ONC released new data on the methods substance abuse treatment centers used to manage health information in 2017. More than half of centers nationwide used a combination of both electronic and paper methods to store and exchange client health information. Three in ten centers used only electronic methods to store and maintain health information.

ONC recently released results from the Coordinated Registry Network for Women’s Health Technologies project, a collaborative effort conducted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to enable researchers to generate real-world evidence using data that address some women’s health issues.

Application programming interfaces (APIs) are powerful tools that help support interoperability in healthcare. Simply put, APIs allow a software “Application A” to interact with a software “Application B” without Application A needing to know how Application B’s software is designed internally. APIs can be used for several things, including the ability to for software applications to share information. From the example above, Application A could request information from Application B or ask Application B to place a pushpin on a map at a specific longitude and latitude. In other words, think of an API like a “data concierge.” API-based exchanges have become commonplace in our everyday life, from mobile banking to booking a plane ticket, from downloading media to shopping online. Naturally, as adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) continues to expand, it is essential for APIs to play an increasing role with respect to healthcare interoperability.

When our communities face a health crisis, the research, clinical, and public health worlds come together and collaborate. Public health programs drive toward prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the population, but they need the support and guidance of data-driven research behind them every step of the way. While most of the data needed to accelerate research, and clinical and public health delivery come from traditional sources—such as clinical encounters and lab tests—data feeds from nontraditional sources , such as genomics, smartphones and wearable devices, environmental factors, social determinants of health, and consumer data are increasingly becoming important to create a more holistic and longitudinal view of patients and populations.

Have you ever found yourself asking any of the following questions?

• What advances are needed in application programming interfaces (APIs) to support faster, better and more scalable access to health information?
• What technical underpinnings would support future nationwide, trusted exchange?
• How can technology seamlessly interoperate across the continuum of care?
• How can data standards evolve to support expanding needs of healthcare?

Then we’ve got an exciting, and updated, event for you!