Kaiser API program to link developers with datasets
To spur innovative health apps, Kaiser Permanente announced the upcoming launch of an application programming interface (API) program—Interchange by Kaiser Permanente—which will contain secure, public datasets for third-party developers, according to the company’s June 3 press release.
Kaiser Permanente will formally launch Interchange with a code-a-thon on June 5 and 6 in Washington, D.C. during Health Data and Innovation Week.
Interchange will utilize information already in the public domain to enable app development outside of Kaiser Permanente, according to the announcement.
The API initially will make healthcare providers’ public facility and location information available for integration into apps. In the future, Interchange will enable developers to build apps that leverage activity-based data from tracking devices. Kaiser Permanente members would have the option to securely share their activity information for developers’ use.
“Imagine being able to download a mobile app so customized that it shows you nearby restaurants that cater to your healthy lifestyle and offers food suggestions based on the amount of activity you have completed in the last week, your nutrition plan and friends' reviews. Once you've finished your meal, a device synced to your app reports your blood-sugar levels and reminds you to pick up insulin, then tells you the nearest Kaiser Permanente pharmacy where you can pick it up. Interchange by Kaiser Permanente is the beginning of that possibility,” Phil Fasano, executive vice president and CIO, Kaiser Permanente, said in a statement.
More on Interchange for Kaiser Permanente is available here.