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Introduction To Healthcare API Ecosystem- Challenges & Opportunities

Table of Contents

Before discussing the healthcare API ecosystem, one must have familiarity with the term API in healthcare. So, the Application Programming Interface in the healthcare sector enables a seamless exchange of transmission between software without any hassles. Nowadays, the majority of companies are building their own healthcare API ecosystem that helps them in delivering all vital information to their patients, partners, insurance companies, government agencies, and many more. Healthcare API also inspires the developer’s team to build some new applications related to the healthcare industry by working more efficiently which in turn, improved existing services and products.

Several organizations have created APIs for connecting with patients via the web, mobile or social apps to offer a better experience. And, all most all healthcare companies can easily offer their employees and partners the new tools that not only streamline operations but also serve patients with extra care. But creating APIs is not a cakewalk in this dynamic field. To meet expectations by overcoming compatibilities, one must have successful API strategies. 

Inoperability Challenges In Healthcare Sector

Do you know the meaning of healthcare inoperability? No issues here is the one- Healthcare inoperability means the ability of healthcare companies of sharing various records & information of patients. In simple words, every EHR system of healthcare providers should be able to transfer data to another system.  But it also has some major challenges that organizations may face. 

  1. Management of Consistent Information across multiple platforms

Sharing inconsistent information across the network for healthcare IT vendors who service large health networks is quite complex. However, healthcare departments often waste countless hours searching the information because providers keep the different pieces of data in multiple places.

 Solution: Adoption of single unified API network & interface. You have to consider one software that can automatically do the process of pulling information from different silos. Thereby, you will be having a uniform dataset. 

  1.  The Overcome Organizational Resistance on Sharing Data

There are some actors of the healthcare industry who are not interested in sharing the data with other healthcare providers. For Example- The competition between different hospitals on account of urgent care clinics for patients. When an urgent care clinic request to hospital’s EHR system, the sharing data motivation is somehwere slim. But the law calls for health data to be available and accessible across organizational boundaries and to patients themselves.

Solution: The ultimate solution for this is that you should make the data available all time to the right entities via API integration. Instead of choosing when to push information, adopt a healthcare API ecosystem. This requires some buy-in across the healthcare network, but the Cures Act’s data blocking provisions are going to provide the extra push some practices and facilities will need.

  1. The high-fortune costing of hiring professionals to manage the interoperability

Maintaining interoperability is somewhere a laborious task; however, in most healthcare organizations no one has time and has the qualification for handling this daily task. But hiring a specialist to maintain EHR interoperability is quite expensive especially for smaller organizations. 

Solution: Rather than hiring a person, let the software do this all task in no time; however it will maintain EHR inoperability. The monthly cost of a base platform license from Healthjump, for instance, is a fraction of the cost you’d pay in salary, benefits, or contracting fees for a dedicated specialist.

Opportunities

  1. Health Sector Expansion- The data exchange facility between apps via API integration has expanded the health domain and brought cooperation between all healthcare companies like pharmaceutical manufacturers, health insurance companies, hospitals, and even all-volunteer organizations. The freedom of freely sharing information has opened the doors to developing more innovative services for their clients. Additionally, they work efficiently and contribute more to the development of health industries. 
  1. Innovation- The introduction of API has opened up huge opportunities for innovation in healthcare. API has done solid improvement in the healthy domain for example- Suppose, a mentally ill patient has a social media profile that is connected with the medical app, the patient’s down health can send an alarm to the patient’s doctor to check him or her. Isn’t it a great revolutionary change?
  1. Additional Profits- It’s obvious that not all healthcare APIs are free of cost; however, you may have paid API and if third-party developers want to use your API, it’ll be an additional source of income. 
  2. Integration & Personalization- When you share information or data with third-party applications, you get in-depth insights about applications the patients are using to measure their health. Moreover, you’ll come to know the management of this data by user & also what’s the main thing concerning them most in their health. By analyzing all these factors, one can develop and promote better services to their clients. 

Final Thoughts

Adopting Healthcare API in an enterprise means you are expanding the growth & revenue of your organization to a greater extent. This’ll allow you to share patient’s reports to any other system without the need for any smartphone & fax machines. If you are looking out for a well-established healthcare API ecosystem in India, Digital API is the one to reach out to. We have skilled in-house appraisers who are trained like the back of their hands in delivering automated Healthcare API systems at the most affordable price. We have served thousands of clients so far & you are next in line. Be ready to get a higher return on investment  with Digital API.

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