Mar 10
2015
WEDI to Assess Industry Interoperability Perceptions and Readiness
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), the nation’s leading nonprofit authority on the use of health IT to create efficiencies in healthcare information exchange, announced the release of a health information exchange value and return-on-investment (ROI) survey. As a response to the call for comments to the interoperability roadmap recently released by the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT, the survey is intended to gauge current electronic information exchange efforts, pinpoint challenges to interoperable exchange and measure support for a national patient identifier among health plan, provider and vendor organizations.
“The purpose of this important WEDI survey is to help understand – from the perspective of major healthcare sectors – where we are now in regards to interoperability and what respondents believe the value is of enhanced data exchange capabilities,” said Devin Jopp, Ed.D, president and CEO, WEDI. “We’re also asking industry leaders to share with us their perspectives on the national patient identifier, which was required under HIPAA but never developed. The results of this survey will not only shape our discussions with ONC, but also our efforts to promote industry-developed solutions that will lead to enhanced clinical care and improved administrative efficiencies.”
Industry stakeholders are invited to participate in this critical initiative to assist WEDI in identifying obstacles to interoperability and developing recommendations to improve the flow of data. The survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/valueHIE. The final submission deadline is March 23, after which the survey results will be evaluated and compiled into a report for the industry.
About WEDI
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) is the leading authority on the use of health IT to improve healthcare information exchange in order to enhance the quality of care, improve efficiency, and reduce costs of our nation’s healthcare system. WEDI was formed in 1991 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was designated in the 1996 HIPAA legislation as an advisor to HHS. WEDI’s membership includes a broad coalition of organizations, including: hospitals, providers, health plans, vendors, government agencies, consumers, not-for-profit organizations, and standards development organizations. To learn more, visit www.wedi.org and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.