Despite decades of effort, healthcare interoperability remains an unfinished project — and physicians feel the consequences daily. When patient data can’t move seamlessly between systems, doctors are left piecing together incomplete medical histories, ordering redundant tests, and making decisions without a full clinical picture. A recent physician sentiment survey found that 95% of physicians said getting the right clinical information at the right time is very important to them, yet only 28% said sending and receiving patient data on a different EHR system works well. Faxing information is still a major part of sharing healthcare information in medical practices.

The fragmentation stems from a mix of technical, governance, and competitive barriers. Progress is being made, however. The 21st Century Cures Act prohibits information blocking by healthcare providers, and enforcement has intensified — hospitals that unreasonably impede data sharing could lose 75% of their Medicare annual payment update. The CMS Advancing Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule, with full API requirements due by January 2027, is also pushing payers and providers toward greater data exchange compliance. But experts agree significant gaps remain.

Sandra Johnson, senior vice president, CliniComp, spoke with Medical Economics about interoperability challenges and what needs to change to solve them.

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