According to recent studies, 67% of patients in the United States have expressed their intention to switch healthcare providers due to the insufficient sharing of health records across different systems. However, some healthcare departments are still dependent on traditional systems are their primary method of exchanging information.
As a result, various healthcare providers are facing difficulties in efficiently managing their operations due to the use of isolated tools that lack integration capabilities. Fortunately, the emergence of medical APIs presents an innovative solution, completely replacing outdated tools and practices, and facilitating a seamless and uninterrupted flow of data.
Our recent webinar on healthcare APIs brought together a panel of industry experts, each contributing a unique perspective and a wealth of expertise to the discourse. Let’s dive deep into the insights shared by our distinguished panelists: Aditya Joshi, HL7 FHIR SME; Elliot Yu, Fullstack Software Engineer; and Ryan Ingram, Senior Manager.
Aditya Joshi is a highly accomplished professional who has made a significant contribution to the field of bioinformatics. With an impressive track record of over 14 years, he has gained extensive experience at the intersection of bioinformatics, HL7 standards, and healthcare insurance. As an expert in HL7 FHIR, Aditya possesses a profound understanding of data interoperability and standards, making him a valuable asset in the advancement of healthcare APIs.
Elliot Yu is an experienced Fullstack Software Engineer specializing in integrating Health and Fitness data. With extensive expertise in creating data solutions for the wellness industry, Elliot has highly contributed to the development of Terra’s Health and Fitness data API.
Our panel wouldn’t be complete without the seasoned perspective of Ryan Ingram, a highly accomplished Senior Manager in the healthcare technology field, whose extensive expertise spans over a decade. With a solid foundation in healthcare IT, Ryan brings forth a wealth of knowledge that allows him to navigate the complex intricacies of the industry’s technological advancements.
In the subsequent sections of this blog, we’ll delve into the key takeaways from the webinar, exploring the APIs in healthcare systems like EHRs, product enhancements with Health APIs, with future trends and opportunities in Healthcare APIs. Let’s start with understanding the basics first i.e. understanding what are APIs and why are they important.
What are APIs and their Significance?
APIs, Application Programming Interfaces, function as a communication medium between various software applications. They establish a set of rules and protocols, enabling software elements to interact and exchange data and functionalities efficiently. Visualize an API as a cohesive bridge, effectively connecting different components and promoting seamless collaboration between them.
According to recent research, the global healthcare API market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2021 to 2028, highlighting the increasing adoption of API-driven solutions in healthcare ecosystems worldwide.
Let’s explore how APIs are reshaping the landscape of healthcare;
🔹 Healthcare providers often use a variety of specialized systems for electronic health records (EHRs), laboratory results, imaging, and more. APIs enable these systems to communicate with each other, creating a unified view of patient data.
🔹APIs empower the development of patient-facing applications, ranging from wellness trackers to telemedicine platforms. By seamlessly integrating with EHRs and other healthcare systems, these apps provide patients with easy access to their health data, appointment scheduling, and personalized health insights.
🔹APIs help in optimizing administrative tasks within healthcare organizations. They facilitate the integration of scheduling systems, billing software, and insurance databases, reducing manual data entry and minimizing errors.
🔹With the rise of connected health devices, APIs play an important role in remote patient monitoring. Wearable devices and home health monitoring tools can transform data directly to healthcare systems through APIs.
🔹APIs enable healthcare applications to access databases containing information about medications, their interactions, and patient allergies.
🔹APIs support the aggregation and analysis of large datasets for research and population health management. APIs contribute to the development of medical research, epidemiology, and the development of targeted interventions for specific populations.
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Key Medical APIs
Interaction with APIs- API Benefit in Pharmacy/ Insurance/ Continuity in Care
The interactions with APIs play a crucial role in the complex network of healthcare services, serving as pivotal points that bring various advantages to pharmacy operations, insurance processes, and the overall continuity of patient care. Let’s delve into how APIs are revolutionizing these domains, seamlessly connecting various factors to enhance the integration and efficiency of the healthcare experience.
