The healthcare marketplace is evolving from a business-to-business to a business-to-consumer model and research shows that these consumers are overwhelmingly female. As healthcare becomes more consumer driven and consumers demand interoperable solutions, it’s important to make sure women have a seat at the table when making strategic tech decisions about interoperability. In order to meet this shifting market demand, organizations must reflect their constituents to better grasp the problems they are trying to solve. A recent study showed that publicly traded companies with “two-dimensional (2D) diversity” – with senior leaders who embody or embrace difference; are 45 percent more likely to report that their company has grown market share in the last year and 70 percent more likely to report that their company captured a new market in the past year. RELATED: Painting a Vivid Picture of Effective Organizational Change The healthcare industry must build trust with consumers and industry leaders recognize trust can’t be built until we truly understand the primary decision makers in healthcare. Consumer loyalty is being replaced by consumer demand for access to information and to a streamlined user experience through interoperable solutions. Meet the women who are leading strategy and solutions discussions to accelerate digital transformation and interoperability across the healthcare spectrum. These executives are committed to improving the experience of patients and clinicians and their perspectives as leaders in their organizations are improving outcomes and innovation. Women in Health IT members share how the community comes together to give women in the industry the opportunity to network with each other and encourage the next wave of innovation. What #WomenInHIT Colleagues are Saying about Interoperability “According to HIMSS’ Interoperability Call to Action, patients’ lives, the health and security of our nation’s citizens, and the health of the U.S. economy are reliant on ensuring the right people have the right access to the right health information at the right time. To date, we have not delivered on that promise, and to do so will require a collaborative effort of engaged individuals and organizations from across the health ecosystem. A diversified workforce is essential to bring forward thought leadership from the full spectrum of health and care, including consumers, patients, their families and those that deliver care in order to meet our interoperability goals. Embracing this diverse resource will ensure that the essential stakeholder perspectives are considered including the potential impacts of social and behavioral determinants of health.” – Joyce Sensmeier MS, RN-BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, FAAN, Senior Advisor, Informatics, HIMSS "Interoperability requires a living process to refine and improve capabilities over time. Be part of a growing movement to broaden connectivity to improve patient care in the U.S." – Didi Davis, Vice President, Informatics, Conformance & Interoperability, The Sequoia Project; part of the HIMSS Women in Health IT Community “In the 15 years since I joined the journey towards healthcare interoperability, the industry has made leaps and bounds towards improved sharing of health information thanks to programs like Canada Health Infoway, and the ONC [U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology] certification and many provincial, state, and national health information exchange programs. But there is still a long way to go to seamlessly share information between providers, health organizations, vendors, and quality and public health associations. 15 years ago the problem was how to connect to each other at all, these days the problems are more complex and advanced, such as how do we map data from one setting to another. The more complex the setting, the more diversified a team is needed: many of my current projects benefit most from a collaboration of clinicians, data experts, interoperability experts, IT professionals, and government or not for profit organizations.” – Gila Pyke, Certification Test Proctor, Drummond Group; Testing Technical Lead, HIMSS Immunization Integration Program; part of the HIMSS Women in Health IT Community Women in Health IT Help address the gender gap in health IT and the need for more community, resources and recognition of women in the industry by joining the HIMSS Women in Health IT Community. Join Us and Become a Changemaker Originally published January 18, 2019; updated May 8, 2019