For years, interoperability sounded like an IT problem. Now it sits at the center of patient safety, experience, and value‑based care. Without timely, shared data, it’s hard to coordinate care, manage population risk, or measure outcomes. At the same time, regulators and payers increasingly expect data liquidity: patients must be able to access their information, and organizations must exchange data to support quality reporting, risk adjustment, and payment models. Interoperability has become a differentiator, not a nice‑to‑have.