Guides
What Do You Need to Know About Interoperability and Healthcare APIs?

The fundamental objective and concerns of the healthcare sector have always been to provide patients with high-quality care and treatment. Every year, new technology developments are introduced that further simplify the healthcare procedure. Interoperability is one of these more recent terms in the health ecosystem.
Interoperability: What Is It?
It hasn’t been simple to compel healthcare professionals to convert from paper to electronic health records. Interoperability was created as a result of the gaps and fragmented communication that resulted from this.
Interoperability is defined by HIMSS as the ability of various hardware, software, and information systems to reliably connect, access, share, and use data within and outside of the organizational boundary with authorized users.
Interoperability provides for connectivity and integrations in a safe and secure framework, making the data accessible for usage and sharing without the end-user interfering with the process, with the purpose of providing improved therapy to the patient.
Regardless of the practices, labs, healthcare providers, pharmacies, or hospitals, interoperability aims to provide the healthcare organization a comprehensive picture of the patient-related information.
In contrast to the past, HIMSS has identified four routes for data to interact inside a single healthcare setting:
FUNDAMENTAL:
As the name implies, fundamental interoperability is in charge of setting up the framework for data flow and exchange across various organizations. It establishes the fundamental conditions for information transmission and reception.
STRUCTURAL:
The structural interoperability determines how a data will be transported across the systems in order to preserve its integrity and provide security.
ORGANIZATIONAL:
Organizational interoperability, which consists of both organizational and technological elements, guarantees the secure, efficient, and timely interchange and consumption of information across the healthcare organization.
SEMANTIC:
Semantic interoperability enables the system to interchange, understand, and utilize the data by using both the structure and the coding of the data.
Although the motivation for this change is clear, interoperability has many more advantages.
TOP-NOTCH CARE:
Because the provider does not have complete patient-related information, the lack of an integrated healthcare IT system has caused significant delays in patient treatment. Interoperability, which allows for the visibility and availability of patient data including symptoms, medical billing history, problems, treatments, etc., aids in providing high-quality care. The care coordination improves the patient’s experience by relieving them of the responsibility of handling the majority of the administrative responsibilities.
IMPROVED SAFETY:
One of the major obstacles to a healthcare facility’s efficient operation is missing or incomplete data. Interoperability makes it easier for data to be captured and interpreted consistently across the healthcare system, reducing the chance of mistake. This will aid them even more in recognizing and avoiding the procedural error that causes the result error.
INFORMATION SYSTEM COHESIVE INTERACTION:
Interoperability has made it easier for patients and clinicians to obtain reliable public health data. Healthcare organizations have discovered a platform to educate the public about the impending health problem so that they are ready to address it via the exchange and analysis of data enabled by interoperability.
LOWER COST:
Time spent looking for and skimming through patient data is now saved because to interoperability’s capacity to simplify, share, and use data throughout the healthcare business. resulting in increased production and decreased healthcare costs.
PATIENT-DOCTOR PRIVACY IS MAINTAINED:
The clinical staff’s requirement to manually update the patient records was reduced thanks to an electronic data management system, lowering the risk of mistakes. Maintaining interoperability may help protect the right to patient-doctor confidentiality, which is often compromised by manual processing.
With application programming interfaces that let data transmission and communication across various information systems, interoperability enables the aforementioned advantages as well as additional ones.
Data transmission and reception between systems are made possible through API. This API makes it easier to build reports by updating individual records or supplying data in bulk.
Additionally, API enables accurate information synchronization between the facility, the insurance provider, and the provider of care in order to reduce delays in the course of treatment owing to time spent determining the patient’s eligibility for coverage.
Every department at a single healthcare institution is using data from a distinct electronic health record system, unlike the days of phone calls and fax machines. The data is dispersed throughout the many divisions due to the complexity of the healthcare industry.
Hospitals and doctors must have a comprehensive clinical picture of the patient, including their history, allergies, and problems, which has become foggy due to the proliferation of EHRs. API frameworks serve as a link between these diverse EHR systems and provide a useful data interchange across the healthcare system. As a result, you save a lot of time and money.
Since APIs are still in their infancy, there are a number of issues that must be resolved for improved results, including:
The absence of data standards in the healthcare industry and the availability of several technologies have increased the need for a tailored API for the varied services it offers to different systems.
The extract, convert, and load script will need to be updated as soon as new data sources are available, because technology is always changing. It becomes expensive and time-consuming as a result.
It may be difficult to ensure sufficient interchange and synchronization of complex healthcare data across various healthcare systems, which ultimately has an impact on the outcomes.
How can you make your organization’s healthcare system more interoperable?
It is crucial for providers to do research and develop solutions that improve connection across various healthcare organizations and healthcare exchange systems in light of the transformation to a value-driven healthcare environment.
Similar to this, you must promptly reevaluate the IT tools and strategies you have been using to ensure that they meet the demands of value-based care and foster interoperability at the structural, semantic, and fundamental levels.
To increase interoperability and provide more accurate and secure health data sharing, every procedure linked to patient health information, including data collecting, formatting, and conversion, should be standardized.
Although interoperability and API still have a way to go, all parts of the healthcare organization share equal responsibility for their success or failure.
Guides
Travel for Germaphobes
If you are terrified of germs and getting sick from contacting foreign surfaces, travel doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Here are some awesome things to pack that will help you feel cleaner while you travel the globe and expand your worldview.

