Medical Systems Interoperability Demonstrated at HIMSS

Medical Systems Interoperability Demonstrated at HIMSS

With an increasing national focus on the need to bring medical information into the digital age as backdrop, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS; Chicago) once again devoted a major portion of its recently held conference and exhibition to the organization's connectivity and interoperability initiative known as Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE).

IHE was launched in 1998 by HIMSS and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA; Oak Brook, IL). The effort has since been joined by the American College of Cardiology (ACC; Bethesda, MD), which is now a sponsor. Since its formation, IHE has sought to facilitate the introduction and improvement of computer systems that enable the collection, transfer, and storage of vital clinical information. The initiative emphasizes the adoption of industrywide standards that can be systematically implemented across the many local- and wide-area networks that make up the healthcare enterprise.