What Is Data Interoperability in Healthcare and Why Is It Important?

In the rapidly evolving digital health landscape, data interoperability in healthcare has emerged as a foundational element of modern healthcare systems. It refers to the ability of different information systems, devices, and applications to access, exchange, integrate, and cooperatively use data in a coordinated manner. In simpler terms, data interoperability in healthcare allows seamless communication between various healthcare systems, ensuring that critical patient data is available when and where it is needed. Understanding Data Interoperability in Healthcare: Healthcare data interoperability is more than just connecting systems. It’s about ensuring that data flows securely and meaningfully across platforms—whether between electronic health records (EHRs), laboratory systems, imaging centers, pharmacies, or insurance providers. This requires adherence to established data standards such as HL7, FHIR, DICOM, and SNOMED CT to ensure consistency, accuracy, and usability of the inform...