EHR Integration with eClinicalWorks for Behavioural Healthcare Management
Introduction
Nalashaa partnered with a U.S.-based AI-augumented care management platform focused on behavioral health integration (BHI) and care coordination. The client wanted to strengthen their solution by integrating its application with the clinic's EHR systems, specifically eClinicalWorks (eCW). This integration was essential to help clinicians deliver evidence-based care through improved visibility into patient data, streamlined activity coordination, and enhanced medication adherence tracking.
The Challenge: Real-Time Access to patient data
To drive better patient engagement and clinical outcomes, the client needed to enable real-time, HIPAA-compliant data interoperability between their care management application and eCW. However, the challenge went beyond simply accessing data. Clinicians required timely access to the right information during patient interactions without switching systems or disrupting their workflow.
The goal was to embed continuous, secure access to data such as demographics, medications, allergies, assessments, and clinical notes directly within their existing processes. Clinical teams could not afford to toggle between applications or delay care delivery. Additionally, the integration had to meet stringent HIPAA requirements without adding operational burden.
Key challenges included:
Our Solution: A Secure, Scalable Integration with eCW
To address the need for real-time, compliant data access from eClinicalWorks, Nalashaa developed a secure and extensible integration layer tailored to the client's requirements. The solution ensured uninterrupted clinical workflows, high data availability, and a strong foundation for future scalability.
OAuth2-Based Secure Access
We implemented a two-legged OAuth2 authentication flow to enable secure, backend access to patient data. This approach eliminated the need for manual patient authorization, ensuring that data retrieval occurred seamlessly without interrupting clinical operations.
Java-Based Middleware for Orchestration
A custom middleware component, built using Java, was developed to handle communication with eCW’s tenant-specific FHIR APIs. This layer managed token-based authentication and served as the control center for data orchestration, ensuring secure and automated retrieval of clinical records behind the scenes.
Real-Time and Periodic Synchronization
To keep the AI engine powered by fresh clinical insights, the system performed scheduled API calls that pulled the following data:
- Patient demographics
- Clinical data in Consolidated Clinical Document Architecture (CCDA) format
- Clinical documents and encounter history
Java-Based Middleware for Orchestration
A custom middleware component, built using Java, was developed to handle communication with eCW’s tenant-specific FHIR APIs. This layer managed token-based authentication and served as the control center for data orchestration, ensuring secure and automated retrieval of clinical records behind the scenes.
FHIR Data Parsing and Structuring
We developed a FHIR parser to normalize and structure the incoming data before storing it in client-specific databases. This allowed the AI engine to process the information efficiently and generate precise SOAP notes and tailored care plans for individual patients.
Built for Tomorrow
Scalability was built into the architecture from day one. The integration framework was designed to accommodate additional EHR systems with minimal redevelopment effort, allowing the client to expand their interoperability footprint as needed.
Benefits
Tech Stack
APIs: eClinicalWorks FHIR APIs
Data Parsing: HL7 and FHIR parsing modules
Cloud Infrastructure: AWS for hosting, data processing, and storage
Integration Layer: Custom Java-based middleware
Authentication: OAuth2 (2-legged architecture)