Empowering Life Sciences: Leveraging APIs for Enhanced Interoperability and Innovation in Healthcare  

By Pooja Babbrah, PBM & Pharmacy Practice Lead

The journey toward true interoperability in healthcare is complex and ongoing, traditionally focusing on data exchange among providers, payers, and pharmacies. However, the benefits extend significantly into the life sciences industry, where advancements in interoperability present critical opportunities for innovation and improved patient outcomes. Leading life sciences companies are capitalizing on digital solutions and interoperability to empower patients in accessing medications, enhance digital health solutions, and improve clinical decision support. By leveraging advanced application programming interfaces (APIs) and other technological tools, these companies streamline operations, enhance population health management, and boost digital health applications. Additionally, integrative technologies aid in clinical trial design and recruitment, offering insights into the real-world efficacy of treatments throughout a drug's lifecycle.

It's crucial for life sciences leaders, especially those focused on patient advocacy, digital health strategy, and innovation, to stay informed about health IT policies. Understanding strategic frameworks like the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC) policy efforts, including Health Data, Technology and Interoperability (HTI-1), HTI-2 and the 2024-2030 strategic roadmap, can help or hinder the life sciences industry's focus on interoperability.

By illustrating how some companies are actively leveraging these frameworks to their advantage, we aim to present a comprehensive view of the potential benefits. This exploration will inspire a broader appreciation of how interconnected data systems can advance individual company interests and contribute to the overarching goal of improving access to life-saving therapies and healthcare outcomes.

The Role of EHRs, Apps and Digital Platforms in Data Utilization and Exchange

Electronic health records (EHRs) are often heralded as the cornerstone of data exchange in healthcare, acting as a repository for vast amounts of patient data. However, the utility of EHRs extends far beyond mere data storage. To fully leverage the potential of the clinical and administrative data within these systems, they must be accessible, analyzable and actionable — qualities that EHRs alone cannot always guarantee. A more nuanced approach is necessary to maximize the benefits of digital health data.

Beyond Storage: Making Data Actionable

While EHRs contain a wealth of information, the sheer volume of data can be overwhelming and not inherently useful in raw form, and most definitely if the data coming in are not readily integrated because they are in the form of a PDF. This is where digital tools, applications and platforms play a critical role. These technologies are designed to sift through large datasets to extract meaningful insights, while adhering to privacy, security and consent frameworks that are crucial in healthcare settings.

Applications and Digital Platforms

1. 1. Data Analysis Tools: Sophisticated analytics platforms integrate with EHRs to parse and interpret data, providing healthcare professionals and researchers with actionable insights. These tools can identify patterns, predict outcomes, and suggest interventions, transforming raw data into a valuable resource for clinical decision-making.
   2. Customizable Apps: Various apps have been developed to work alongside EHRs, offering functionalities tailored to the needs of users. For example, some apps focus on specific data slices relevant to chronic disease management or medication adherence, ensuring that only pertinent information is used, which helps maintain a patient’s right to privacy and reduces information overload.
   3. Interoperability Solutions: To enhance data fluidity across different systems, interoperability solutions ensure that diverse healthcare IT systems can communicate effectively. These platforms facilitate the secure and efficient exchange of information not just within a healthcare provider’s network but also across different care settings, including pharmacies and research facilities.

Privacy, Security and Consent

Ensuring the security and confidentiality of health data is paramount. All tools interacting with EHRs must comply with strict regulations concerning data privacy and security. Moreover, these tools should be designed to operate within the frameworks of patient consent, ensuring that data are not only used appropriately but also ethically. The integration of robust security measures and adherence to consent protocols are essential in maintaining trust and safeguarding patient information.

It's important to understand that while EHRs are a vital component of healthcare IT, their effectiveness is significantly enhanced using complementary digital tools and platforms. These technologies are crucial in making EHR data accessible, meaningful and actionable. Moving forward, the focus must remain on developing and implementing solutions that respect patient privacy and consent while providing the healthcare community with the insights needed to improve patient outcomes. An overhaul of Healthcare Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and additional privacy and security policies is also expected. A holistic approach to data management and analysis is what will drive the future of healthcare innovation and efficiency.

Use Cases: How APIs Can Be Leveraged

Improving Efficacy of Population and Digital Health Programs

Integration of APIs within pharmaceutical operations can significantly enhance the efficacy of population and digital health programs. These technological advancements enable:

• • Early Intervention: APIs facilitate real-time exchange of health data, allowing early detection of potential health issues before they escalate. This can trigger timely interventions, potentially improving patient outcomes reducing overall cost of care.
  • Interactivity with Patients Between Doctor Visits: Through apps and digital platforms integrated via APIs, pharmaceutical companies can maintain a constant line of communication with patients. This will help in educating patients, monitoring ongoing treatments, supporting treatment adherence, managing adverse events and chronic conditions effectively and reducing the need for frequent physical office visits.
  • Measurement of Program Performance: APIs allow seamless collection and analysis of data from digital health programs, enabling companies to measure the effectiveness of their interventions accurately and adjust strategies in real time.

Clinical Trial Recruitment and Management

APIs are revolutionizing the way clinical trials are conducted by enhancing recruitment processes and management efficiency, allowing the potential to bridge gaps in clinical pharmacy questions.

