The Provider Perspective
Generally, providers indicated enthusiasm and support for using apps to extend EHR functionality using standardized HL7® FHIR® APIs and FHIR Bulk Data APIs. They reported that they would benefit from additional guidance regarding the Cures Act Final Rule provisions. In parallel to this project, ONC has published multiple resources and policy guidance on information blocking, API privacy and security, and additional educational resources to facilitate the use of APIs and apps. Providers also expressed that to date many organizations have limited technical resources or experience implementing APIs and apps, and that they rely on their health IT developers to provide implementation assistance for new functionalities. However, they look forward to the promise APIs hold for promoting interoperability, access to EHI, and health data exchange.
What We Learned
In describing their motivations and experiences managing APIs and apps, providers indicated that APIs can support access, exchange, and use of EHI by extending the functionality of their EHRs. For instance, APIs can enable providers to use structured data elements in the EHR for clinical decision support, such as for calculating cardiovascular disease risk. Other findings included:
Clinical, administrative, and research use cases may benefit from the adoption of APIs and apps that provide additional data sets from external sources such as remote monitoring devices.
Interest in having patient-generated health data (PGHD) from devices written back to and/or incorporated into the EHR’s workflow to improve clinical decision making and provide additional analytics capabilities to providers.
Governance processes require a formal implementation strategy, specialized knowledge, and dedicated resources. Provider organizations often lack internal resources to implement, manage, and maintain APIs and apps.
Provider organizations are aware that they will need to develop new capabilities in the areas of API management and governance or seek outside expertise from third-parties (such as data integrators) to assist with API management, implementation of API functionality, and other interoperability initiatives.
Privacy and security concerns remain a barrier to the adoption of APIs and health apps and provider organizations noted that consumer education and support was critical.
To learn more about this project and other perspectives on APIs and apps visit the austria number data following ONC resources:
Accelerating APIs for Scientific Discovery: Main ONC homepage for the Accelerating APIs for Scientific Discovery project that includes links to project activities aimed at increasing use of APIs and healthcare apps by consumers, researchers, and providers.
Accelerating APIs for Scientific Discovery: Consumer Perspectives: First in the “Accelerating APIs” report series provides the perspectives of consumers and patient advocacy organizations and the need for health care apps to support accurate, timely, detailed and interoperable health information.
Accelerating APIs for Scientific Discovery: Researcher Perspectives: Second in the “Accelerating APIs” report series provides the perspectives of researchers including biomedical and clinical informaticists, academic researchers, and pharmaceutical companies and their need for data housed within electronic health records and other data sources that can be accessed through APIs.
Accelerating APIs for Scientific Discovery App Developer and Data Integrator Perspectives: Third in the “Accelerating APIs” report series reports the perspectives of app developers and data integrators including third-party app developers, data aggregators, data integrators, and data standards implementers, and their experiences of building health IT tools with APIs that need EHR data that are often housed in siloed, disparate systems.