Policymakers in the U.S. are currently working to create a national network through which providers from anywhere in the country can share patient data. While getting the Nationwide Health Information Exchange up and running and encouraging physicians to use are the most immediate challenges, a group of experts recently laid out a set of long-range goals.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a pair of researchers from the University of Toronto said that a national information exchange network should be about far more than just giving physicians access to patient data, according to CMIO.

They said that the network should give patients access to their data to encourage healthy lifestyles. Furthermore, it should leave the door open for multimedia files and social networking features, which are expected to play a larger role in the future of healthcare. Finally, interoperability should remain a top goal.

The ONC has said that creating a network that facilitates the exchange of EHRs among providers anywhere in the country is the key to unlocking the full benefits of the technology. Incorporating more of these ideas may help make the exchange network more attractive to physicians and patients.