The following is a guest article by Keith Wayland, Managing Partner at RPI Consultants
Cloud-based platforms have changed the way healthcare manages back-office operations. The scale, flexibility, and speed these systems offer outperform on-premise ERPs in a way that simply can’t be matched.
But if you were to ask most healthcare organizations today how they’re enjoying the cloud, you’ll still hear about workarounds, manual effort, and data that never seems to make it from one system to another. In fact, only 43% of U.S. non-federal acute care hospitals routinely engage in all four domains of interoperable exchange—sending, receiving, finding, and integrating electronic health information.
The truth is that one of the biggest challenges in healthcare isn’t migrating to the cloud—it’s the disconnected systems that persist after getting there. When EMR, ERP, and WFM platforms aren’t aligned, even the most advanced technology struggles to make a measurable impact.
This kind of fragmentation creates friction from billing and scheduling to the supply chain and clinical handoffs. We’ve seen it firsthand across our healthcare clients, and it’s often the difference between a system that works technically and one that actually improves how work gets done — that is, it supports healthcare operations from a functional perspective.
Why System Alignment Matters More Than Ever
So, why does alignment between systems like EMR, ERP, and WFM matter? It’s not so much about the technical integrations between them, but rather, about creating a foundation where data flows cleanly between them and the workflows follow suit.
When that happens, healthcare organizations no longer have to rely on institutional knowledge and manual fixes and instead can make better use of the cloud technology they’ve invested so much in.
Whether your goal is improving visibility, accelerating automation, or just cutting down on redundant tasks, the first step is the same: connect the core systems that support your operations.
Below are five strategies healthcare leaders can execute to do just that.
Consider Integration Platforms & Middleware
Trying to connect legacy and cloud systems directly can be a painful exercise. That’s where platforms like Infor ION, Rhapsody, and Yoga Flexible Software come in. These solutions serve as middleware and essentially act as translators, allowing systems to communicate and share data securely in near real-time.
When integrated well, these systems can reduce manual workarounds, break down data silos, and ensure that everyone is operating from the same, up-to-date information.
Review API Connections
Integration platforms enhance ERP ecosystems, so long as their connection between them is sound, and that’s where APIs come in. APIs are the modern backbone of interoperability.
Most cloud platforms now expose APIs that allow systems to push and pull data in ways that support real-world workflows, like syncing labor hours from WFM into your ERP for payroll or pushing procedure codes from the EMR into supply chain planning, for example.
When designed well, APIs reduce dependence on batch transfers and manual uploads, giving departments more timely, accurate data to work with.
If you haven’t explored how your teams are setting up APIs, you may find that doing so will net your organization better visibility into operational performance.
Prioritize Data Normalization & Mapping
Even the best integrations fail when systems don’t speak the same data language. And it’s quite a normal occurrence if your organization recently transferred from an on-premise system to the cloud.
That’s why data normalization and mapping are so critical. It’s not enough to connect systems—you have to ensure that “nurse supervisor” means the same thing across platforms, or that cost centers align from finance to the floor.
This is where many healthcare systems benefit from external support: a partner who can help decode the data structures and create a reliable map across systems. With a strategic approach to data transformation in complex healthcare environments, businesses can make better use of the critical data they collect and, in turn, make more informed decisions.
Establish Governance & Ownership
Beyond the technical alignment of your systems, successful interoperability also depends on strong governance. That means having a cross-functional team in place to define data standards, appoint ownership, and make sure changes happen in a coordinated way.
When HR, finance, clinical operations, and IT all have a seat at the table and are held accountable, you avoid the “shadow integrations” and duplicative efforts that tend to creep in over time.
Governance is how organizations keep their systems useful and their data trustworthy.
Deploy Pre-Built Connectors & Templates
While the items above sound good in theory, they may seem difficult to implement. But that’s not quite the case. The good news is you don’t have to build everything from scratch.
Most enterprise platforms today offer pre-built connectors that help bridge common systems. For example, if you’re using Infor CloudSuite, there are templates available to speed up the connection points.
These tools can fast-track integration without sacrificing flexibility and they’re often more cost-effective than custom development. But it’s up to you and your teams to make use of them, and that in itself can be challenging to do on your own. After all, the software’s core functionality is only as good as your ability to use it.
Moving Toward a More Connected Future
As the healthcare industry sits at a crossroads of staffing shortages, supply chain obstacles, and fragmented systems, organizations would be wise to emphasize interoperability, especially as frameworks like TEFCA formalize expectations around secure, standardized data sharing.
By focusing on a connected foundation, you lay the groundwork for improving reporting, uncovering process gaps, and ultimately delivering better care.
When EMR, ERP, and WFM systems align, automation works better, analytics become clearer, and staff spend less time navigating systems and more time helping patients. And that’s the kind of operational resilience the industry needs right now.
About Keith Wayland
Keith Wayland is Managing Partner at RPI Consultants, an enterprise consulting firm specializing in cloud software implementations for healthcare and other service industries. Since co-founding RPI in 1999, he has led the company through sustained growth and innovation, expanding both its capabilities and national footprint. With deep expertise in ERP and operational transformation, particularly in healthcare, Keith combines hands-on experience with strategic insight to help complex organizations drive meaningful results.
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