'Interoperability continues to be the big issue'.

Paul Black took over the reins of electronic health record vendor Allscripts Healthcare Solutions in 2012 after 13 years with rival Cerner Corp., where he rose to chief operating officer. In between, he spent five years with a private equity firm, which served him well in the past year as AlIscripts acquired firms with software offerings that go well beyond its mainstay physician office business. Editor Merrill Goozner recently spoke with Black, 59, about his strategy for Allscripts and the future direction of the EHR business. The following is an edited transcript.