Cornerstone Summit produces interoperability measurement & long-term road map

Industry experts and influencers committed to continue working toward interoperability benchmark

A new interoperability benchmark and measurement model to assess performance and progress was established at the recent KLAS Cornerstone Summit. The framework, agreed upon by industry representatives, is largely based on the 2016 Interoperability KLAS study design, which focuses on the clinical end users’ experience related to the following: (1) availability of needed information, (2) ease of locating records, (3) ability to view outside records within the clinical workflow and (4) impact on patient care. The five-level reporting structure will allow for easy communication to the industry about current positions and improvements in interoperability progress. Implementation of the framework is scheduled to begin in 2017.

Participants also recommended an expanded interoperability measurement road map to include the sharing of information from and between post–acute care facilities, the gathering of feedback from clinicians regarding interoperable information utility, and medical device integration and effective use.

The Cornerstone Summit was held August 24–25, 2016 at Snowbird Resort in Utah a month before the KLAS Interoperability report is scheduled to publish. The report highlights significant interoperability immaturities with preliminary findings serving as a starting point for discussion among the cross-industry team of providers, vendors, ONC leadership and other HIT facilitator organizations who participated in the Summit. Executives came together to strengthen future measures and document goals for interoperability progress.

“We are extremely pleased with the engagement and feedback from healthcare industry leaders, including our federal partners, further advancing our joint efforts to measure interoperability,” said Tim Zoph, Independent Chair of the KLAS Interoperability Measurement Advisory Team (IMAT). “As a result of our conference work sessions and consensus building, we affirmed our current interoperability survey approach with agreed-upon modification, advanced a new performance scorecard to measure vendor and collective performance and crafted an initial long-term measurement framework that will expand the measurement dimensions to encompass the breadth of interoperability for our industry. We look forward to continuing our work together as we recognize that the collective perspectives and talent in the industry must come together to address the challenges of interoperability. Our conference attendees are committed to measuring and facilitating the flow of healthcare information, improving its usability and ultimately impacting the efficiency and effectiveness of patient care.”

About KLAS
KLAS is a research and insights firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by amplifying the provider's voice. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals and clinicians, KLAS gathers data and insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver timely reports, trends and statistical overviews. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Follow KLAS on Twitter.