Where are all my Germaphobes? I won’t ask you to raise you hand because you might touch something gross. It is not easy to travel as a germaphobe. There are so many gross things out in the world and leaving our comfort zones is hard enough. Even if you are terrified of germs and getting sick from contacting foreign surfaces, travel doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Here are some awesome things to pack that will help you feel cleaner while you travel the globe and expand your worldview.
Travel with sheets
If the idea of sleeping in a hotel room creeps you out then we have the perfect solution. Pack your own sheets and you won’t have to worry about sleeping in filth. Hotels rarely wash the comforters and duvet covers so I generally toss those into the corner and keep my vacation moving. I tend to keep an extra set of sheets in my car so why not pack them on trips as well. There is nothing grosser to germaphobes than sleeping in a dirty bed.
Hotels around the world treat cleanliness a little different than we do in the states. Their standards of cleaning can be below our standards, but that all depends on your destination. If you are going to London, their hotels are generally cleaner than say Bulgaria, so you may want to pick your destination carefully.
Simply pack a set of sheets in your luggage that you don’t mind losing or throwing away. Use them on your vacation and if repacking them grosses you out, toss or donate them. Some orphanage would love some slightly used sheets, I’m sure.
Surgical Masks
If you are a real germaphobe, chances are you already own a few surgical masks. You see surgical masks all over Asia where the general populations are overcrowded, so why not travel with one? They are cheap, usually a few cents and for germaphobes they are lifesavers. Wear them when you are on crowded subways or airplanes and you can rest easy knowing you won’t catch anything that’s airborne.
Pack Medicine
If the congested airplanes or groups of people gross you out then make sure you prepare by packing some emergency and airborne with you. These medicines will boost your immune system and ease your worries of contracting some crazy foreign illness. I get it, people are dirty and gross and being jammed packed with them on a plane tends to gross me out as well. I never travel without these two over-the-counter drugs.
Sanitize
Hand sanitizer should be on you at all times if you are a germaphobe. These convenient pocket sized sanitizers are awesome and keep germs at bay while you can explore foreign cities. Buy them anywhere and travel with some extras just incase you lose one. Shoot, I should invest in one of the companies, since I use them so often.
Water Filters
Germaphobes really hate drinking dirty water and I understand that. Water around the globe is not as clean as our water, unless you are from Flint Michigan. If you’re from Flint, drinking motor oil is probably better than drinking your city water, but I digress. When I travel I always pack my own water bottle with a filter on it. Its great, I can take river water and drink it without worrying about getting Giardia or any other water born illness. A great brand is Potable Aqua with PA+Plus. These are germicidal tablets that you can place in water and it cleans it without any weird aftertaste.
Destinations
Best U.S. Casinos Not in Las Vegas
There are awesome casinos all around the US that offer the same experiences as Vegas without a lot of the hassles. Check out this list of the best casinos not in Las Vegas that won’t need your passport to visit.

