Interoperability Services
Connecting Health Information for Better Outcomes
Altarum has been helping public health programs integrate data for two decades. We understand the complexities of incorporating patient information from multiple sources while providing the tools and functionality to conduct data analysis and care coordination. We have hands-on experience developing Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) solutions, collaborating with major electronic health record (EHR) vendors, and working closely with interoperability standards organizations.
Achieving seamless interoperability is key to improving the public health infrastructure and each organization faces unique challenges. Regardless of where you are on the interoperability spectrum—just beginning the journey or seeking to refine existing processes—Altarum can provide services and support:
- HL7 Standards Development—we work with IT implementers and public health programs through the HL7 standards organization to create new data exchange standards. We’re proficient in HL7 version 2, CCDAs, and FHIR specifications.
- Readiness Assessments and Roadmap Development—we conduct thorough "as-is" assessments, documenting existing workflows, IT infrastructure, staff skills, privacy, security, and data governance protocols and develop a tailored interoperability roadmap to meet your organizations’ goals.
- Implementation and Integration—we implement interoperability roadmaps using agile scrum methodologies. Our expertise includes configuring environments to receive, transform, and translate message and document types for all public health domains. We specialize in integration engines (Rhapsody, Mirth) and build custom tools for data validation and integrity, including SMART-on-FHIR apps.
- Onboarding and Knowledge Transfer— We offer front-line technical assistance, coordinate with hospitals, laboratories, and other potential submitters, while monitoring those in production. Our onboarding services include connectivity, message/file format, and data quality assurance testing. Beyond onboarding, we provide knowledge transfer sessions to ensure public health programs are self-reliant and prepared for data influxes.
See examples of our impactful work below.
Our Interoperability Services in Practice
Improving Newborn Screening Through Interoperability
Altarum provides technical assistance to states to advance connectivity between state public health newborn screening programs and health care providers.
More DetailsPublic Health Interoperability Training Resource Catalog
Together with a group of committed volunteers, Altarum administers a single-source, easily-accessible library of public health interoperability training resources.
More DetailsImproving Speed and Accuracy of Childhood Lead Poisoning Surveillance
Altarum is leading efforts to efficiently track lead poisoning data that flow into the Michigan Childhood Lead Poisoning Surveillance System.
More DetailsAdvancing Public Health Standards for Data Exchange and Reporting
Altarum is helping states advance their interoperability and public health reporting and monitoring capabilities through its work with the HL7 standards community.
More DetailsRelated News and Insights
The latest HSEI briefs note that personal health care spending fell for the month from December 2024 to January 2025, prescription drug prices in February had the highest year-over-year increase since 2017, physician services prices for Medicare patients showed the first year-over-year increase in three years, and health care employment has continued its steady growth.
The latest HSEI briefs note that national health spending grew by 7.4% for the entire year of 2024, prescription drug prices show greatest increase since 2017, and employment in nursing and residential care facilities exceeds pre-pandemic levels for the first time.
Altarum and the Citizens Research Council of Michigan today released "Health Challenges and Opportunities," the third in a series of five papers. The research series, "Michigan’s Path to a Prosperous Future: Challenges and Opportunities," addresses a variety of recent statewide trends, from population change to health outcomes to infrastructure quality, many of which are progressing unfavorably, and how Michigan can support a more prosperous, thriving future.
The latest HSEI briefs note that spending growth for home health care continues to exceed overall growth in personal health care spending, economy-wide inflation continues to outpace health care price increases, and health care jobs continue steady growth while employment in other industries has been fluctuating.
The latest HSEI briefs note that new CMS data report that national health spending grew by 7.5% in 2023, economy-wide inflation has overtaken health care price increases, and health care jobs continue steady climb.
The latest HSEI briefs show that a decline in GDP caused a widening gap with health care spending, health care prices have continued to increase faster than overall inflation, and health care job growth offset job losses in all other industries.
Related Events
Public Health Interoperability experts from Altarum, who are industry leaders in the practices of surveillance and epidemiology, will attend the 2025 Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists annual conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Join Altarum at the 2025 Naphsis Annual Meeting, the comprehensive conference for government workers in the vital records industry from May 12-14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
Altarum’s Robert Breig will be attending the Open Forum: Next Generation Conference of the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI).