Interoperability in healthcare: Towards an interconnected future

Interoperability in healthcare – the ability of health systems and stakeholders to securely exchange and use data – remains a longstanding yet underachieved goal in the digitalisation of health systems. This paper analyses international practices across OECD countries to support efficient, equitable, and impactful data use and sharing. Drawing on interviews, a survey, desk research, and expert consultations, the report highlights both the barriers and leading practices at the level of people, policy, processes, and technology. The paper outlines opportunities at local, regional, national, and cross-border levels of health data exchange, focusing on stakeholder engagement, individual empowerment, global governance to guide interoperability efforts, collaboration, and the need for legislative foundations. The full value of interoperability is estimated to be between 2.7% and 6.6% of health expenditure annually as per OECD country estimates. Realising it requires a shift from implementation of health information systems to meet the needs of individual facilities towards implementation within an integrated digital health ecosystem centred around the patient. This shift can enable data to follow patients across the care continuum and allow for timelier reuse of data for public benefit, with protections. While technical challenges have historically been prioritised, findings suggest that interoperability is inherently a people (e.g. governance, trust, adoption) and leadership challenge and highlights an opportunity to rethink interoperability as a driver of economic growth and healthier populations. Keys to success are the establishment of trusted health data networks and sustained investment in standards, governance, and data quality to enable scalable and meaningful health system transformation.