Pharmacy Operations
APIs enable pharmacists to connect with healthcare systems and access real-time medication data. This ensures accurate prescription filling, reduces errors, and enhances patient safety by providing pharmacies with up-to-date information on medications and potential interactions.
Through API integration, pharmacies can streamline prescription refill processes. The automated communication between electronic health records (EHRs) and pharmacy systems allows for proactive refill reminders, improving medication adherence and reducing the risk of gaps in treatments.
Insurance
APIs play an intricate role in expediting claims processing within the insurance sector. By connecting insurance systems with healthcare providers’ databases, APIs enable the seamless exchange of claims data, reducing processing time, and enhancing the overall efficiency of the reimbursement process.
Through API interactions, insurance providers can perform real-time eligibility verifications. This ensures that healthcare services are covered, reducing billing errors and enhancing the transparency of coverage information for both providers and patients.
Continuity in Care
APIs facilitate the exchange of patient data between different healthcare entities, ensuring updated patient records. This is especially crucial during care transitions, such as when a patient moves from primary care to specialist or from a hospital to home care.
APIs support the integration of remote monitoring devices and telehealth platforms into the broader healthcare environment. This maintains continuity in care by allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients remotely, adjust treatment plans, and ensure continuous support for chronic conditions.
APIs for EHRs
Healthcare APIs are very important in today’s competitive marketplace. Their adoption rate is increasing rapidly due to various reasons.
One of the primary reasons is the constant need to seamlessly integrate EHRs. The integration helps simplify accessibility to crucial data. As highlighted by Grand View Research, a significant 30% of market revenue is exclusively attributed to EHR APIs.
Healthcare APIs enable providers to access the applications and data within EHRs through novel and inventive means. Additionally, APIs offer secure and expeditious sharing of patient information among healthcare providers.
To understand the integration of APIs in EHRs, we have listed some key aspects of APIs in the EHR systems,
Interoperability
EHR APIs enable the secure exchange of patient data between different healthcare systems and applications. This interoperability is important for ensuring that relevant information is accessible across various healthcare providers, enhancing continuous care.
Patient Engagement
EHR APIs have the potential to enhance patient empowerment by enabling them to securely access their health data. This helped to improve accessibility to greater patient engagement, enabling individuals to actively participate in their healthcare decision-making process.
Third-party Integration
EHR APIs enable the creation of greater applications and tools that seamlessly integrate with EHR systems. This exceptional adaptability establishes the development of innovative solutions, including mobile health applications, wearable devices, and patient portals.
HL7 & FHIR Standard
FHIR, which stands for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, is considered a leading standard for the exchange of healthcare data. Various healthcare APIs have been developed using the FHIR standard. These APIs offer a secure and RESTful approach to data exchange while improving the ease of use for developers working with healthcare information.
Security and Privacy
Healthcare APIs must adhere to rigorous security and privacy standards, including popular HIPAA in the US. It ensures the utmost security and integrity of patient data during the development of EHR APIs.
Real-time Data Access
APIs provide healthcare providers with immediate access to patient data, empowering them to make well-informed decisions quickly. This capability proves to be crucial during emergency situations, where timely access to pertinent health information can significantly contribute to saving lives.
Related Read: Benefits and Challenges of The Electronic Health Record
Navigating the Evolution of Healthcare Data Standards
In the webinar, Ryan Ingram, one of our esteemed panelists shared insights into the challenges and transformations within healthcare data standards, highlighting the trend of modern and standardized formats. He focused on HL7, CCD, CCDA, and the transformation of FHIR.
Challenges with Traditional Standards
Ryan highlighted the prevalence of HL7, CCD, and CCDA documents in big organizations and focused on the difficulty in parsing and analyzing these formats. Their increasing use at scale poses a challenge for small applications, impacting their ability to render data into user-friendly interfaces or make it actionable for any patient.
