Medical Interoperability: How Data Sharing Improves Care and Patient Experience

Imagine someone gets injured while vacationing out of town, is taken to a local emergency room for treatment, and upon discharge is told to follow up with their family doctor after returning home. However, if the family doctor cannot access the patient’s emergency room visit information, they can only rely on the patient’s own recollection. This may lead to the doctor ordering repeat tests that the patient has already undergone, wasting both time and money.

Healthcare interoperability changes this scenario. As Dr. Patrick Guffey, Chief Informatics and Outcomes Officer at UCHealth, puts it: "Interoperability refers to our ability to instantly exchange information between IT systems such as electronic health records." With interoperability, healthcare providers can gain a comprehensive view of a patient’s medical history, avoiding duplicate tests or treatment delays caused by tracing medical history.

The Core Standard of Interoperability: HL7 FHIR

Among the many healthcare data exchange standards, FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is one of the most widely adopted. Developed by the global standards organization Health Level Seven International, FHIR allows different systems (such as electronic health record systems) to exchange medical information in a unified format, regardless of how each system stores data internally. Guffey points out, "FHIR enables applications to communicate with each other and clearly define what they are sharing."

How Interoperability Directly Improves Patient Outcomes and Experiences

According to a recent white paper by CDW, healthcare remains highly fragmented at both patient and clinician levels. This issue is widespread: a survey of over 2,000 physicians found that only 8% believe it is very easy to obtain information from different EHR systems.

Interoperability enables more coordinated and integrated care. Patients can transition efficiently through every stage, from admission and discharge to follow-up. End-point solutions integrated with EHRs ensure clinicians have accurate information wherever they deliver care. Guffey emphasizes: "To fully understand a patient’s medical history, seamless interoperability between systems is critical."

Interoperability not only makes it easy for healthcare teams to access patient information but also benefits patients themselves. When patients can view their medication lists, medical records, and past and future appointments in one place, they become informed participants and active agents in their own care. "We enable patients to view their own medical information," says Guffey.

Interoperability: The Foundation for AI and Data Initiatives

The volume of data accumulated by patients is growing, including admission reports, lab results, and outpatient follow-up summaries. "This information has already exceeded what humans can reasonably process," Guffey states. With interoperability as a foundation, AI tools can quickly access and summarize large datasets. AI can also provide source links for information, allowing human verification of accuracy and completeness.

NVIDIA is currently developing computing architectures that enable AI agents not only to summarize datasets but also to analyze data and make informed recommendations.NVIDIA is currently developing computational architectures that enable AI agents not only to summarize datasets but also to analyze data and provide informed recommendations. David Niewolny, Director of Healthcare Business Development at NVIDIA, explains: "In the future of agentic AI in hospitals, AI agents will no longer just be tools that generate outputs—they will generate outputs and take actions." These AI sub-agents are each responsible for specific areas of care (such as radiology or surgery) and then communicate with a higher-level overarching AI agent, ultimately "making decisions like a human."

Barriers to Seamless Data Exchange

The proliferation of systems is one of the main challenges. While various systems offer more pathways to access medical information, not all systems can communicate with each other. Guffey notes: "We have numerous vendors developing their own systems, each with different code."

Another challenge is the difference in data definitions. Different healthcare institutions use varying medical terminology, leading to discrepancies in data that can amplify over time. To address this, healthcare institutions need to establish rigorous data governance mechanisms to ensure data hygiene, while also conducting data training. "We want to educate care team members to use the same up-to-date definitions and standards, ensuring clear information flow," says Guffey.

Steps for Health Systems to Advance Interoperability

As board chair of Contexture, the largest health information exchange organization in Arizona and Colorado, Guffey recommends that healthcare institutions participate in cross-institutional electronic health information exchange. "Freely share information," he says.

Institutions can also advance interoperability maturity through change management, especially regarding agentic AI. Niewolny suggests: "Acceptance and comfort take time." He advises institutions to start piloting agentic AI technologies.

Finally, "share as much information as possible with patients," says Guffey. "Patients will tell you if the information is accurate. Involve patients, because the ultimate goal of healthcare IT is to improve patients' lives."

Looking Ahead

As healthcare data volumes continue to grow, interoperability is shifting from "nice-to-have" to "must-have." It is not only the cornerstone of improving care efficiency and patient experience but also a prerequisite for AI-driven healthcare innovation. Regulators are also pushing for stricter data exchange standards (such as the CMS interoperability rules in the U.S.), and capital is flowing toward companies that can deliver truly seamless integration solutions. In the next three to five years, we are likely to see more FHIR-based applications, cross-organizational health information exchange networks, and AI-powered clinical decision support systems go live. The maturity of interoperability will directly determine whether the healthcare industry can fulfill its digital promise.