Interoperability is the ability of different systems, devices, or components to communicate and exchange information efficiently and seamlessly. This capability enables different systems to operate together in an integrated manner, sharing data and resources among themselves. When used in your clinic's management system, it can bring many advantages for healthcare professionals, administrators, and patients.
Interoperability is essential to ensure that different systems can work together, not only in the healthcare field but also in the realms of finance and information technology. Without interoperability, systems can remain isolated and unable to share critical information, which can lead to errors, delays, and other issues.
There are different types of interoperability, such as technical interoperability, which refers to the systems' ability to communicate in a standardized manner; semantic interoperability, which refers to the systems' ability to share common meanings; and organizational interoperability, which refers to the organizations' ability to work together to achieve common goals.
Before we continue, we need to know: Have you ever heard of the Ninsaúde Apolo health clinics system? The Ninsaúde Apolo medical software features a fast and comprehensive schedule, personalized electronic medical records for each specialty with legal validity, teleconsultation, financial control, and much more. Schedule a demonstration or try the Ninsaúde Apolo clinic system right now!
There are several communication standards used in interoperability, which can depend on the type of system and the purpose of communication. Some of the most common standards include HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), XML (Extensible Markup Language), JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), HL7 (Health Level Seven), and DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), among others. However, one of the most common protocols used for interoperability in medical systems is the RESTful API.
Interoperability in healthcare and RESTful API
The RESTful API is one of the most widely used communication standards in interoperability, particularly in the context of web systems. REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for distributed systems based on HTTP, which utilizes the standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) to access and manipulate resources through a uniform interface.
A RESTful API allows different systems and applications to communicate in a standardized manner, regardless of the programming language or operating system they are using. This is because the RESTful API follows a set of well-defined principles that make system communication consistent and predictable.
For those who are not yet using a management system, or even for those who already are, it is always important to highlight that the Ninsaúde Apolo clinic system works with the RESTful API, which allows you to perform integrations that will help your clinic stand out in the healthcare market. The Ninsaúde Apolo API provides a standardized and efficient way to share data and resources, enabling different systems to work together in an integrated manner.
The development platform used in Ninsaúde Apolo provides a RESTful API to build rich experiences with web, mobile, and desktop applications, encompassing all the features your clinic needs. It also offers scalable and secure technological infrastructure. All requests have end-to-end security with a Lets Encrypt Authority X3 2048-bit security certificate. Additionally, vulnerability scanners are occasionally utilized to detect potential security flaws.
The infrastructure is also certified with SSAE16/ISAE 3402 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, FedRAMP ATO, PCI DSS v3.2, and HIPAA. The tokens used follow the authentication standards of OAuth2. The use of Refresh Tokens replaces the sharing of account, username, and password with applications. The Access Token used in platform requests has a validity of 15 minutes. Learn more about this topic on the developers' page of the Ninsaúde Apolo clinic system website.
The use of integrations in clinic management
Interoperability in healthcare goes hand in hand with two tools that can be essential for successful clinic management, namely Power BI and SAP BusinessObjects BI Suite. Both can assist medical clinics in making more informed and effective decisions based on accurate and up-to-date information.
The SAP BusinessObjects Suite is a Business Intelligence platform that enables companies to create, visualize, and share information across the organization. It allows businesses to access data from various sources such as databases, spreadsheets, and business applications, and transform them into meaningful insights through dashboards and reports.
On the other hand, Power BI is a Microsoft data analysis platform that enables companies to visualize and share information through interactive dashboards and customized reports. It also allows businesses to access data from different sources and transform it into actionable insights. Many companies, often in consulting roles, have connected Power BI technology to a management system such as the Ninsaúde Apolo clinic system in order to obtain data for generating ideas that can increase clinic revenue, for example.
By integrating Power BI and the SAP BusinessObjects Suite, companies can create a more robust and integrated Business Intelligence solution. A good example is using SAP BusinessObjects to access data from different sources and transform it into meaningful insights, and Power BI to visualize and share that information. In this context, business consulting firms can leverage interoperability in healthcare to assist clinics in monitoring and analyzing their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in real time.
With interoperability, business consulting firms can integrate data from various sources, such as databases, clinic management systems, and patient monitoring applications, among others. This data integration can enable clinics to track important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in real-time, such as bed occupancy rate, patient turnover, patient satisfaction rates, and other significant metrics.
Based on this information, business consulting firms can assist clinics in making decisions to change their strategies according to patient behavior. For example, if the bed occupancy rate is high, clinics can decide to expand their facilities or reduce the number of admitted patients. Similarly, if the patient satisfaction rate is low, clinics can decide to implement new patient care policies.
Interoperability in a management system can also enable clinics to not only improve their business processes but also reduce costs and increase efficiency. For example, by integrating data from multiple sources, a business consulting firm can help your clinic identify areas of waste and inefficiency and implement strategies to improve these processes.
Clinics can also use interoperability to attach patient information to management systems more efficiently and securely. This can improve patient care, reduce errors, and streamline the treatment process. It is interesting how many clinics still collect patient data through forms and other paper-based documents sent via email, requiring manual work to transfer this information to their records. On the other hand, clinic management systems like Ninsaúde Apolo have functionalities that streamline this process.
By leveraging the benefits of the RESTful API, SAP BusinessObjects Suite, and Power BI, it is possible, for example, to integrate with the clinic's website. Through the website, patients can input their information, such as registration forms, satisfaction surveys, and form responses. With the integration in place, whenever a patient enters this information, it will be automatically attached to their patient record within the medical software. This eliminates the need for manual work to transfer the data.
Did you like the tips? Keep following the blog to stay updated with more content like this. Are you a healthcare professional but still not using a management software? Get to know Ninsaúde Apolo, the clinic management system.