HIC 2024: Telstra Health launches FHIR-based API

Telstra Health has unveiled its new FHIR-based API, Smart API+, at the Health, Innovation and Community (HIC) 2024 Conference in Brisbane.

The tool supports seamless partner integrations, customer access to data, and data exchange across Telstra Health’s primary care software solutions and the primary care ecosystem.

Telstra Health’s General Manager Ecosystem Louise Ryves said, “This is an important step in providing seamless access points that enable technology partners to connect digitally with Telstra Health’s primary care solutions without the need to maintain separate integrations for cloud and on-premise solutions.

“In the future, technology partners will no longer need to worry about building bespoke integrations with platform-specific data formats that have been an ongoing barrier to enabling interoperability and compatibility,” Ryves said.

Built on modern, FHIR-native technology, Smart API+ ensures data security and will initially be used by partners integrating with the Helix cloud-based general practice patient management software. Helix customers can also leverage the tool to integrate their bespoke technologies.

When coupled with Smart Connected Care capability, partners in the future will be able to build once, and clinicians and managers will be able to access partner capabilities without multiple logins. The in-platform user interface experience can be deployed across Telstra Health’s primary care software portfolio while remaining independent of the release cycle of the underlying platform.

The announcement follows the launch of Telstra Health’s exclusive partnership with Smile Digital Health to bring Smile’s HL7 FHIR first Health Data Platform solution and integration platform to Australia and New Zealand.

Smile Digital Health technology underpins Telstra Health’s Health Information Exchange to facilitate the exchange of patient information across different healthcare organisations and systems for large customers or geographic regions, with potential applications for commonwealth, state or territory governments, large private hospital groups or private health insurers.

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