That data availability in healthcare is currently high on the agenda is obvious. How different this was back when we were founded in 2010... From the very beginning, CODE24 has had the vision that true data availability is the only way to really move healthcare forward in terms of IT - which is why we built a database in which healthcare data is stored in a standardised way.
The speed at which the technical landscape is evolving, greater awareness around the limitations caused by vendor lock-in and an understanding of the value of data ("the new gold") mean that the market is also increasingly ready to embrace open platforms to facilitate data availability. As CODE24, our role in this is clear - we are happy to tell you more about it.
Where we are now
The concept of open healthcare data platforms assumes healthcare systems where the data is separate from the application. The two can be used separately as well - the data can be linked to any applications and vice versa. They are integrated by means of open APIs.
Our mConsole EHR (and our stand-alone modules) are, as mentioned, set up like this since the very beginning. The entire EHR is modular - as a healthcare organisation, you can choose what you want to use and have the freedom to link other healthcare systems with our standardised database - including software from other vendors. This is also already happening in practice. As a healthcare organisation, you can decide what your EHR landscape looks like. So rather than vendor lock-in, you'll have vendor flexibility!
Building blocks
The design of our organisation and product portfolio is in line with what Gartner has called the 'composable business'. The composable business is focused on agility, modularity and resilience, embracing change and implementing the idea of modular 'building blocks' in every part of the organisation - from the technology behind the products (composable technologies) to the business operations (composable business architecture) and the way of thinking within the organisation (composable thinking).
Our whole purpose is to make healthcare better, to change it. We want our product portfolio to make this modular, change and flexibility-embracing way of working that underpins our organisation accessible to the healthcare IT landscape as well, so that they too can benefit from the higher degree of agility it offers.Data access
We see another important role for CODE24 in this changing healthcare IT landscape: data access. We have had extensive experience with data conversions for years. This expertise has also helped us in the implementation processes for our EHR modules: there is always data to unlock from various (sometimes legacy and often closed) healthcare systems.
"The movement around data availability in healthcare aims to free up the data from the closed silos," says Martin van der Meer, director at CODE24. "This too is data access. Our knowledge and experience in this field can be called unique, especially within the Netherlands. We are happy to help organisations that are ready to tackle this."
Our future
As mentioned earlier, we have a clear vision on data availability in healthcare. What course is CODE24 now sailing to realise this? "With true data availability, healthcare data stays in the open platform in which it was created," says Martin. "Multiple open platforms can also be used side by side, even within the same organisation. The data is then available to be both read and edited. This means there is no further need to create copies of the data. This is the ideal picture. It is a multi-year plan though, we are well aware of that. While policies and the sector-wide vision are formed, we participate in the conversation and continue building. We want to excel in standardised healthcare data storage. There is a place for such an expertise in where healthcare is now and is going - must go, in my opinion."
We set high standards for this excellence - in the coming years, we continue to optimise our open platform and the services that go with it. The debate around data availability is still in full swing in the Netherlands - and internationally as well. A lot is still uncertain about the final direction the market will go in. We see it as our role to not only be open to the changes that are coming, but to also be an accelerating factor for these changes. This also ties in with the aforementioned concept of the composable business:
“Incorporating composability into digital business enables the enterprise or public agency to change and grow despite persistent uncertainty. Instead of avoiding the risk of change, executive leaders must reinvent their thinking to see change as a well-trusted tool for business resilience and growth.” (Gartner, 2021).
Collaboration
Besides looking positively at change, we also embrace the power of collaboration. In the future we are working towards, you are not going to make it on your own. There has to be cooperation and each party has to be able to use its strengths so that we can jointly achieve the best result that will help the healthcare sector.
At CODE24, we have always been willing to cooperate with other suppliers. From the vision that open platforms will form the foundation for optimal data availability, cooperation is only becoming more important. "I have several knives in my back already," laughs Martin. "Unfortunately, that's part of it. For us, the commercial piece is secondary - we want to move healthcare forward. We are happy to work with parties who share this goal with us. But ultimately, with our open platform set-up, it won't matter what our opinion of another party is - any healthcare system may integrate with our platform. Gladly even. That's how it should be."
Meet up?
Wondering how our open platform or EHR modules can be deployed within your organisation? Or is your organisation ready to unlock data to work towards a more flexible, future-proof healthcare data ecosystem? We are happy to discuss your plans and needs.
This article is part of the blog series 'The Future of Data Availability in Healthcare', in which we discuss the possibilities of open platforms for data availability, the challenges that come with that solution and CODE24's vision on this topic.
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