Top Challenges of Healthcare Application Development
Integration, interoperability, and regulatory compliance are key healthcare IT challenges that affect the development of new software for the health industry.
As healthcare organizations struggle with staff shortages, supply chain disruptions, and cybersecurity threats, they increasingly seek technology solutions.
However, they must ensure that any new applications work seamlessly with their existing infrastructure, meet interoperability in healthcare standards, and comply with all laws and regulations regarding patient safety, privacy, and data security.
In this article, we look at these three core development challenges and how product engineers can overcome them when developing new software solutions for the industry.
Integration
The healthcare industry uses several clinical data systems to improve workflows, optimize care delivery, and communicate critical patient data to providers.
New applications often have to work seamlessly with these legacy systems to facilitate the exchange of clinical, financial, and operational data. This integration allows organizations to provide a comprehensive view of patients to doctors, clinicians, and other medical professionals.
At a minimum, new healthcare applications should integrate seamlessly with EHRs and other sources of patient health information and facility data. They may also need the ability to capture, exchange, store, and provide access to data via APIs or other web service technologies that conform to the Fast Healthcare Interoperable Resource (FHIR) standard. FHIR “defines how healthcare information can be exchanged between different computer systems regardless of how it is stored in those systems,” according to the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC).
The integration challenge extends beyond mere technical compatibility. It requires a deep understanding of clinical workflows and the ability to map these processes across disparate systems. Developers must create interfaces that allow for smooth data exchange between new and legacy applications, ensuring that vital patient information flows unimpeded throughout the healthcare ecosystem.
Interoperability
Integration is just one of the healthcare interoperability challenges facing developers. The ONC lists several interoperability standards and technologies developers should become familiar with, including:
Interoperability is one of the most critical healthcare IT challenges. In an industry where patient data is fragmented across various providers and platforms, creating systems that can communicate effortlessly can literally be life or death. Therefore, the ONC established a goal to enable the seamless exchange of health information, regardless of the originating system or format.
Achieving true interoperability in healthcare requires new applications to adhere to the above standards. These standards provide a common language for healthcare data exchange, but implementing them effectively demands expertise and careful planning. Developers must design their software to not only consume standardized data but also to produce it, ensuring that the application can participate fully in the broader healthcare information ecosystem.
The four defined levels of interoperability are:
- Foundational: Basic data exchange without interpretation
- Structural: Standardized format for data exchange
- Semantic: Common understanding of exchanged data’s meaning
- Organizational: Governance, policies, and social/legal considerations for data exchange
Even though the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) issued their interoperability rules years ago, providers have had trouble achieving interoperability in healthcare. Due to legacy systems with different data structures, varying terminologies and documentation methods, and privacy and security concerns, progress toward achieving interoperability has been painfully slow.
Regulatory Compliance
Perhaps the most daunting of the healthcare IT challenges is navigating the complex web of regulatory requirements. Compliance with standards like HIPAA in the United States or GDPR in Europe is not optional; it’s a fundamental necessity that shapes every aspect of the development process.
Regulatory compliance affects everything from data storage and transmission to user authentication and audit logging. Developers must build robust security measures into their applications from the ground up, ensuring that patient data remains protected. This includes implementing strong encryption, role-based access controls, and comprehensive audit trails.
Moreover, compliance is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing process. Healthcare regulations evolve, and software must be designed with the flexibility to adapt to changing requirements. This necessitates a proactive approach to compliance, with regular audits and updates to ensure continued adherence to the latest standards.
Adding to the complexity is the fact that regulations vary from country to country. For example, the US has HIPAA, Europe has GDPR, Canada has PHIPA, and so on—and each has specific software requirements that must be met. Compliance with all of these disparate regulations can further complicate interoperability in healthcare apps.
The multitude of regulations requires software development teams to know all the countries in which the application will be used upfront and all the regulatory requirements of those countries. They also need to design the software with enough flexibility to change when requirements change or when another country is added to the app’s audience.
Embracing Challenges as Opportunities
While healthcare software development presents significant challenges, it also offers unique opportunities for innovation. By addressing integration, interoperability, and compliance head-on, developers can create truly innovative healthcare solutions.
At Taazaa, we approach these challenges not as obstacles but as integral parts of the development process. This means:
- Designing with integration in mind from the outset, creating modular architectures that can easily connect with existing systems
- Prioritizing interoperability by leveraging industry standards and creating robust APIs that facilitate data exchange
- Building compliance into the DNA of the application, with security and privacy considerations woven into every feature and function
We create custom healthcare applications that overcome healthcare interoperability challenges and drive meaningful improvements in patient care and outcomes.
From tailored pharmacy management systems to innovative applications for detecting and monitoring disease, we’ve developed custom healthcare software that has improved the quality of care our clients deliver.
If you need help overcoming your healthcare IT challenges, contact us for a ballpark estimate—no strings attached!
