Myth Buster: All Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are Interoperable

MYTH: All Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are interoperable.

FACT: EHR systems may not allow the sharing of information with other systems and may not even use the same terms for pieces of information.  

For two electronic health record (EHR) systems to be interoperable, they must be able to exchange patient and related information and then be able to use the information that was exchanged. The current health information technology (HIT) regulatory landscape does not require interoperable systems.  Furthermore, EHR systems, for the most part, are not designed to communicate with one another, which means that health information stored in one EHR system may not be accessible or usable by another system.e that information. To learn more about challenges with interoperability and steps being taken to overcome them, please read our Myth Buster below.