When you think of casinos in the United States, you automatically think Las Vegas, well, that’s your first mistake. Sure Las Vegas is great but it’s not the end-all be-all for casinos in the US. There are awesome casinos all around the US that offer the same experiences as Vegas without a lot of the hassles. Check out this list of the best casinos not in Las Vegas that won’t need your passport to visit.
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Biloxi
If you are in the south, why waste money on airfare and save that to waste at the tables instead. Don’t visit Vegas for your gambling needs, just head to Biloxi and have the same experience, without hopping on a plane. The Hard Rock in Biloxi is a rock n roll themed casino, just like any other Hard Rock, but this one is massive. Covering over 50,000 sq ft and with outstanding views of the Gulf of Mexico.
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Nevada
Tahoe is such a special place that you should visit with or without going to the casino. How many casinos have a private beach? Not many, but the Hyatt Regency in Tahoe certainly does. Not only can you gamble away your life savings here, but you can also enjoy water sports and fishing, take that Vegas.
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, Niagara Falls
How many casinos are located next to incredible water falls? One that I know of, the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. Take in the falls by day and play in a huge casino with over 100 gaming tables by night. You get a Vegas style experience with none of the desert heat.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City
Surprisingly Atlantic City is still hanging on. Many resorts here have closed down but the Borgata stands strong. The elite Atlantic City resort, the Borgata has all you could ever want from a Vegas style resort without leaving the East Coast.
An easy drive form many huge metropolitan cities, The Borgata should be a top choice.
Peppermill Resort Spa Casino, Reno
Reno is the little sister to Las Vegas with it’s own feel and identity. Much cheaper than an average Las Vegas vacation, Reno offers a slower pace and chiller vibe. If the all night parties aren’t for you, maybe check out the Peppermill. The Tuscany styled resort will make you relax while losing all your money.
Talking Stick Resort, Arizona
Talking Stick is a killer Indian Casino with tons of fun activities to keep you entertained while not spending money at the tables. Table in a round of golf or hit up the award-winning spa.
Foxwoods resort and Casino, Connecticut
New Yorkers already know just how awesome Foxwoods truly is. Foxwoods actually offers six different casinos in its little empire in Connecticut. There are two golf courses, two arcades for the kids and tons of live entertainment options. A short drive from New York City makes Foxwoods an easy winner as the best US casino, not in Las Vegas.
Destinations
Hawaii Vacations Easier Now for Visitors

Hawaii opens its doors to vacationers. However, there are still several protocols that tourists need to follow.
On 15 October, Hawaii started providing visitors an easier alternative. Instead of requiring tourists to undergo a 14-day quarantine, would-be visitors must undergo testing, at least 72 hours before mainland departure, proving that they are free from the COVID-19 virus. Although this new Safe Travels protocol was supposed to start on the first day of September, the State of Hawaii had to suspend the program due to the sudden spike in cases. Yet, does Hawaii really want visitors now?

“I want people to come if they are fully prepared to test, know that they are healthy and are prepared to wear a mask,” mentions Lt Gov Josh Green, one of the leaders of the program. “If they do all those things, we are excited to resume our relationship with old friends,” he continues. He adds, however, that “…we are very mindful of risk, and we’re just trying to begin the process of a healthy restoration of our economy. We are not pushing for any large numbers. We just want to begin to kind of shake off the rust.”
To participate in the program—and to be given the chance to enter the state, all would-be visitors are required to undergo testing. This is a mandatory protocol that includes testing children who are aged 5 and above. Aside from the tests being done at least 72 hours before leaving the mainland, they should also be undertaken by accredited testing centers or health care agencies.
Green advises travelers to consult their chosen accredited testers regarding their own testing protocols. He mentions that some of these testing centers do not provide testing for children. Some merely offer COVID-19 tests to children who are 12 years old and above.

Nevertheless, the COVID-19 home testing kits from Hawaiian Airlines can also be used for testing purposes. Vault Health mentions that children can do their saliva-based COVID-19 test, as well. Big airline companies that provide Hawaii flights also offer travelers the option to take the test at the accredited clinics or have them done at the airports. They can also opt to do the home tests, as well.
A few of these airlines provide faster test results, too. For a fee of $250, United Airlines offers rapid testing at the San Francisco International Airport. For this kind of test, results are provided in a few minutes. Travelers can also obtain the tests from Walgreens and CVS.
However, the tests may only allow travelers to enter Hawaii. Traveling between islands may require vacationers to undergo additional COVID-19 tests, though. This is a protocol that applies not only to tourists but to Hawaiians, as well. They will also need to do the necessary 14-day quarantine each time they reach a new island.

Additionally, a second COVID-19 test may be requested from visitors, four days after arriving in Hawaii. This allows the government to make sure that visitors are, indeed, negative from the virus. Records suggest that 1 out of 1000 visitors are known to have come up positive during the retesting.
-
Destinations4 months ago
All-Inclusive Resorts Outside The Caribbean!
-
Destinations4 months ago
Touring Nashville!
-
Destinations4 months ago
Safe Travel Spots For Travel Currently
-
Destinations4 months ago
Stay With The Animals At These Awesome Hotels
-
Destinations4 months ago
The Best Cruises For Every Family Type
-
Destinations4 months ago
The Cheapest Travel Destinations in the World in 2020
-
Destinations2 months ago
Cheapest Caribbean Destination: Punta Cana VS Cancun
-
Featured4 months ago
How To Make A Healthy Gas Station Meal