Buff Colchagoff, CEO of RosettaHealth, authored his annual holiday article for Health IT Answers, which this year ties in the classic film “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” into what is happening in health data exchange today.

As always, Buff provides creative parallels between popular culture and key health information exchange challenges. For example, he highlights how the evolution of Health IT’s national networks has been a tale of unexpected twists, turns, and surprising camaraderie – much like what happened between John Candy and Steve Martin’s characters in this beloved film.

Here are some of the highlights and parallels:

• High Hopes: In the film, our protagonists set off with a simple goal: to get home for the holidays. Similarly, the goal of national networks like eHealth Exchange, Carequality, and CommonWell was straightforward: to get clinical data to where it needs to be.

• The Mishaps: Initially Candy and Martin have a peaceful drive, but it turns into a snowy disaster, which can be likened to the ‘spam’ issue on the national networks, where without an effective record locator service, institutions do a broad geographic search through disparate communities, leading to inefficiencies and even server resource failures.

• The Delays and Detours: For Candy and Martin, it was the unexpected detours – such as sleeping on the same hotel bed or selling shower curtain rings as earrings – that defined their trip. Currently, data for the purpose of treatment is available, but other purposes, including even the right of the patient to acquire their own data, can hit bumps on the national networks.

• The Heartfelt Conclusion: Just as John Candy and Steve Martin’s characters found friendship and understanding on their tumultuous journey home, the national Health IT networks are steadily moving towards a future of connectivity and efficiency. The road may be bumpy, and the vehicles may change, but the destination is clear: a health IT ecosystem that is as interconnected and functional as a heartfelt holiday reunion. 

As always, we would like to thank our friends at Health IT Answers for running Buff’s holiday article for the seventh year in a row!  

RosettaHealth can assist with any health information challenges you might have, book a free consultation with one of our interoperability experts.