By Didi Davis, Vice President of Informatics, Conformance & Interoperability with the Sequoia Project

When folks talk about interoperability, the conversation is usually focused on the “why” or the “how” for health information exchange. The Sequoia Project, in partnership with AHIMA and health IT organizations participating in the Data Usability Taking Root Movement, is expanding the dialogue to “what” data is exchanged, and how we can ensure it is accurate, complete, usable, and in alignment with current regulations.

At this point in the evolution of health information exchange in the U.S., we all know the promise of improved patient experience and potentially improved patient care when data flows securely and appropriately to those who need it. There are networks and service providers in the robust health IT market to make it easier than ever to share data. The next step is to focus on data quality and usability.

Now is the time to commit to a higher degree of data quality for end users whether they are general practitioners on Main Street, payers evaluating care gaps, or artificial intelligence (AI) platforms.

Now is the time to commit to a higher degree of data quality for end users whether they are general practitioners on Main Street, payers evaluating care gaps, or artificial intelligence (AI) platforms.

• Data provenance and traceability of changes
• Effective use of codes
• Reducing the impact of duplicates
• Data integrity, format, and trust
• Data tagging and/or searchability
• Effective use of narrative for usability

In 2023, more than 60 pioneers joined The Sequoia Project’s Data Usability Taking Root Movement, to advance data usability as a national strategy. These early adopters are set to begin implementing the Data Usability Implementation Guide v1 at their own pace beginning this spring, choosing from the below data usability categories based on their own capabilities, strategic plans, and priorities:

To support these early adopters as they lead the way, The Sequoia Project convenes a monthly community of practice. This forum shares best practices, real-world experiences, and lessons learned to guide the prioritization and development of technical assistance tools and resources. The top three technical assistance needs identified to achieve a higher standard of data usability for 2024 are:

• Data Usability Implementation Guide v1 Performance Score Card (released January 2024)
• Current State Evaluation Tools
• Testing/Conformance Tools and Services

The community collaborated on developing a performance score card to collectively measure the impact of implementations, is currently working on a tool to aid organizations in evaluating their current state of data usability, and a first-of-its-kind data usability content validator will be available by the end of March. The ambitious strategic plan includes the creation of an industry-leading data usability certification.

The momentum of the Data Usability Taking Root Movement continues to build. Each month more organizations step up to finally deliver on interoperability’s many promises of better outcomes, better patient experience, and more cost-effective care.