The objective of this paper is to provide a set of principles for the HIMSS Interoperability & Standards (I&S) Committee. These principles are intended to facilitate the Committee’s support of particular standards and implementation guides for adoption, as well as recommendations of those that should be considered for development by the industry to improve widespread adoption and deployment of interoperability in health information technology (HIT) systems. The included historical perspective provides further context on how the various standards initiatives are coordinated in the United States (U.S.). The goal of these efforts is to establish consistent, compatible, and usable standards that enable interoperability across the myriad software solutions that support providers, both internally and externally to their organizations.
