Why interoperability matters in healthcare IT?
Modern healthcare depends on data that flows freely and safely across departments, organisations, and systems.
Without it, clinicians work with incomplete information, patients face repeated tests and delayed treatments, and healthcare providers are locked into rigid systems.
Interoperability is the foundation for:
- Coordinated, continuous care across different settings
- Accurate, real-time insights for clinical decision making
- Empowering patients with access to their data
- Building an ecosystem of innovative applications on top of a reliable data layer
Achieving true interoperability requires open standards – agreed ways of representing, storing and exchanging data.
Open standards: The building blocks of the Postmodern EHR
The Postmodern EHR approach relies on open standards to make sure data is structured, shareable, and future-proof.
The three most important standards in this model are openEHR, FHIR and SNOMED TC.
openEHR: The foundation for clinical data
openEHR is the cornerstone of the postmodern EHR. It defines how clinical data is structured, stored, and made available for decades to come.
Key principles:
- Clinical data persistence
openEHR separates data from applications. Data is stored in a vendor-neutral clinical data repository (CDR), ensuring that information is safe, structured, and accessible even as applications evolve. - Clinically-led data models
Clinical concepts (archetypes and templates) are defined by clinicians and experts, not software vendors. This ensures that data models reflect real-world medical practice and can adapt as knowledge advances. - Longevity and continuity
Data stored in openEHR is designed to remain usable for decades, independent of the system used to capture it. - Semantic interoperability
Standardised data models mean that any application built on openEHR can understand and use the data without complex integrations.
Why this matters:
- Prevents vendor lock-in
- Enables advanced analytics and decision support on a complete, longitudinal patient record
- Provides a single source of truth that other applications and services can rely on
In essence, openEHR future-proofs your clinical data.
FHIR: Enabling operational data and exchange
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a widely adopted standard for exchanging healthcare information in a modern, API-based way.
Where openEHR focuses on persistent clinical data and clincal data exchange, FHIR focuses on fast, flexible data exchange and operational data persistence
What FHIR brings:
- Interoperable APIs for exchanging data between different systems and organisations
- Support for operational data workflows, such as scheduling, demographics, and medication orders
- Widely used in national and regional programmes to connect disparate systems quickly
FHIR is especially effective for operational and short-lived data that does not need to be stored long term. When combined with openEHR, it creates a powerful partnership:
- openEHR for persistent, high-quality clinical data
- FHIR for exchanging and accessing operational data across systems
SNOMED CT: A global clinical vocabulary
SNOMED CT provides a comprehensive, standardised clinical terminology.
- Covers diseases, symptoms, procedures, findings, medications and more
- Ensures consistent meaning regardless of language or local variations
- Enhances decision support, analytics, and research by making data more precise and computable
When used together with openEHR, SNOMED CT enriches structured data with clear, unambiguous meaning.
Other key standards
While openEHR, FHIR and SNOMED CT are central to our platform, other important standards also play a role:
- DICOM – for medical imaging
- OMOP – for standardised datasets used in research
- IHE profiles – for specific interoperability workflows
- HL7 v2 – a long-standing messaging standard still used in many hospitals
- LOINC – for laboratory and clinical observations
- ICD – for coding diagnoses and reporting
These standards complement each other, helping to ensure interoperability across every aspect of healthcare.
Open standards in action
A Postmodern EHR built on open standards delivers:
- One longitudinal patient record that can be used across multiple applications
- Easier integration of legacy and new systems
- A marketplace of interoperable apps that can work on the same shared data
- Confidence that your data will outlast any single application
Ready to unlock the full potential of open standards?
Talk to our experts about how openEHR, FHIR, and SNOMED can transform your organisation’s data strategy and create a foundation for safer, smarter, and more connected care.
