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Abstract

Interoperability stands as a significant challenge for the healthcare industry in the digital era. Electronic health records (EHRs) encompassing vital patient information such as medical history, lab tests, demographics, medications, allergies, immunization records, radiology images, and vital signs are confined within isolated databases, incompatible systems, and proprietary software. This predicament poses substantial barriers to data exchange, analysis, and interpretation. Recognizing the need for improved access, analysis, and communication between healthcare systems, medical devices, and applications at both local and cross-organizational levels, the healthcare sector seeks a solution. Application Programming Interface (API) integration has emerged as the preferred method to facilitate data flow between internal applications, EHRs, and other data exchange tools within the healthcare industry. APIs enable a secure and seamless exchange of data and functionalities, making them a vital component in managing the data exchange process. This paper emphasizes the indispensability of interoperability for future medical advancements. APIs are the most useful tool among many developing technologies, such as IoT, SaaS, and cloud computing, for maximizing performance, boosting revenue, and bettering consumer comprehension. The paper highlights the advantages of APIs and proposes an API-led integration framework to enhance the interoperability of patient health information among healthcare organizations while ensuring data privacy and security.

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Keywords

Interoperability, Healthcare industry, electronic health records (EHRs), Data exchange, Application Programming Interface (API), Future medical advancements, Internet of Things (IoT), API-led integration framework, Data privacy, Data security.