Microsoft to Showcase New Features of Teams, Azure API for FHIR

Microsoft will be showcasing several new healthcare-related developments at HIMSS19. In a Feb. 7 blog post, Peter Lee, corporate vice president for Microsoft Health, outlined some new capabilities in Microsoft Teams that enable healthcare teams to communicate and collaborate in a secure hub for teamwork.

For instance, a new “priority notifications” feature in Teams alerts a recipient of an urgent message on their mobile and desktop devices until a response is received, every two minutes for up to 20 minutes. A message delegation feature enables clinical staff members to delegate their messages to another recipient when they are in surgery or otherwise unavailable.

New partnerships with interoperability providers, including Dapasoft, Datica, Infor Cloverleaf, Kno2 and Redox, will enhance the ability to view EHR data in Teams. Clinical or hospital staff can securely access patient records in the same app where they can take notes, message with other team members, and start a video meeting.

Microsoft also is unveiling its Azure API for FHIR to help customers harness the power of data in the cloud. The Azure API for FHIR will provide a method for health records to connect to collaboration tools, pharmacy systems, fitness devices and others more seamlessly. The company said more than 25 technology partners in its early access program can help health organizations build FHIR-enabled services.

Attendees can visit the Microsoft booth (#2500) at HIMSS this week in Orlando.