As per the Black Book 2020 Interoperability Surveys, approximately 67% of the patients have changed their medical service providers because of having prodigious interoperability issues. Various healthcare departments still use fax machines to exchange information, and they have struggled to transfer the patient’s data from one system to another. Fortunately, the new advent of medical APIs that enable seamless information transfer. Avoid using CTA right after intro section
So, how do the healthcare departments define the APIs? We are renowned API providers, and based on our experience, we’d like you to dive into the knowledge of APIs. In this write-up, we have distilled our experience and discussed the APIs type and its use cases. Let’s get started:
The Practical Use Of Apis In The Healthcare API Service
API( Application Programming Interface) is the set of coding protocols that allows software apps to connect seamlessly and transfer the information. It acts as an intermediary whose responsibility is only to send the request of one party to another as well as deliver the response. This is the primary use of APIs, but how are APIs used in healthcare?
Let’s comprehend this integration with a real-world example: Suppose one of your patients is adhering to some nutrition app to maintain the diet plan and wants its integration with cholesterol and blood pressure. In this scenario, the following workflow will be followed:
Step1: Patients must use their credentials to log into the nutrition application.
Step2: Once you log in to the nutrition app, select the preferred facility that you want from the mentioned menu and then ensure that you link it to the EHR’s API.
Step3: The nutrition application connects with the medical department’s EHR( Electronic Health Record) via API integration. As a result, EHR gives the patient’s cholesterol level and blood pressure results using the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).
Step4: Next, EHR is responsible for validating the request received from the API, which is why it sends the request data back to the application in a precisely compatible cross-app format. It may either be in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) or as Javascript Object Notation(JSON). Suppose API checks the authentication and authorization by connecting the OPen ID or OAuth 2.0 standards. In that case, EHR will request the credentials (password and biometrical data) and then pass the requested data.
Step5: On receiving the valid and relevant patient data from various EHRs, other sources get integrated into the application.
Similar workflows apply while exchanging the data between the two systems or EHRs. Likewise, the same process also applies to linking the EHR with healthcare analytics.
Types Of Apis In Healthcare
There are various applications, software, ERPs, and databases in the healthcare sector to facilitate the seamless exchange of information. As a result, APIs help evaluates and repurpose these various applications to deliver an exceptional user experience. APIs act as the best management layer to manage the healthcare systems. Let’s discuss the type of APIs.
1 . Internal Healthcare APIs: Those APIs which are built within the organization are called the internal healthcare APIs. These internal APIs aid in improving the interoperability, digital tools, and efficiency level. Here is some example of internal healthcare APIs:
- APIs development on clinic management software
- Patient-centered application
- Local Storage Services
2. External Healthcare APIs: When APIs are developed for external consumption, it is considered the external healthcare APIs. These healthcare API services are designed for external parties, including doctors, insurance providers, and partners. For example, Some healthcare departments invest in the symptom checker tool, which is the best way to boost the brand image and improve patients’ experience.3. Third-Party APIs: When it comes to enhancing the digital offerings for the clients, healthcare departments develop third-party APIs. For example, several insurance companies use Samsung Health and Google Fit to link people’s fitness goals with the insurance account to avail of rewards and bumper discounts.
Use Cases Of Healthcare Apis
- Solves the Huge Gap Between the Patients and Medical Professionals: API integration with the Internet of Things(IOT) devices reflects the entire data of patients in your dashboard without any bottlenecks. Subsequently, doctors can give the right precise treatment based on their medical records, which cuts down the overhead cost and instantly helps doctors make up their minds and offer their patients the best medical treatment.
- Facilitates Healthcare Operational Work: Clinical APIs are used for smooth and seamless healthcare operations. These APIs are developed for internal consumption like enhancing the data management, staff requirements, and employee data gathering. It also helps in exchanging the data with the other hospitals. As a result, this integration enables healthcare professionals to treat the patients meticulously and alleviates several medical errors.
- Seamless Data Integration: The APIs integrations help patients track their fitness activities by connecting them with the EHR( Electronic Health Record) systems.
- Access to Patient’s Information: Doctors can easily add their patient’s information to the further integrated system with insurance companies.
Bottom Line
To summarize this blog, we’d like to say that API integration is the one-stop solution to automate all operations in the healthcare department and enhance the patient’s gratification. So, you can develop your healthcare website with APIs integration and treat your patients with utmost care. API enables your business to attract more patients, eventually leading to your healthcare business’s exponential growth. Doesn’t that sound great? For healthcare API service, you can reach out to DigitalAPICraft. We look forward to meeting you.
