Interoperability: the key to the future health care system

The United States is building a point-of-care health information system to rival the worldwide network of electronic banking. Through health care information exchange and interoperability, clinicians will have access to a longitudinal medical record. This interoperability is a fundamental requirement for the health care system to derive the societal benefits promised by the adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs). The paper by Jan Walker and colleagues highlights some of these benefits. One critical question is whether the adoption of EMRs needs to wait for interoperability standards or whether it can proceed efficiently without them.