One thing that has been apparent from the pandemic is that change happens fast. We know it’s important to have the right processes in place to respond and act quickly; HIMSS ‘21 Global Health Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas was no exception to this. With a theme of “Be The Change,” organizers and attendees had to pivot on a dime when the Delta variant began to surge globally. Once again the conference needed to adjust, just days before it began.
Despite lighter than normal crowds at this year’s event, there was a wide range of knowledge shared with the goal of improving patient outcomes and using technology as a catalyst for positive change within the healthcare industry. In this blog, we’ll review the top takeaways from HIMSS on how tech is facilitating patient connections outside of the hospital and three ways connected care helps patients, interoperability, and employees.
#1 Connecting data to improve patient outcomes
MuleSoft is no stranger to using the power of modern APIs as a force of positive change within the healthcare landscape. During HIMSS 21 we shared exactly how API-led connectivity moves the needle forward for healthcare and sat down with someone who knows the power of connected data first hand, Sameer Sethi, Chief Data Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health. Sethi explained his passion for securely connecting and sharing healthcare data to empower patients and clinicians, and how modern APIs make that happen.
He also discussed how important plug-and-play options for reusable APIs are to enable connectivity between various healthcare systems. Organizations have grown from having 10-20 data holding systems in the 1990’s, to hundreds now. With this enormous amount of information being held by healthcare organizations. He explained that organizations need systems in place that take their data, give access to the right people, and make it actionable, while allowing for transparency with patients and staff in a secure manner. With healthcare systems often operating in silos and lacking transparency, government regulations are now holding hospitals accountable for data sharing with their patients.
#2 APIs for interoperability and patient care
At MuleSoft, we’re working with healthcare changemakers across payers, providers, and life sciences organizations to enable them to stay ahead of the ever-changing needs that affect their patients and members.
Through the power of modern APIs, leading organizations have a standardized way to connect to any data source through templates and pre-built connectors, so when they have to pivot quickly, they can. In the wake of COVID-19, we’re seeing more and more organizations leading with API-led connectivity so they can spend less time focusing on integrating, and more time on innovating and creating impactful user experiences.
#3 Connecting data for employees
At HIMSS this year there was not just a focus on the patient, but care providers as well. Employee burnout, especially amongst clinicians, has always been a concern, but now employees are enduring levels of burnout higher than ever before.
Employees across the board, both in clinical and non-clinical roles, need to break down unnecessary complexities around their work. Breaking down data silos and having information on a secure, unified platform is a way to do just that. Using modern APIs that are easy to initially implement, and future-proof for eventual projects to come, leading organizations increase employee satisfaction and reduce burnout.
Learn more
Now, with new variants of COVID-19 leading to further apprehension across the globe, we’re seeing even more areas where API-led connectivity can provide the speed, scalability, and security healthcare organizations need during uncertain times like these. That’s why we’ve put together this HIMSS 2 You Webpage that has our keynote presentation from HIMSS, “Extend Care Anywhere on the Cloud,” showing how MuleSoft is helping power patient care outside the four walls of the hospital.
You can find our referral management and care coordination demos, along with the MuleSoft Healthcare Accelerator demo as well. All these resources, and more, are here to help you learn more about how modern APIs are powering interoperability now and how they’ll be even more valuable for organizations like yours in the future.