The traditional standards like X12, ingrained in US healthcare transactions, present a significant challenge. The challenge led to a regulatory push for a transition to more modern and adaptable standards.
Ryan also illustrated the architectural advantages of FHIR, particularly its use of REST. The use of FHIR’s RESTful approach instead of HL7 helps streamline the data transmission process. He also shared that regulation bodies now mandate EHR systems to adopt FHIR for data sharing. These mandatory laws align with the recognition that FHIR offers a more secure path for integration as compared to traditional standards.
FHIR APIs- How they are being leveraged for Health Interoperability?
In the world of healthcare, it is very important to have interoperability and a smooth exchange of important patient information. In the webinar, Aditya Joshi, a distinguished panelist and an expert in HL7 FHIR shared some valuable insights into the transformative impact of FHIR APIs and its revolutionary exchange of health data.
Before we move forward, we will make sure that we are familiar with the concept of FHIR.
What is FHIR?
The HL7 FHIR standard serves as a framework for facilitating the exchange of healthcare information across various systems, for the storage format. The secure accessibility of clinical and administrative data enables authorized individuals to retrieve and utilize patient-related data to deliver quality care. The standards development organization HL7 adopts a collaborative methodology in developing and enhancing the FHIR standard.
Additionally, Aditya shares that FHIR leverages APIs to enable seamless integration of different applications with a fundamental operating system. This facilitates the incorporation of important information into the provider's workflow. FHIR promotes information exchange through diverse formats such as documents, messages, services, and RESTful interfaces. Its design is specially designed to escalate the privacy of healthcare data, user preferences, and the demand for a robust approach to communicating with different elements.
Aditya effectively articulated the vital role that HL7 FHIR plays in facilitating health interoperability. FHIR, as a secure and user-friendly standard, offers a strong foundation for seamlessly exchanging healthcare data in a manner that is easily accessible.
Key takeaways on FHIR and EHR data exchange:
🔹Standardized Data format:
FHIR employs a standardized format, making it easier for different healthcare systems to understand and interpret data uniformity. This common language helps in communicating with different healthcare systems and sharing complex information.
🔹RESTful API Approach:
Aditya highlighted the importance of FHIR’s RESTful API design. This approach streamlines the data exchange process, facilitating seamless communication among various elements of the healthcare ecosystem. The RESTful elements of FHIR APIs with the development methodologies while promoting extensive acceptance.
🔹Patient-Centric Focus:
FHIR focuses on a patient-centric approach enabling the ability of individuals to access and manage their personal health information. Aditya also shared the insights on transformative nature of patient empowerment, which promotes active involvement and participation in their individual healthcare journey.
Aditya’s expertise and knowledge in HL7 FHIR have represented the remarkable potential of standardized data exchange in the healthcare sector. His valuable insights have been evidence that FHIR APIs are crucial in establishing a robust healthcare ecosystem. It enables seamless flow of data while improving patient care and innovating within the industry. As we move forward into the realm of healthcare APIs, Aditya’s insights have added incredible value to interconnected and patient-centric healthcare.
Creating an Ecosystem for Seamless Data Exchange
According to one of the reports by McKinsey, healthcare ecosystems are expected to grow to address the needs of healthy patients and establish personal wellness objectives. These patients are likely to experience a digital ecosystem, where patient data and insights are consumed in a highly personalized and accessible way by utilizing wearable devices.
Our webinar highlighted the emergence of APIs in healthcare and their role in interoperability. Our panel also discussed the significance of building a connected ecosystem where data flows seamlessly among the various stakeholders in healthcare.
The Foundation: Interoperable APIs
Interoperable APIs form the foundation of this connected environment, offering effective communication between different systems. Complying with standards like HL7 FHIR, these APIs establish a language for the exchange of healthcare information. We have highlighted some critical elements of integrating healthcare APIs to achieve uniform and easily accessible platforms for data sharing.
