EHR System Integrations

CareLaunch provides robust integration capabilities with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, enabling healthcare entrepreneurs to connect their virtual care practice with existing clinical systems. Whether you're starting fresh or integrating with an established EHR, CareLaunch makes data exchange seamless.

Integration Options by Plan

Integration Type	Essential	Professional	Enterprise
Manual Data Export	Yes	Yes	Yes
FHIR API (Read)	-	Yes	Yes
FHIR API (Write)	-	Yes	Yes
Epic Integration	-	Yes	Yes
Custom EHR Adapters	-	-	Yes
FTP/SFTP Batch Transfer	-	-	Yes
HL7v2 Messaging (Planned)	-	-	Yes

FHIR-Based Integration

CareLaunch is built natively on FHIR R4, making integration with FHIR-enabled EHRs straightforward.

Supported FHIR Resources

CareLaunch supports exchange of these FHIR resources:

• Patient: Demographics, contact information, identifiers
• Practitioner: Provider information and credentials
• Appointment: Scheduling data and status
• Encounter: Visit records and documentation
• Observation: Clinical observations and vitals
• Condition: Diagnoses and problem lists
• DocumentReference: Clinical documents and attachments
• Task: Care coordination tasks

FHIR API Authentication

CareLaunch supports standard authentication methods:

Authorization: Bearer <access_token>

OAuth 2.0 Flow:

1. Register your application in CareLaunch settings
2. Obtain client credentials (client_id, client_secret)
3. Request access token from token endpoint
4. Include token in API requests

SMART on FHIR (Planned):

caution

SMART on FHIR authorization is on the product roadmap but is not yet available. Contact support for updates on availability.

The planned SMART on FHIR flow will work as follows:

1. EHR launches CareLaunch with launch context
2. CareLaunch requests authorization
3. User grants access
4. CareLaunch receives access token with scopes

Example: Fetching Patient Data

# Get patient by ID
curl -X GET "https://<your-instance>.carelaunch.health/api/Patient/12345" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <access_token>" \
  -H "Accept: application/fhir+json"

Response:

{
  "resourceType": "Patient",
  "id": "12345",
  "identifier": [
    {
      "system": "http://carelaunch.health/patient-id",
      "value": "PAT-12345"
    }
  ],
  "name": [
    {
      "family": "Smith",
      "given": ["John"]
    }
  ],
  "birthDate": "1980-01-15",
  "telecom": [
    {
      "system": "email",
      "value": "[email protected]"
    }
  ]
}

Example: Creating an Appointment

curl -X POST "https://<your-instance>.carelaunch.health/api/Appointment" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <access_token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/fhir+json" \
  -d '{
    "resourceType": "Appointment",
    "status": "booked",
    "start": "2024-03-15T10:00:00Z",
    "end": "2024-03-15T10:30:00Z",
    "participant": [
      {
        "actor": {
          "reference": "Patient/12345"
        },
        "status": "accepted"
      },
      {
        "actor": {
          "reference": "Practitioner/67890"
        },
        "status": "accepted"
      }
    ]
  }'

Epic Integration

CareLaunch offers certified integration with Epic through App Orchard.

Capabilities

• Patient Sync: Bi-directional patient demographic exchange
• Appointment Sync: Share scheduling data between systems
• Document Exchange: Send and receive clinical documents
• Problem List: Sync diagnoses and conditions
• Medication List: View patient medications from Epic

Setup Process

1. Request Epic Connection: Contact CareLaunch support to initiate
2. Epic App Orchard: We'll guide you through the App Orchard approval process
3. Credential Exchange: Securely exchange API credentials
4. Data Mapping: Configure which data elements to sync
5. Testing: Validate integration in Epic's sandbox environment
6. Go-Live: Enable production integration

Epic-Specific Configuration

Configure Epic integration at Settings > Integrations > Epic:

• Organization ID: Your Epic organization identifier
• Client ID: App Orchard client credentials
• Sync Frequency: Real-time or scheduled sync
• Data Scope: Select which resources to exchange

FTP/SFTP Integration (Enterprise)

For organizations requiring batch data exchange, CareLaunch supports secure file transfer.

Supported File Formats

• CSV: Patient lists, appointment exports
• JSON: FHIR bundles, structured data
• HL7v2 (Planned): ADT, SIU, and other message types — contact support for availability
• CDA/C-CDA (Planned): Clinical documents — contact support for availability

FTP Configuration

1. Contact CareLaunch support to enable FTP integration
2. Receive SFTP credentials and endpoint
3. Configure your system to push/pull files
4. Set up scheduled transfers

Directory Structure

/incoming/          # Files from your system to CareLaunch
  /patients/        # Patient data files
  /appointments/    # Scheduling files
  /documents/       # Clinical documents

/outgoing/          # Files from CareLaunch to your system
  /exports/         # Scheduled data exports
  /reports/         # Generated reports

File Naming Convention

{resource_type}_{date}_{sequence}.{format}
Example: patients_20240315_001.csv

Implementation Best Practices

Data Mapping

When integrating systems, carefully map data fields:

1. Identify Required Fields: Determine which fields are essential
2. Map Identifiers: Ensure patient IDs can be matched across systems
3. Handle Mismatches: Define rules for conflicting data
4. Document Mappings: Maintain documentation of all mappings

Error Handling

Implement robust error handling:

• Retry Logic: Automatically retry failed requests
• Error Logging: Log all integration errors for troubleshooting
• Alerting: Set up alerts for integration failures
• Fallback Procedures: Define manual processes for outages

Testing

Thoroughly test integrations before go-live:

1. Unit Testing: Test individual API calls
2. Integration Testing: Test end-to-end data flows
3. Load Testing: Verify performance under expected volume
4. User Acceptance: Have clinical staff validate data accuracy

Security and Compliance

All integrations follow strict security protocols:

• Encryption: TLS 1.2+ for all data in transit
• Authentication: OAuth 2.0, API keys, or certificate-based auth
• Authorization: Scope-based access control
• Audit Logging: Complete audit trail of all data exchanges
• HIPAA Compliance: All integrations covered under BAA

Getting Help

For integration support:

• Integration Team: For Enterprise customers, dedicated integration specialists
• Status Page: Check integration status at status.carelaunch.health