One aim of the 21st Century Cures Act recently passed by Congress is to make digital health data more accessible, emphasizing the use of APIs in healthcare to increase EHR interoperability and improve patient records matching. Aligning closely with the SMART Health IT focus on creating a app ecosystem for healthcare, the act states that a year from now, open APIs will be necessary for EHR system certification.
“… that the entity has in place data sharing programs or capabilities based on common data elements through such mechanisms as application programming interfaces without the requirement for vendor-specific interfaces;
[…] publish application programming interfaces and associated documentation, with respect to health information within such records, for search and indexing, semantic harmonization and vocabulary translation, and user interface applications; and
[…] demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary that health information from such records are able to be exchanged, accessed, and used through the use of application programming interfaces without special effort, as authorized under applicable law.”
Read the full document at 21st Century Cures Act
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