Many of you have already tackled a healthcare IT integration project.  Chances are you have experienced a varying combination of success, challenges, and surprises.  As systems and standards get smarter, you might think the process is getting easier.  Is that right?

Yes, the process is getting easier in some respects. Tools such as healthcare integration engines are making the technical connectivity aspects easier to overcome. But the easing of the technical aspects are shining a light on the non technical; the challenges and surprises like data sharing policies, IT resource competition, data quality and workflows.

Here are three questions you must answer before beginning an integration project.

Question #1 – Who is in control?  

You need to be in control.  If you are tasked with the responsibility of solving a data integration problem or harnessing a data integration opportunity, then you need to be able to pull the levers needed to achieve success.  To assess who is in control, rate your situation based upon these questions on a scale of one (lowest) to five (highest).

• Do I believe that this integration will meet my organization’s use case(s)?
• Do I have confidence that changes can be made to the integration easily?
• Will I have the flexibility to use the data connections and data flows for future use cases?
• Do I feel like I have the support I need to build, test, and deploy the integration?
• Do I have comfort in the pricing and resources needed to maintain and use the integration capabilities in the future?

If you tally your ratings, those of you scoring toward the maximum 25 points should feel pretty prepared and in control.  We recommend those with lower scores take steps ASAP to boost their confidence and create a comfortable, sustainable situation.

Question #2 – What will the end-user experience be like?

Successful integrations all boil down to one core component – will the end result give the end-users what they need?  Will that doctor see what she needs to take the right action? Will the testing facility have the right order, for the right patient?  Will the patient be able to access their clinical information? Your job as the one responsible for integrations is to make sure the end-user experience is documented, tested, and confirmed by the end-users before the integration is built.  There is no better way to spec-out an integration requirement than to do so using use-case driven experiences. We recommend the creation of an integration design document to help you validate end user workflow requirements and to provide the blueprint for the engineers.

Question #3 – Do I have the right technology?

If you feel like you are in control and have your end-user experiences and use-cases documented, then the next step is to verify you have systems in place that can make the necessary data exchange happen – securely and reliably.

If you have two potentially  “interoperable” technologies, make sure the type of data and the format of data between the two systems is compatible.  However, if you find out that there needs to be a data translation in order for the information to flow correctly, then you need to do one of two things.  

• {not recommended, but an option…}  Work with your vendor(s) to customize one of the data feeds or import/export capabilities to make it work.  Although this may work initially, these point-to-point customizations are prone to maintenance nightmares and outages.
• {recommended option…}  Identify a healthcare data interface engine that can give you flexibility to ingest or “catch” data from one system and reshape and route the data to your other systems.  This will help keep you in control and give you flexibility to adjust as your use-cases change and expand. It also allows you to more efficiently monitor and scale your interfaces.

With changes in interoperability and expanding use-cases in today’s health IT landscape, don’t be afraid to ask the “do I have the right technology” question.  Also, don’t be afraid to ask the “do I have the right expertise” question, either.  Plug-n-play technologies and services expertise can quickly bring the right widgets and people to a project and drive quick success.

A Question for You.

We’d love to hear your thoughts. What questions do you answer for every integration project request that hits your desk?  What advice can you share with others?