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Interoperability: From Buzzword to Backbone
Discover how Critical Software solutions use Service-oriented Device Connectivity and open standards to drive medical device interoperability.
Medical devices are getting smarter, but they’re still not talking to each other. In hospitals everywhere, critical systems run side by side, disconnected. Data is retyped, duplicated, or lost. Workflows slow down. Risks rise. Innovation stalls.
The problem isn’t the technology, but the lack of a shared language. Proprietary protocols and closed ecosystems make integration a complex and expensive process. And yet, the future of healthcare depends on exactly that: seamless, real-time communication between devices, systems, and teams.
That’s where Service-oriented Device Connectivity (SDC) comes in. Built on open standards like IEEE 11073, SDC enables vendor-neutral device integration, dynamic discovery, and coordinated data exchange.
Breaking Down Interoperability Barriers with Open Standards
Despite significant technological advances, hospitals often struggle with fragmented data and disconnected workflows. Interoperability lies at the heart of this challenge. Clinicians and engineers regularly face devices that cannot communicate with one another, creating inefficiencies and limiting opportunities for innovation.
SDC is more than a protocol; it’s a framework for connection. By adopting open standards such as IEEE 11073, SDC enables devices to discover others dynamically and exchange data in real time.
This vendor-neutral approach allows hospitals to create flexible, scalable ecosystems, where every device contributes to safer, smarter patient care.
Why It Matters for Manufacturers
Hospitals are demanding flexibility, scalability, and connected care — interoperability is no longer optional; it’s a strategic enabler. Being part of an ecosystem is far more valuable than standing outside of it.
With Service-oriented Device Connectivity, manufacturers can:
- Support safer ICUs, smarter operating rooms, and scalable remote care
- Reduce integration costs and simplify system upgrades
- Accelerate deployment across diverse hospital environments
- Enable AI-powered decision support and automated documentation
- Improve clinical efficiency through real-time data exchange
- Position their products within a growing, vendor-neutral ecosystem
Manufacturers who implement SDC are not merely future-proofing their products; they are joining a movement that is reshaping healthcare. Interoperability has become a strategic necessity, supporting rapid deployment, cost efficiencies, and the foundation for advanced technologies such as AI-powered decision support.
Critical Software’s Expertise in Medical Devices Interoperability
At Critical Software, we believe that true innovation comes from connection.
Our latest white paper, ‘Enabling Medical Device Interoperability’, showcases how our solution, the Interoperability Bridge, helps hospitals and manufacturers overcome integration challenges by connecting legacy systems with modern platforms through standards such as SDC, HL7, FHIR, and DICOM. It features real-world examples of connected care environments in action, explores how interoperability drives clinical efficiency and patient safety, the role of open standards in accelerating innovation, and practical steps to integrate legacy and modern systems. You’ll also explore how these foundations enable the next generation of AI-powered healthcare, from automated documentation to smarter clinical decision support.
Discover how Critical Software can help your team build connected, future-ready healthcare systems — access the white paper today!