What is interoperability?

• A. Privacy regulation
• B. Ability of different health systems to share and use patient data
• C. Security of data
• D. Standardization of EHRs

Answer: (A)

Interoperability is the ability of different health information systems to connect, exchange data, and use that information across organizational boundaries to support patient care. It means clinicians can access a complete, up-to-date view of a patient’s data—no matter which system generated it—across settings like primary care, specialty clinics, and hospitals, leading to better care coordination and fewer duplicated tests. Privacy regulation governs how data can be shared, but it doesn’t describe the capability to exchange data. Security of data focuses on protecting information from unauthorized access and is essential, but separate from the act of sharing data. Standardization of EHRs helps enable interoperability by providing common formats and vocabularies, yet interoperability itself is about the broader ability to share and use data across systems.