Data Sharing, EHR Interoperability Keys To Improving Clinical Trials

Panelists at House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing address importance of data transparency

As the complexity of clinical trials continues to grow, increased data sharing and interoperability will become more important, according to panelists participating at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday.  The committee's subcommittee on Health held the hearing, entitled "21st Century Cures: Modernizing Clinical Trials," which focused on how to make clinical trials of new drugs and devices in the U.S. more efficient through science and technology.

Jay Siegel, head of scientific strategy and policy at Johnson & Johnson, said some ways to improve trials include standardization, interoperability, researching how best to compile and use data and reassessment of regulations to protect patients. What's more, he called electronic health record adoption necessary to collect data efficiently.

Sundeep Khosla, director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science at Mayo Clinic, also spoke on the importance of interoperability of EHRs to find participants. He said one way Congress can help with clinical trials is to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate the process for interoperability for EHRs.  The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT currently is working toward healthcare interoperability, but the plan is set to take 10 years. Part of the plan includes clinical data registries, which will be increasingly integrated...