SEEDIE invites industry insiders to provide commentary on the value of certification on our blog. The following post is from Brantley Whittington, CEO of EHR vendor Extormity.

Much is made these days in healthcare IT circles about interoperability. This so-called “holy grail” has lulled many into believing that EHR systems should be able to easily and inexpensively exchange data using standard communication protocols.

Our company, Extormity, sells a suite of EMR software solutions, and we can’t keep all the acronyms straight! I can’t explain the difference between an HL7, a CCR and an XPHR, and I do this for a living! In fact, we tried to participate in some interoperability exhibitions at a few conferences, and we couldn’t make our systems talk with those from other vendors. We also took a look at CCHITSM Certification, and quickly realized there was no way we could meet 263 criteria in 40 some categories. We’re all for certification, but what’s wrong with setting the bar low? Why does CCHIT have to make certification so rigorous?

We threw up our hands and decided to work with other like minded vendors to start our own organization – SEEDIE. This “take our ball and go home” approach puts the power where it belongs – in the hands of a few very large, very profitable companies who know how to build the complex, proprietary systems required to turn the EHR space into a multi-billion dollar market in a short period of time.

Is interoperability a pipe dream? Absolutely not.

Is interoperability expensive? We think it should be! We believe that true interoperability requires organizational will and a tremendous amount of money from customers to fund it. Given enough in custom integration fees, we can build an interface that will allow our EMR to exchange clinical data with a toaster oven. It all boils down to dollars and desire.

EHR vendors who tout plug and play interoperability are eroding the potential value of the healthcare IT market. Look for the SEEDIE seal when you select an EHR partner, and you will know with confidence that your added investment will support aggressive industry growth forecasts.