The Data Usability Taking Root Virtual Workshop, co-hosted by AHIMA and The Sequoia Project in September, brought together health information innovators to explore one of healthcare’s most pressing challenges: making health data truly usable. The workshop focused on moving toward real-world implementation of data quality and usability guidancewith a shared understanding that usability is essential to interoperability, patient safety and clinical decision-making. Federal agencies including NIH, SSA and VA participated alongside provider organizations, developers and state authorities.
Setting the Stage: From Guidance to Action
The workshop opened with Lauren Riplinger, chief public policy and impact officer at AHIMA, and Didi Davis, vice president, informatics, conformance, and interoperability at The Sequoia Project, providing an overview of the Interoperability Matters Data Usability Implementation Guide (DUIG) Version 2.0, developed by the Interoperability Matters Data Usability Workgroup (DUWG). The DUIG, published in 2024 resulted from years of cross-industry collaboration aimed at improving the quality, integrity and consistency of exchanged data.
Next, workshop faculty explained laboratory data usability, why it’s an especially vital use case, and how implementation of guidance can advance meaningful interoperability while panelists provided perspectives from the frontlines.
The workshop wrapped up with an overview of self-assessment tools workshop participants can use to implement guidance and information on the opportunity to participate in the Data Usability Taking Root Community of Practice to advance adoption and implementation of guidance.
Key Takeaways: It Takes a Community
- Practical Progress Through Community
Panelists throughout the day underscored the power of collective progress. As one participant noted, “We must trust the data quality to use the data; this is a necessity for efficient treatment decisions, not a nice to have.”
The workshop highlighted how communities of practice can help members learn from one another and share lessons together. By starting small and building momentum, healthcare organizations can implement data usability guidance and ultimately trust the data they send to and receive from others.
- Data Usability in Action
In “Stories from the Front Line,” Lisa Nelson, chief technical officer at DirectTrust, and Lauren Nixon, vice president of interoperability solutions at Clinical Architecture, shared examples of frameworks being developed to strengthen interoperability.
- DirectTrust’s Metadata and Payload Framework enable organizations to define specific data payloads and metadata for faster, more useful exchange.
- Clinical Architecture’s quality measurement tools and services support continuous improvement by helping organizations assess data quality and usability over time.
- Patient Information Quality Improvement (PIQI) is an emerging open framework that scores and guides improvements in electronic patient data quality, focusing on accuracy, conformity, availability, and plausibility against standards like USCDI V3, so stakeholders can identify gaps, boost usability, and drive higher-trust in data exchange.
Together, these frameworks and tools are helping transform interoperability from an abstract goal into a measurable, achievable process.
- Laboratory Data as a Critical Use Case
The newest addition and focus of the DUIG V2.0 is laboratory data, vital for patient care and safety. Panelists like Dr. Andrea Pitkus, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and Dr. Adam Davis, MD, MAS, physician informaticist from Sutter Health and co-chair of the DUWG, explored the challenges of variability in lab data standards, emphasizing the need for consistent coding, adoption of LOINC and readiness for FHIR-based exchange.
“Laboratory data comprises about 70% of EHR data and used for decision making as we’ve heard, so it’s really important to have quality data that are usable, not only by humans, but also computers for a variety of use cases, whether clinical decision-making, public health, clinical trials or research needs,” Pitkus emphasized.
One workshop participant noted, “We providers are frustrated daily with lab data. We rely on lab data for care decisions, coordination of care, and transitions of care and when it isn’t shared or can’t be trusted, we resort to texting, faxing and even re-ordering lab tests to make care decisions, sometimes urgent care decisions.” Another added, “Clinical decision support tools can’t be optimized without standard lab data exchange.”
Useful, high quality, reliable lab data is essential not just for clinicians but for public health and let’s not forget how it helps empower the patient and their caregivers.
Building Momentum: Community of Practice Invites Participation
The Sequoia Project and AHIMA issued a call to action for healthcare organizations to implement data usability guidance and an open invitation to participate in the Data Usability Taking Root Movement. There are two ways to participate:
- Implementers are organizations that own the data and pledge to adopt and implement the DUIG within their organizations.
- Supporters are organizations that don’t own the data and pledge to influence their vendors, that do, by sponsoring and amplifying the value of usable data.
Community of Practice participants have access to valuable technical assistance tools and community resources, including a readiness checklist, testing services and tooling, and an implementation scorecard to track progress. The Community of Practice meets regularly to share lessons learned and provide feedback to the standards development organizations and improve future implementation guides over time.
Looking Ahead: Usability as the Bridge to Better Care
The workshop closed with a reminder that the path to true data usability is built one step at a time. Each incremental improvement, each readiness check, test, or shared lesson, moves the community closer to seamless, trustworthy data exchange. Davis emphasized that high-quality data is the foundation, but usability is what makes data exchange valuable
As healthcare continues to evolve toward nationwide interoperability and AI-driven decision support, the Data Usability Taking Root Movement is a model for collaboration, proving that small, coordinated steps can lead to big, lasting change.
The DUWG is now seeking public stakeholder input on the priorities the workgroup should focus on in 2026. The surveyis open through December 19, 2025.
Join the Movement
Organizations interested in becoming part of the Data Usability Taking Root community of practice can learn more here.Organizations can also join the Interoperability Matters DUWG here.
Together, we can ensure that shared data isn’t just available, but it’s usable, trustworthy and ready to make a difference.
Missed the virtual workshop? You can listen to the recordings and hear more from stories from the frontlines here. Do you have thoughts on what the DUWG should focus on in the upcoming year? Participate in the DUWG 2026 priorities survey here.