Key Elements of the Data Exchange Ecosystem
🔹Healthcare Providers:
Healthcare providers hold an important role in a data exchange ecosystem. The integrated EHRs are powered by interoperable APIs enabling communication across various departments and facilities. This connectivity ensures quick access to patient data at the required time and location, improving efficiency within the healthcare systems.
🔹Third-Party Developers:
The ecosystem includes a wide range of third-party developers who utilize APIs to craft inventive solutions. These developers play an important role in diversifying and enriching the healthcare sector, as they contribute to the development of different mobile health applications and wearable technologies.
🔹Patients:
Patient engagement is an integral part of the data exchange ecosystem. APIs offer secure and reliable access to personal health data and empower individuals to actively participate in their healthcare journey. This enriches the patient experience and significantly contributes to making well-informed decisions.
🔹Regulatory Frameworks:
A robust exchange ecosystem operates effectively under a regulatory framework. Adherence to guidelines such as HIPAA guarantees the utmost security and protection of patient data, establishing trust among all the stakeholders involved and creating a protected environment for the exchange of data.
The seamless flow of data among healthcare providers ensures that critical data is available in real time. The integration of different technologies and solutions leads to continuous improvement and the development of innovative solutions for healthcare delivery.
Technical Considerations for APIs in Healthcare
The growing digital transformation of healthcare establishes the need for the integration of APIs to offer smooth data exchange. The implementation of APIs in the healthcare industry requires careful attention to technical factors that ensure optimal efficiency, security, and compliance.
Let’s explore the key technical considerations for implementing APIs in healthcare;
HL7 FHIR Compliance
Selecting standards like HL7 FHIR ensures a standard language for healthcare data exchange is leveraged. FHIR’s modern, web-friendly architecture promotes interoperability by providing a standardized framework that accomplishes the diverse requirements of healthcare applications.
Security and Privacy
Adhering to HIPAA is considered a non-negotiable. APIs must ensure the protection, integrity, and availability of patient data, implementing security measures such as encryption, authentication, and authorization to protect sensitive data.
Other measures like implementing AuthO as an authentication framework create an extra layer of security to the healthcare systems. It enables secure, token-based access control, ensuring only authorized stakeholders can access healthcare data through the APIs.
Data Standardization
Establishing consistent data models ensures the data is standardized across multiple systems. Data formats and structures offer seamless integration, reducing the chances of errors during the data exchange process.
Leveraging data mapping and transformation process is an important decision. Ensure your data from multiple sources are relevantly translated into a standardized format that is universally acceptable, and understandable and eliminates any dependencies.
Scalability and Performance
Healthcare APIs should be tailored considering the scalability factor. Load balancing approach distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers, preventing issues, and ensuring optimal performance even during high demands.
The caching strategies can help reduce your latency and enhance API performance. Frequently accessed data can be stored temporarily, reducing the need for accurate processing and enhancing response time.
Error Handling
Building robust error-handling mechanisms ensures that the API efficiently handles unexpected issues. Defined error codes and messages facilitate efficient troubleshooting and debugging.
Implementing logging and auditing abilities is important for tracking API usage, monitoring performance, and maintaining transactions. This data is valuable for compliance, analytics, and identifying potential issues.
API Documentation and Testing
Creating clear and comprehensive documentation is extremely important for developers who will be integrating with the API. The documentation should outline endpoints, data formats, authentication methods, and usage guidelines.
Implementing an automated testing process ensures the reliability of the API. This includes unit testing, and performance testing to identify and address issues before deployment.
Versioning Strategies
Adhering to a semantic versioning strategy ensures transparent communication of any changes made to the API. By adhering to versioning conventions, developers can expect further updates and ensure backward compatibility, whenever possible.
Planning for the depreciation of older API versions is important. Clear communication about the depreciation timelines and migration paths allows for a smooth transition for developers using earlier versions.
