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A newly-announced collaboration between two key players in the field seems to point to signs of change.

PCHAlliance and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise seek to enhance continuity of care by working on mobile health apps and personal health monitoring devices.

Key European eHealth interoperability experts gathered in Brussels, Belgium, last week to discuss a multi-stakeholder initiative that could allow a one-time interoperability testing of eHealth products with mutual recognition across the EU and beyond. New usages, new technologies, an ageing population and many other factors have contributed to a change in healthcare, leading to more connectivity between systems and an increasing need for interoperability. Organised by the EURO-CAS project partners under the Horizon 2020 European research and innovation programme, including, among others, Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise Europe (IHE Europe), Agence eSanté Luxembourg, the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR) and Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance), attendees looked at the potential use and scale of introducing a Conformity Assessment Scheme for Europe (CASforEU) based on existing well-used norms and standards to overcome interoperability challenges in the healthcare sector. Webinar: Interoperability Sets the Foundation for Care Coordination Dr Ceri Thomson, Head of Policy Sector, eHealth, Well-Being and Ageing at DG Connect, European Commission, stressed the importance of breaking down data silos and estimated that CASforEU could contribute to the key pillars for the transformation of digital health and care.  There are currently several examples of best practice of cross-border health information exchanges in the field of ePrescriptions and patient summaries that could be extended to other use cases, such as laboratory tests, images, discharge letters – but these are all subject to fundamental underpinning infrastructures being in place, Dr Thomson explained. CASforEU governance. Source: EURO-CAS project “Workshops in several Members States confirmed the need for pragmatic interoperability testing, and CASforEU as a solution," said Karima Bourquard, IHE-Europe Director of Interoperability. Assessing conformance to a common set of standards is critical for the future. A scheme like CASforEU could avoid costly and time-consuming need for re-testing across different countries and regions, it was argued. “The EURO-CAS Organization will drive CASforEU and be the place where procurers, vendors, users and all interested parties from all Europe can meet to ensure optimal applicability," added Samuel Danhardt, Interoperability Expert at Agence eSanté Luxembourg. For more harmonisation, CASforEU will be aligned with other existing international schemes, such as IHE-CAS and PCHAlliance’s Continua Certification, relying on ISO/IEC 17025 accredited test laboratories for EU-wide recognition. As discussed at the meeting, when put in practice, healthcare providers could procure CASforEU products or request testing before buying to ensure interoperability, and vendors would only need to do the CASforEU test once to access the Digital Single Market. Anett Molnar is a Senior Manager, Public Policy and Engagement, for HIMSS EMEA.

Health and Human Services policies supporting value-based purchasing rely upon interoperability and HIEs. The day-long pre-conference event will focus on coordinating these to create a learning health system.

Our roundup of the education sessions, Interop Showcase and other events at the 2017 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando this February.  

HIMSS Executive Vice President Carla Smith and PCHA EVP Patricia Mechael caution against applying the phrase to all digital health apps and tools. Instead, executives and innovators should work to align emerging technologies with consumer demand.

HIMSS delegates from states across the country are heading up to Capitol Hill Thursday with three "asks" for health IT. They've discussed in several private committee meetings how they would approach the lawmakers or -- in several cases -- the lawmakers' staffers.

Technologists have worked for years to break down data silos in healthcare. Then, just as it seemed they were starting to figure out interoperability, along comes a flood of mobile health apps that simply don't connect to anything.

Standards organization Continua Health Alliance made available its most recent 2014 design guidelines. They were approved by The International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies.

HIMSS Board Chair and Partners HealthCare deputy CIO Scott MacLean on Monday revealed a new collaboration between the Continua Health Alliance, HIMSS and the mHealth Summit.