Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise
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| Abbreviation | IHE |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1998 |
| Legal status | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | Oak Brook, Illinois |
| Website | www |
Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) is a non-profit organization based in the US state of Illinois. It sponsors an initiative by the healthcare industry to improve the way computer systems share information. IHE was established in 1998 by a consortium of radiologists and information technology (IT) experts.
IHE created and operates a process through which interoperability of health care IT systems can be improved. The group gathers case requirements, identifies available standards, and develops technical guidelines which manufacturers can implement. IHE also stages "connectathons" and "interoperability showcases" in which vendors assemble to demonstrate the interoperability of their products.
IHE is sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The eye care domain is sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
IHE integration profiles describe a clinical information need or workflow scenario and document how to use established standards to accomplish it. A group of systems that implement the same integration profile address the need/scenario in a mutually compatible way.
For example, the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards specify many different formats for image data. A given set of images that might comply with some optional parts of the standards might still not be accepted by an application in use by a particular radiologist. Profiles reduce the chances of these incompatibilities.
The Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) standard codes for use in databases are often used in IHE profiles.
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