APIs, known as application program interfaces, are sets of routines, protocols, and tools used when building software applications. Though seemingly small, APIs and their use with apps might just hold the key to achieving interoperability between electronic health records (EHRs), or so the Federal government is hoping.
Earlier this year, Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt named some guiding principles to the way regulators plan to interpret the reimbursement revolutionizing Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), including:
- Health care providers will be rewarded for using technology to improve care outcomes;
- Providers will be able to customize their health IT;
- Interoperability will be a top priority, through the implementation of Federally recognized, national interoperability standards and a focus on real-world uses of technology.
Apps, such as Blue Button, have been used for years, to exchange and store electronic health records. Open-source APIs could make interoperability even more achievable by allowing the exchange of secure health data through the cloud.
How important are APIs to the future of health care? Federal officials at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) say they are “pretty important.” For the full article click here
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