Epic Vereniging NL (more information) recently announced officially that Harmony and MuleSoft have been chosen as partners to build a shared API-management platform. It's a forward-looking step that helps answer the changing healthcare-IT landscape, in which we are shifting from traditional integrations to a modern, API-driven architecture.
We spoke with Ramin Basim and Rachid Boudarbala (MuleSoft/Salesforce) and Robert Daniels and Rutger Smit (Harmony IT) about this milestone and the ten-year partnership that underpins the success.
Why did the Epic Vereniging choose MuleSoft specifically as its API-management platform?
Harmony: "The Epic environment is the beating heart of the modern hospital. But that heart has to communicate with dozens of other systems: lab, pharmacy, radiology, patient portals, monitoring apps. Every hospital has a unique landscape. Without standardisation, organisations keep building the same connections over and over, each with its own security layer and maintenance burden. That is simply no longer sustainable."
MuleSoft: "That is exactly where our strength lies. MuleSoft offers not just technical connectivity, but a platform where security, governance, and reusability are baked in as standard. In the US, more than 2,000 hospitals run their Epic environment on MuleSoft; they have already proven how you manage this complexity. That experience, and the best practices we have built up there, we now translate directly to the Dutch market and European legislation."
Harmony: "This transformation leans on modern standards such as FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources). Instead of reinventing the wheel for every hospital, MuleSoft provides a reusable layer. Information is securely unlocked once and is then immediately available for any innovation. If Radboudumc builds a smart integration, Amsterdam UMC can benefit from it straight away. That is the essence of scalability."
How does MuleSoft fit into the wider challenges facing the healthcare sector?
MuleSoft: "With the arrival of the EU AI Act and the European Health Data Space (EHDS), data exchange has to meet extremely strict requirements. The most experienced architects now understand that you shouldn't be manually nailing down that governance in every corner of your IT landscape. You need a platform that delivers that security and compliance by design. What's more: without solid data management, an AI strategy is doomed. If your data isn't in order, AI can do nothing for you."
Harmony: "In a tight labour market especially, this synergy is crucial. By working on the same platform, care organisations can share knowledge and solutions. That raises productivity enormously, which ultimately leaves more resources for care at the bedside. We are already applying that philosophy successfully in transmural care, incidentally, with the project 'Samen Zorgen Voor Morgen'."
This deal is a huge step. How did the partnership come about?
MuleSoft: "This was certainly no fluke. It is really the result of a decade of intensive collaboration. Together with Harmony we had already built an impressive footprint in Dutch healthcare, and Harmony has also proven that it truly understands the sector. That track record was decisive for the Epic Vereniging too."
Harmony: "Over the past ten years we have built up deep knowledge of what the healthcare sector needs. And that partnership with MuleSoft has been running well for a decade. Being recognised by MuleSoft as Best Performing Partner in 2025 underlines our shared vision for the market."
How much has the world changed since your partnership began?
Harmony: "It's a world of difference. In 2015 we were at a summit in Amsterdam with 35 people in a small room. Today, MuleSoft events draw 2,500 visitors. Back then we chose MuleSoft after a 'bake-off' against the established players. MuleSoft delivered tangible results on day one, while others were still taking stock. That focus on speed is still our foundation."
MuleSoft: "In those days we sometimes still had to explain what exactly we did. Now, certainly after the acquisition by Salesforce, we are world-leading. But the core value is unchanged: speed and reusability."
You no longer sell 'connections', but 'digital transformation'. Is that more than marketing speak?
MuleSoft: "Absolutely. The heart of the problem has shifted. Old point-to-point connections inevitably lead to an unmanageable maze. Today, integration is a strategic asset; it is the arteries of the organisation. Companies are looking for productivity: achieving more with fewer people."
Harmony: "MuleSoft is a premium product, but through the reusability and the speed with which you deliver projects, you earn that investment back straight away. That is not waffle or marketing; if you go about it intelligently, it is really just plain business logic."
Is this, then, also the blueprint for the rest of Europe?
Harmony: "Without a doubt. What we are doing in the Netherlands with the Epic Vereniging and Samen Zorgen Voor Morgen (SZVM) is a textbook example of collective digitalisation. We are already exploring the possibilities of copying this model to Belgium and the Nordics, where regions such as Denmark and Norway face exactly the same challenges."
MuleSoft: "Our partnership shows that we don't just facilitate technology; we are getting the vital infrastructure of healthcare ready for the AI era. That fuels our European ambitions."
What is your message to healthcare organisations facing similar challenges?
Harmony: "Don't do it alone. The challenges are too complex and too urgent to reinvent the wheel yourself. Learn from what other organisations have already built, and choose platforms that enable collaboration."
MuleSoft: "And don't wait. The technology, the standards, and the experience are all there. Whether you work with Epic or another system: modern API management is no longer a luxury, but a precondition for future-proof care."
