IHEs

IHE stands for Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise. It is an international non-profit organization that fosters the development and adoption of healthcare informatics standards. IHE is not a standards-developing organization itself but rather a framework for integrating existing standards, such as those from HL7, DICOM, and SNOMED CT, to address specific clinical needs. The goal is to ensure that healthcare information systems can communicate and exchange data effectively and efficiently.

The IHE process involves identifying specific clinical workflows, known as "use cases," and defining how information systems should interact to support these workflows. These interactions are documented in IHE Technical Frameworks. Each Technical Framework specifies the actors involved in a workflow, the transactions between them, and the standards that must be used for these transactions. Vendors then implement systems that comply with these frameworks, and these systems are often tested at IHE Connectathons to ensure interoperability.

IHE is organized into domains, each focusing on a specific area of healthcare, such as Radiology, Cardiology, Laboratory, Patient Care Coordination, and Public Health. This domain-based structure allows for specialized development and adoption of interoperability solutions tailored to the unique requirements of different clinical specialties. By promoting a common understanding and implementation of interoperability, IHE aims to improve patient care, streamline healthcare operations, and reduce costs.