Health information exchange and interoperability. The reference for this presentation unless otherwise noted is Chapter 5 of the optional Hoyt text. We will consider these key points, interoperability and exchange, vision and progress, and interprofessional opportunity. Key point one, interoperability and exchange. Health information exchange is defined as the ability of two or more system or components to exchange information. And to use the information that has been exchanged. Health information exchange is a vital part of modernizing our health care system. As informatisists, we know that exchange is only part of the challenge. To ensure the information that has been exchanged can be used it is essential to use semantic tools that provide definitions, and thus support information operability. Key point two, vision and progress. Toward the vision of advancing health information and exchange and operating ability. The US governement has funded projects in 17 selected communities throughout the United States. These 17 communities have established track records of secure, private and accurate systems of EHR adoption and health information exchange. The project's focus on building and strengthening the health IT infrastructure and exchange capabilities within these communities. In the Beacon Community Program, each project starts with community outcomes. With very specific goals not for a hospital, or for a clinic, but for an entire community. The community decides how to apply information technology in order to achieve the desired outcomes. What are beacon communities doing? Here in Minnesota, we're engaging care delivery partners and testing new models for community wide health information exchange capability. Daniel Jensen, Associate Director of Olmsted County Public Health provides an overview of the public health work being done in southeast Minnesota to build and expand health information exchange. Some of these projects include a school nurse portal, a public health nursing portal. A clinical data repository, case manager notification at the point of clinical hospital admission or ED visit, ED in-reach social worker case finding, and medication reconciliation. Explore a Beacon Community Program near you, or provide another health information exchanging interoperability example. Consider the interprofessional and population health aspects of the exchange and comment on them in this week's discussion. Compare your example to another. What themes emerge? Key point three, interprofessional opportunity. Well, few examples are fully functional. The Beacon Community Program demonstrates the disparate services can be integrated in health information exchange models. To achieve meaningful, inter-professional health information exchange, data standards are critical. As informaticists, we know that terminology standards can enable meaningful information exchange across professions. Achieving a professional interoperability will require shared terminology standards across professions. Health information exchange is a vital part of modernizing our healthcare system. But health information exchange is not the same as health information interoperability. Both components are essential to the success of any health information exchange and interoperability project. In this presentation, we considered three key points interoperability and exchange, vision and progress, and interprofessional opportunity. These key points are fundamental for advancing the notion of interprofessional health information interoperability.