In addition to accessing and viewing medical information, patients need a convenient, quick method to share such information. Application program interfaces (APIs) are a potential solution to boosting interoperability in the healthcare industry.

“APIs have the potential to remove barriers to the sharing of health information between providers, patients, and others but they are fairly new to health care,” wrote Judah Thornewell et al. in a piece from the Commonwealth Fund. “In addition, not all types of APIs are equal when it comes to sharing digital health information. Some restrictive APIs could even be used instead to block patients from accessing their health information.”

Having patients be able to actively send and receive information via digital devices is the future of interoperability. With a smartphone application, APIs can be in the palm of patients hands and the possibilities are endless.

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