For many CIOs, successful interoperability has become a tough challenge. Developing healthcare interface engines that enable EMRs, PACs, LISs, HIEs, medical devices, and billing systems to “speak” to each other is an arduous task. However, the benefits of successful interoperability can transform a healthcare organization, improve workflows and drastically improve patient care. That is why the healthcare integration industry is expected to grow from $3.1 billion in 2018 to $5.3 billion in 2024. The healthcare industry is shifting gradually from simple HL7-to-HL7 interfaces to standard-agnostic interface engines. Here are some of the benefits of deploying a robust integration engine in your organization.
1. Efficient Information Sharing
Healthcare is experiencing massive digitization. Hand-written patient charts have given way to electronic health record systems (EHR). Wearables and personal medical devices connect to smartphones to make telehealth more effective.
However, this ever-increasing number of health data sources increases the number of data storage and transfer protocols your IT team will need to grapple with. While most information exchange occurs via HL7 interfaces, there’s increasing use of APIs and web services like FHIR.
Using a modern interface engine enables you to handle all data exchange standards efficiently. Whether you need to report through a web-based interface, an API, or HL7, your team can develop interfaces quickly with simple scripts.
2. Single Solution for Multiple Systems
You may have two or more integration solutions in your organization. Maybe you have one to take care of all HL7 interfaces while others are used for CCD and web interface protocols. In some cases, you may need another integration solution to handle billing, payment, and other finance-related tasks.
Why do you have to use multiple integration solutions when you can work with just one? Working with a single solution will save you the cost of repeated staff training, licensing fees, and contracts for maintenance and support.
With a well-designed interface engine, your team can work with a single standard-agnostic solution. You can worry less about the technical details of formats and standards and focus more on complete system integration.
3. Cost Reduction via Fast Interface Building
Cost is a significant factor to consider when choosing an interoperability solution. The total cost of deploying and maintaining the interface engine can quickly get out of control.
That’s why your team needs to build new interfaces frequently and keep them running smoothly.
An effective way to minimize the cost of building and supporting these interfaces is to reduce the time required to deploy them. With a modern interface engine, your team can use a standardized development environment to build various interfaces.
Using reusable modules from tested interfaces and building new interfaces with a proven model makes the process faster and more efficient.
4. Effective Error Alert System
Errors occur in virtually all interface systems. But the way your interface engine handles the errors can make all the difference in life-threatening situations.
A well-designed interface engine will not only alert your interface engineer when an interface goes down but will also reveal the likely cause of the error. Your interface developers will also create error alerts for any error or condition that can have adverse effects on clinical operations.
Apart from alerts, one essential feature in your integration engine is a dashboard that allows you to monitor all interfaces securely from any location. A dashboard will enable you to predict and identify errors before they cause serious problems.
5. Reliability Is Built Into the System
The seamless flow of information is essential in your organization. Whether clinical, operational, or financial, you can’t afford to have unscheduled downtime caused by bugs in your integration engine.
Modern integration engines are cloud-based. They offer high availability, and their failover options can easily fit into your current IT infrastructure.
Messages don’t get lost, and delivery is guaranteed. The integration engine keeps a log of all the messages sent so you can easily resend any messages missed if there was downtime.
See a Live Demo of a Modern Healthcare Interface Engine
Do you need to deploy a new interface engine? Talk to us at Lifepoint Informatics today. Call 877.522.8378 or reach out to us through our contact page.