In order for EHR to be successful the cost of data exchange between different systems have to go down to a lower level then before. According to government IT, there is currently an attempt to create a standard for information exchange.
According to the article:
“But each year, we will get more constrained,” he said. “We are going from a $20,000 -$30,000 venture hopefully to $5,000-$10,000.”
Speaking at a Sept. 8 HITSP board meeting, Halamka said that costs of a software interface between disparate systems could fall dramatically as vendors reduce variations by applying standards for meaningful use of electronic health records.
Previously there is an attempt at with the HL7 standard. Hopefully the new standard they come up will address the issues encountered by HL7.