Turning toward data uniformity: how open systems put healthcare in command.

Recent programming and design techniques result in the benefits of flexibility in system selection and reduced system cost. Open systems and the use of relational database managers with structured query languages allow the healthcare industry to set standards in database design, content and access, if it chooses. Such standards would facilitate creation of applications that could be interchangeable among vendors because basic functions remain constant. This interchangeability equates to flexibility in selecting specific applications, which then can be based on the best match of features required or desired, instead of compatibility with a vendor's system. The goal of reduced costs can be achieved since interface programs would not have to be written to integrate other vendors' software.