Interoperability Between Devices

The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program https://www.nitrd.gov with support from their National Coordination Office (NCO), and the National Science Foundation, https://www.nsf.gov has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on February 15, 2019.

The RFI is titled “RFI: Action on Interoperability of Medical Devices, Data, and Platforms to Enhance Patient Care”. Submission of Comments on the RFI are due on or before March 15, 2019.

Today, medical devices, EHRs, plus the data generated and stored in these systems are essential to the practice and advancement of modern medicine and healthcare. However, these devices are not interoperable and are unable to effectively interact with each other and to the broader healthcare ecosystem. To remedy the problem, new solutions and approaches are needed from industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations to solve the interoperability issues between medical devices, data, and platforms.

The goal is for the RFI to find answers on how to determine whether a vision of sustained interoperability in the hospital and into the community is feasible and what will it take to realize it. In addition, the RFI looks to examine how users might leverage the existing tools and processes for implementing this future vision.

Interoperability between medical devices and systems will enable new models for monitoring, device interaction, and control to include the development of closed loop, autonomous, and semiautonomous systems.

Go to https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/02/15/2019-02519/request-for-Information-action-on-interoperability-of-medical0devices-data-and-platforms-to-enhance& for more information on the RFI.