In the last twenty years, the medical industry made a major adjustment that improved patient care: they’re sharing information. While not eliminated, test duplication for patients has been slashed. Rarely now do doctors order repetitious tests or scans, wasting the time and money (usually the patients’). It’s not perfect and it’s not universal yet, but the fabled “electronic medical record” is closer to a reality than ever.

When you’re a patient, whether with diabetes or a broken bone, having all your doctors working off the same medical information about you is not just a convenience; it can be a life saver. The medical industry is an individualized way of understanding the importance of interoperability of systems – and the great advances that can be realized when systems work together to effectively share data.

Data mapping – the process of matching data fields between two or more systems – provides a plethora of benefits, from time savings to elimination of data entry errors to reduction of manpower costs. Data mapping helps users develop a consistent and unified data model for a data-driven project.

While it’s valuable, at the same time data mapping is also a tedious and time consuming task when done manually, which is why utilizing platforms that have that capability built in makes solid business sense.

Most platforms provide a built-in function to export data to systems sharing compatibility and interoperability, but it’s worth the effort to confirm accuracy when you first start utilizing these functions – not just for accuracy but for personal peace of mind. For systems that don’t have an obvious and user-friendly method for sharing data, third-party applications can offer assistance, or you can contact the vendors involved to see if their tech support department has an available workaround.