When you need to unlock data generically and make system-agnostic information accessible, secure, and available, an integration platform becomes essential.
The New Challenges
The application and integration landscape in healthcare is evolving. At the application and infrastructure level, SaaS, Cloud, and Web apps have become the standard, with APIs serving as universal connectors.
Strategically, we're witnessing a shift in integration approach: from specific exchanges to generic availability. While this transformation has been ongoing for years, recent developments such as FHIR, the Wegiz Act, Regional (data) platforms, AI, and IoT have dramatically accelerated and expanded this change.
The MuleSoft Integration Platform, developed with an API-First approach, seamlessly addresses the challenges within this new integration landscape.
The various healthcare organisations we support with platform implementation have leveraged the platform's comprehensive integration and API Management capabilities to achieve these new integrations whilst solving and preventing several crucial strategic bottlenecks:
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- Enhanced management and insight into implemented integrations
- Reduced dependency on system suppliers
- Cost-effectiveness through architectural reusability and decreased reliance on system suppliers
- Flexibility in both implementing new integrations and adapting to current landscape changes
By implementing the MuleSoft integration platform, these organisations regain control over their integration landscape, ensuring ownership of data exchange aligns with responsibility for that exchange.
A Strategic Approach is Essential
Despite its numerous advantages, many healthcare organisations haven't yet considered implementing an integration platform. This is understandable.
Integration requirements typically emerge as part of a new healthcare process or application. The necessary integration is then incorporated into that project, utilising either the coupling capabilities of the involved system suppliers or existing middleware. While this addresses the immediate integration need, it contributes to growing bottlenecks in the organisation's integration landscape.
Regarding the "new" healthcare integration landscape, this is precisely where we stand: New integrations are being implemented one by one through various means - point-to-point, legacy middleware, or single-purpose supplier platforms, gateways, or brokers. While these bottlenecks may not cause immediate problems, examining the complete picture reveals looming challenges.
This presents an opportunity - not only to prevent further growth of these bottlenecks but particularly to capitalise on integration platform implementation. Every new integration now achieved through the integration platform prevents duplicate investment when an integration platform is eventually chosen.
However, seizing this opportunity and looking beyond immediate integration needs requires a strategic approach.
Essential for Data Accessibility
'Fortunately', the desire to achieve data accessibility will compel us to examine our current integration strategy. While other bottlenecks, challenges, and resulting problems may be surmountable, this doesn't apply to data accessibility.
Data accessibility, defined by the Ministry of Health as "having recorded health data available, accessible, and usable for all forms of (re)use", is a development whose impact is extraordinarily broad. It touches all layers and actors in the interoperability model. Ultimately, data accessibility can only be achieved across the entire chain. No single actor, system, or supplier can solve this independently - precisely what makes an integration platform indispensable in this transformation.
The interoperability requirements for infrastructure, applications, information, and security won't be supported by all systems (yet). Usable information will sometimes comprise data from various systems. Moreover, making this information securely accessible poses new requirements for how organisations handle publishing, sharing, and securing it.
These represent just a few of the integration landscape challenges that data accessibility brings to an organisation - precisely the challenges that the MuleSoft integration platform addresses, making it essential for achieving data accessibility.
Discover How Harmony Can Help with Integration Solutions!
Want to learn more about how an integration platform like MuleSoft can help your organisation improve data accessibility and resolve strategic bottlenecks? Contact Harmony today and discover how we can support you in implementing an effective integration platform or visit our healthcare page for more info.
