Is openEHR the answer to interoperability in healthcare? Strengths and limitations
openEHR solves interoperability problems by ensuring data is standardized at the source. Here's what it can — and cannot — do for your organization.
By Marc van Aalten, Interoperability Expert at Interoplab
Imagine a healthcare system where institutions seamlessly exchange information — regardless of which system they use or where the data comes from. That ideal is the driving force behind many interoperability initiatives. But how you get there is the question.
The problem is at the source
The typical approach: extract data from source systems, transform it into an intermediate format (like FHIR), and load it into a destination system. ETL, in technical terms. It works — to a point. The drawback: every coupling requires custom work, every update demands maintenance, and every transformation round risks data loss.
The core problem is that data isn’t standardized at recording. Systems use their own data models, own terminology, own field structures. The solution must then be applied afterward — and that’s always repair, never prevention.
openEHR as a preventive approach
openEHR takes a different angle: standardize storage at the source. By recording data in an openEHR-compliant structure — via archetypes and templates — the information is immediately machine-readable and exchangeable, without complex transformation layers.
The benefits:
- No multiple mappings per coupling
- Less maintenance burden when systems update
- Less risk of data loss
- Vendor-independent data model
The practical challenge: many existing systems store data in ways that aren’t openEHR-compliant. Migration isn’t a trivial operation.
Integration with FHIR
openEHR and FHIR® don’t exclude each other. FHIR® excels at communication and exchange; openEHR excels at clinical data modeling and storage. Via FHIRconnect specifications (see our blog on this topic), you can combine both standards — leveraging the strengths of each.
Conclusion
openEHR isn’t a silver bullet. But for organizations that commit to data quality and reusability structurally, it’s a serious option — especially when combined with FHIR® for exchange. The key is: start at the source, not at the end of the pipeline.
Interested in how openEHR fits your situation? Get in touch →