has been established to give first responders a more detailed picture of a patient's medical history during emergencies.
- The collaboration includes using the NEMSIS Version 3 HL7 data standards to allow interoperable data exchange between EMR providers and hospitals, using the ONC's direct messaging protocol along with NEMSIS Version 3 clinical data architecture data standard and connecting both through regional or statewide HIEs.
Dive Insight:
EMS crews and other first responders can't do nearly as much if they don't have a lot of information on the patient. But a recent ONC report based on data from California and the Gulf Coast found potential benefits from using HIEs as intermediaries and for setting up patient information portals during disasters. Having patient data during normal business can also help connect patients with sources of care other than the emergency department if acute care is not needed.