1. Barriers to Data Exchange
in Healthcare
Justina Ugwu
College of Health Professions (COHP) 300
(Health Information Systems)
2. Project Focus
This project explores data exchange, its benefits and
focuses on different problems affecting successful data
exchange among healthcare providers.
3. Connection to Course
• For better understanding of course topic under data
management and interoperability.
• A component needed for healthcare professionals’
education.
4. Topic Importance to Healthcare
• It is essential that healthcare providers recognized problems
associated to exchange of health information.
• Healthcare providers can strategize on eliminating barriers
to exchange of data.
• Healthcare providers can adopt standards to improve
interoperability among themselves.
5. Data Exchange in Healthcare
• The ability to access and share secured health information
among different healthcare providers wherever a patient
seeks care.
6. Models of Health Exchange in Healthcare
• Direct Model: Point-to-point communication with other healthcare
providers
• Query or “Pull” Model: Extract information from any location
• Consumer-Mediated Model: For active participating consumers via:
Secured consumer e-mail
Secured portal through electronic health record (EHR)
7. Building blocks for Interoperability
Fig. 1: (Gibbs, Gilreath, Kimbrough, & Vila, 2010)
8. Benefits of Data Exchange
• To maintain affordable healthcare cost
• Improving accuracy of exchanged health information
• Improve the delivery of quality of healthcare and its ancillary
processes
• Ensures quick access, accurate, and secured health information
9. Barriers to Data Exchange
• Lack of interoperability
• High cost of developing and maintaining interfaces
• Privacy and liability concerns
• Lack of similar standards among HER vendors
• Law Regulations e.g. HIPAA rules on sharing of health
information
11. Conclusion
Data exchange is envisioned to improve delivery of healthcare for
positive health outcomes, but different problems, practices and
regulations hinder the achievement of purpose. To ensure effective
data exchange, collaborative efforts of the government and all entities
involved in the management of patient’s health information is required
to achieve the national goal of interoperability.
12. References
• Empire E-Solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved Nov. 12, 2014, from Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Gibbs, M., Gilreath, H., Kimbrough, M., & Vila, J. (2010). CISCO. Retrieved Nov. 12, 2014,
from CISCO:
http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/healthcare/ANewApproachtoHealthcareInterope
rablility.pdf
• Gottlieb, L. K., Stone, E. M., Stone, D., Dunbrack, L. A., & Calladine, J. (2005). Regulatory and
Policy Barriers to Effective Clinical Data Exchange: Lessons Learned from MedsInfo-ED.
Health Affairs, 24(5), 1197-1204.
• Grantham, D., (2013). Confidentiality alternatives for exchanging electronic medical records
take shape: progress is accelerating, though large-scale solutions appear years away.
Behavioral Healthcare, 33(3), 37.
• McCann, E., (2012, October 5). HealthcareIT News. Retrieved from HealthcareIT News:
