Interface Engine
Software that routes, transforms, and monitors healthcare messages between clinical systems.
Interface engines sit between clinical systems, handling protocol translation, message transformation, routing logic, and error handling. They receive messages from source systems, apply filters and transformations, and deliver to destination systems. Common engines include Mirth Connect (open source), Rhapsody, Cloverleaf, and Microsoft Azure API for FHIR. A mid-size hospital typically runs hundreds of interfaces through one or more engines.
FAQ
- Do I need an interface engine for FHIR?
- Not necessarily. FHIR uses standard HTTP/REST, so direct API calls work for simple integrations. Interface engines add value when you need routing, transformation, monitoring, and error handling across many interfaces.