APIs Are the “Missing Piece” for Healthcare App Interoperability

Healthcare app interoperability is not a new challenge for healthcare organizations. Over the past several years organizations have had trouble connecting their health IT tools to their EHRs. The increased use of application programming interfaces (APIs) is key. Large provider organizations can be tasked with integrating hundreds of healthcare applications, which can take months. These apps need to not only work seamlessly with other applications, but also be HIPAA compliant. For example, an organization may purchase a tool for monitoring diabetes. To integrate that monitoring tool, a new project for the IT department would need to take place so the app will connect with the EHR and any other tools it will need to share data with. Finding an API that works with existing applications and can connect new applications without the IT department needing to dedicate as many resources to it can help organizations have an easier time integrating their applications.