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Comment by nradov

2 days ago

There are in fact multiple data exchange formats published by standards development organizations including HL7 (V2 Messaging, CDA, FHIR), DirectTrust, NCPDP, DICOM, and X12. Some such as HL7 and DirectTrust are very open, others may require a paid licensing agreement. Usage of some of those standards is mandated by CMS interoperability regulations and/or ASTP (ONC) Health IT Certification requirements.

Beyond the wire formats, in order to eliminate the need for paperwork provider organizations also have to participate in data exchange networks. These include TEFCA, Carequality, eHealth Exchange, and some smaller regional HIEs. It all works fairly well when used correctly but many provider organizations continue to waste administrative effort and abuse their patients by failing to take advantage of the available technology. Like in many cases the necessary functionality is already built in to their EHR/PMS software but they simply don't turn it on or train their users.