Interoperability Key Informant Interview Summary Report 

Interoperability is an important process that can enable providers to connect and share information with other providers and specialists to guide better decision making, improve quality of care, and increase involvement of patients in their own healthcare processes. The sharing and appropriate use of information, specifically electronic information, are important aspects of healthcare. NQF will develop a common framework and measure concepts to serve as a foundation to address the current gaps in the measurement of interoperability and its impact. As a first step, NQF conducted an environmental scan of the literature as a guide to understanding the key components of interoperability. The key informant interviews supplemented the environmental scan and helped fill gaps related to identifying examples of the current realities of interoperability. The findings from the key informant interviews will help inform the development of the foundational measurement framework by providing insight into the key components necessary to develop new measures that objectively assess the ability of disparate data systems to exchange information and use of the data to affect quality of care.