Developing Effective APIs for Health and Fitness Integration
Further in the webinar, Elliot Yu, one of our experienced panelists in the field of health and fitness integration shared valuable insights on the complex process of building customized APIs designed specifically for monitoring and optimizing various activities such as cycling, swimming, running, and beyond. Now, let us summarize the fundamental takeaways from the enlightening discussion;
Data Customization
To optimize user experience, Elliot emphasized breaking down data into core elements. It helps the developers to develop their applications more efficiently, providing a personalized experience for users engaged in activities like cycling, swimming, and running.
Elliot highlighted the importance of a strategic methodology for data collection and distribution. It includes breaking down the data and gradually building it into a model. Through such an approach, developers can integrate and utilize the data within their applications.
Language and Framework
Elliot stressed the importance of making the right choice when it comes to API development. It's important to make the right decisions regarding your programming language and framework to ensure efficiency and reliability. Some of the popular frameworks are; FastAPI, Django, Spring, and Node to build RESTful APIs.
Look Out for New Trends
During the conversation, Elliot explored the different types of APIs, including REST APIs, SOAP, Webhooks, Web Socket, and GraphQL APIs. REST APIs have established a strong foundation, particularly in the healthcare industry. Elliot recognized the dynamic nature of the industry and the potential transformative influence of emerging trends such as GraphQL.
Backend Considerations and Rate Limits
The lack of a graphical interface at the initial stages of API development requires a focused approach to the backend. Selecting the right language, structuring the backend, and choosing the frameworks are important in laying the foundation for a successful API.
Elliot focused on understanding and addressing rate limits imposed by data providers. For example, Fitbit imposes query limits per hour for a user, and developers must be mindful of these limitations to prevent service disruptions.
Data Formats and Protocol
Providers deliver data in a multitude of formats such as XML, JSON, and Fit files. We discussed the importance of considering the different formats during the API design process. This ensures the necessary adaptability to effectively handle data originating from a range of sources.
Integrating APIs demands handling the specialized data protocols, such as Bluetooth, as well as operating system (OS) protocols. Software Development Kits (SDK) play an important role in managing these protocols, and developers must consider these aspects when designing their APIs.
Monitoring for Performance
Elliot highlighted the importance of incorporating monitoring services to optimize API performance. This includes closely monitoring critical metrics such as response times, error rates, and overall performance to quickly identify and resolve any potential issues while guaranteeing a flawless user experience.
Paving the Future of Healthcare Innovation with API Integration with Mindbowser
We are delighted to reflect on our enlightening webinar, where esteemed industry experts, Aditya Joshi, Elliot Yu, and Ryan Ingram shared their valuable insights. From this thought-provoking discussion, a compelling narrative unfolds, envisioning a future of healthcare that is interconnected and centered around the patient.
Aditya Joshi, with his profound expertise in HL7 FHIR, illuminated the path to seamless health interoperability. His insights represented how FHIR API serves as a medium for exchanging healthcare data, establishing a standardized and accessible framework that transforms the limitations of traditional standards.
Elliot Yu, a disrupter in health and fitness data integration, guided us through the intricacies of innovating APIs that elevate user experience. His focus on data customization for developers and strategic model building highlighted the importance of developing solutions for any physical activities for the patients.
Ryan Ingram provided us with a roadmap for navigating the evolving technical landscape of healthcare APIs. From transforming away from traditional standards to the efficiency of RESTful approaches, Ryan’s inputs highlighted on the important role APIs play in overcoming the challenges and streamlining data exchange.
The current crossover of healthcare innovation calls for the need for quality APIs. These insights by our esteemed panelists gave us a glimpse into the future of healthcare that fundamentally depends on the seamless exchange of information, streamlined operations, and active involvement of patients, all of which can be made possible through meticulously crafted APIs.
Explore the vast possibilities of API integration with Mindbowser. Reach out to our experts for guidance on implementing APIs designed for your healthcare needs.
Pravin Uttarwar , CTO Mindbowser
Pravin has 16+ years of experience in the tech industry. A high-energy individual who loves to use out-of-the-box thinking to solve problems. He not only brings technical expertise to the table but also wears an entrepreneurial hat – benefiting any project with cost savings and adding more value to business strategy.
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