Healtheway Interoperability Initiative Will Push For Standardized Connectivity

Healtheway, the nonprofit public/private collaborative chartered to advance the nationwide implementation of interoperable health information exchange, has unveiled a new initiative to bring the industry together to provide a standardized framework for connectivity.

According to a Feb. 24 announcement unveiled at HIMSS14 in Orlando, Fla., the initiative, named Carequality, will "facilitate agreement on a common national-level set of requirements that will enable providers to access patient data from other groups as easily and securely as today's bank customers connect to disparate banks and user accounts on the ATM network."

Twenty-six organizations from across the spectrum--including Epic, Kaiser Permanente, Walgreens and Intermountain Healthcare--have signed on as founding members. Another 16 entities have expressed support for the project.