Application programming interfaces (API) enable information systems to communicate and transfer data among each other.
While APIs may seem like the solution to interoperability problems in health care, there are challenges to working with them, and they alone are not the full solution.
“It goes without saying that APIs have closed the gap in many ways on how information is sent, retrieved and processed,” said Jay Bercher, Deputy Program Manager at Solutions By Design II, an IT system modernisation company.
“However, some technological gaps have appeared. As there is a lack of data standards in the industry and multiple technologies, APIs must be created custom to the need of the service it is providing for each system.”
The healthcare industry cannot optimise interoperability without data and adhering to data standards.
The most significant limitation to APIs is the lack of standardisation around how they are implemented, as stated by Jeff Becker, Senior Analyst of Healthcare Strategy, Forrester Research.
Contact GeHCo if you need help connecting your data and ensuring your EHR data is of high quality.
