Overview of the Elation Health API, our solution for interoperability and connecting physicians and patients at the point of care
Electronic health records (EHRs) are the core tool that physicians use to take action at the point of care, capture data and track longitudinal care information for patients. Unfortunately, the lack of investment in integration tools and interoperability means that often, EHR data is silo’ed in a single system and can’t be used to integrate to other technology systems that physicians or patients use to interact or track care. Elation Health has solved this problem with a best-in-class, RESTful API that allows third party systems to read, create, and update the patient record in Elation.
Elation Health’s API is currently in use across a wide variety of partners, including a number of practice management systems, clinical data partners, imaging centers, laboratories, interfaces, and additional vendors and software partners. Our API and HL-7 capabilities power this ecosystem of connected tools to help facilitate more coordinated care.
What are APIs?
Application program interfaces (APIs) essentially enable software systems to access each other’s information. In a healthcare setting, an API integration can enable real-time sharing or updating of patient information across systems, so that a single patient record can exist across multiple software tools that physicians, staff, or patients use to coordinate care. Data shared via API might include patient demographics, billing information, communication, or clinical information that has been inputted by other providers the patient has seen for care.
The potential impact of more effective APIs in healthcare are a big driver for tackling interoperability. Interoperability between systems, using advanced clinical software, helps the independent physician focus more fully on providing quality patient care instead of wasting time searching for information. As noted by Kyle Murphy, PhD, in a recent Health IT Interoperability article, “many subject-matter experts and innovators continue to tout the potential of widespread API use in healthcare to enable health data exchange and interoperability.”
Elation Health’s API functionality
Elation is excited to be at the forefront of the interoperability innovations that are made possible with APIs, enabling independent physicians to focus on patient care instead of on paperwork.
Elation’s API functionality and efforts were mentioned recently by On-site Clinic Wellness for Life, as a move toward innovation in healthcare delivery. Justin Leigh, Chief Operating Officer at Wellness for Life, in discussing a new partnership with Elation, noted that our clinical technology solutions are a “groundbreaking platform” that will enable them to deliver “phenomenal care.”
The importance of having a connected EHR
The EHR should be the core platform physicians use to prepare, conduct, and document a patient visit. As a result, it provides the critical data set needed to deliver powerful integrations. EHR partners must invest in the ability for third parties to access and input data into their systems if a truly portable, interoperable patient record is to be achieved.
Once a comprehensive view of the patient record is captured, using a Clinical First, connected EHR has multiple benefits. Physicians and clinical staff can enter and review patient notes during the visit more quickly and efficiently, so that more time can be spent with patients. Having a patient’s medical information accessible and at the point of care empowers more informed and effective patient encounters.
As the Office of Health Information Technology (IT) points out, “the health care team’s view of the patient can become fragmented into disconnected facts and clusters of symptoms.” A connected EHR system enables all providers caring for a patient to improve information sharing and to improve the quality of care they provide that patient.
Want to request a new integration to Elation?
We’re constantly working on making it as easy as possible to access clinical information at the point of care, please reach out to support@elationhealth.com and we’d be happy to provide more information on potential integrations.