• • Reducing Bias/Improving Equity: Using APIs to access diverse health data to design trials and reduce bias and improve equity in clinical trial recruitment.
  • Streamlining Clinical Trials Using Real-World Data: By leveraging APIs to access real-world data, life sciences companies can streamline the design and execution of clinical trials, making them more reflective of actual patient populations. This allows for opportunities to include complementary evidence about populations often excluded from clinical trials; for example, vulnerable populations such as elderly and pregnant women and patients excluded due to organ dysfunction or disease rarity.
  • Larger Health Systems Conducting Their Own Trials: As health systems start to conduct clinical trials, APIs play a crucial role in integrating and leveraging existing health data to improve efficiency and efficacy of these trials.

Gaining Real-World Insights into Treatment Efficacy

Use of APIs may allow life sciences companies to continuously gather and analyze aggregate data throughout the life of a drug, providing insights that can:

• • Inform Future Labels and Trials: Continuous HIPAA-compliant data collection and analysis can help inform the pursuit of new labels and design of future clinical trials.
  • Make Running Registries Less Time Intensive: APIs streamline the process of updating and maintaining patient registries, making it less labor intensive and more accurate.
  • Change Lifecycle Drug Management: Leveraging ongoing real-world data can enhance long-term strategies for drug use and efficacy, altering the traditional lifecycle management of pharmaceuticals.

Operational Efficiencies in Logistics

APIs contribute to operational efficiencies by:

Tracking Stock and Managing Orders: Real-time data exchange helps optimize stock levels and streamline order management, reducing overhead and improving service delivery.

Reducing Data Silos

Finally, APIs are instrumental in breaking down data silos within and across organizations, enabling a more integrated approach to health data management. This integration fosters enhanced collaboration, better decision making and more personalized healthcare solutions.

Engaging in Health IT Policy and Standards Development for Pharma Companies

As healthcare shifts toward greater interoperability and data fluidity, life sciences companies must engage in health IT policymaking and standards development. Here's why.

Downstream Impacts of Healthcare Interoperability

Interoperability significantly impacts life sciences companies. With healthcare becoming more interconnected:

• • Data Governance and Retrospective Analysis: Improved data governance allows providers to conduct retrospective analyses using real-world data. This shift could reduce reliance on pharma-led clinical trial data for FDA approvals and drug labeling, as ongoing real-world data provide continuous efficacy evidence over a drug's lifecycle.

Influence of Health IT Initiatives and Roadmaps

Frameworks like HTI-1, HTI-2, and the ONC strategic roadmap are shaping health data interoperability. Understanding and influencing these initiatives is beneficial:

• • Auditability and Certification: Evolving frameworks introduce new requirements for auditability and certifications of systems interacting with clinical decision support. The HTI-1 rule mandates transparency and unbiased processes for clinical decision support interventions.
  • TEFCA: The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) aims to facilitate nationwide interoperability, affecting pharma companies by increasing data fluidity. Engaging in these processes allows pharma to prepare for and influence requirements impacting their operations.

Engaging with Standards Development Organizations

Participation in organizations like Health Level 7 and and National Council for Prescription Drug Programs offers these companies several advantages:

• • Addressing Industry-Specific Use Cases: Pharma can advocate for use cases critical to their business, shaping standards to enhance operational efficiencies.
  • Influence Federal Policy Indirectly: Engagement in standards development provides a platform to interact with federal agencies, influencing policy to meet life sciences' needs.
  • Initiatives Like Vulcan and CodeX: Programs like Vulcan and CodeX offer opportunities for deeper engagement in areas like oncology, hypertension, and clinical research data sharing.

Strategic Engagement

Monitoring and engaging in health IT policy and standards development allows these companies to anticipate and adapt to changes, influence the healthcare industry's evolution and ensure their unique needs are represented in the broader healthcare dialogue.

Life Sciences Companies Leading in Technological Innovation and Interoperability

Some Life Sciences companies are already harnessing the power of interoperability and advanced technologies to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. By integrating digital solutions and collaborating with technology partners, these companies are setting new standards for the industry.

Roche exemplifies this trend through its seamless data sharing initiatives and strategic acquisition of Flatiron Health, enhancing cancer care with advanced data analytics. Similarly, Novartis piloted OdySight, patient-centric solutions supported by telemedicine and remote monitoring. Johnson & Johnson integrates real-world evidence with interoperable systems, improving clinical research and market strategies. Lilly’s LillyDirect platform enhances disease management with telehealth access, educational tool and home medication delivery.

These companies demonstrate the transformative potential of interoperability and technology in healthcare. Their innovative approaches not only improve operational efficiencies but also set new benchmarks for patient care and treatment outcomes.

The shift toward interoperability and strategic use of APIs is revolutionizing healthcare, enhancing population health programs, streamlining clinical trials and improving drug lifecycle management. Engaging in health IT policy and standards development is crucial for safeguarding interests and maximizing impact.

Life sciences companies must act now to navigate the policy, standards and technology landscape. Partnering with Point-of-Care Partners (POCP) provides critical insights and strategic direction. POCP offers services such as strategic research, planning and education to help you understand API adoption's impact and strategize for the future. Reach out to me at pooja.babbrah@pocp.com to set up time to chat about how we can help your organization understand strategic opportunities.