Why SMART on FHIR Is Critical to the Future of Connected Care

Healthcare isn’t just another industry – it’s the ultimate vertical market. Every workflow, stakeholder, and regulation is unique. Data is fragmented, lives are on the line, and yet, the systems that connect it all remain stubbornly siloed.

That’s why the launch of VectorCare’s SMART on FHIR app marks a major step toward a future where healthcare data flows seamlessly – empowering care teams, transportation providers, and payers to coordinate services with precision and speed.

The Challenge: Fragmentation Across the Care Journey

Modern healthcare runs on data, but most of it lives in disconnected silos. Hospitals, ambulance providers, home-health agencies, and durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers all rely on systems that rarely speak the same language and don't connect back to the EHR.

This fragmentation slows everything down: case managers spend hours on calls, discharge planning becomes guesswork, and patients are left waiting for care that should already be in motion. The result? Lost time, higher costs, and avoidable frustrations for both providers and patients.

Why SMART on FHIR Matters

SMART on FHIR (which stands for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is more than a standard; it’s a universal language for healthcare data. It provides a secure, open framework that allows applications like VectorCare to connect directly with EHRs and clinical systems.

With our SMART on FHIR app, care teams can instantly access the right patient information and schedule all of the patient's logistical needs within the EHR, from transport to home health and more – connecting case managers to their network of contracted vendors with real-time updates and instant messaging.

This interoperability isn’t just about connectivity. It’s the foundation for intelligent automation: VectorCare enables real-time coordination, AI-assisted scheduling, and smarter decision-making across the entire continuum of care.

Becoming the Entry Point for Healthcare Logistics

In a complex ecosystem like healthcare, everything depends on the first digital touchpoint – the entry point where information begins to flow. Historically, that’s been the EHR. But as care increasingly extends beyond hospital walls, a new entry point is emerging: the platform that connects clinical data to operational action.

That’s where VectorCare’s SMART on FHIR app comes in. It becomes the entry point for connected logistics, bridging the gap between patient information and the operational systems that move people, equipment, and services.

By serving as this entry point, VectorCare enables healthcare organizations to coordinate seamlessly across hospitals, post-acute care, home health, and transportation providers creating one integrated workflow from discharge to doorstep.

Unlocking the Next Era of Data-Driven Care

With SMART on FHIR, VectorCare is uniting clinical data and operational intelligence. Imagine a system where:

• A discharge nurse sees real-time readiness and automatically triggers transport scheduling.
• A home-health agency receives patient vitals and visit notes the moment a patient arrives home.
• A payer instantly confirms medical necessity before transport dispatch.
• An administrator monitors live operational dashboards powered by VectorCare Insights.

This is how healthcare moves from manual coordination to intelligent orchestration – with interoperability as the foundation.

Building for a Future Beyond the Hospital

Healthcare no longer happens in a single place. More care is delivered at home, in communities, and between visits. SMART on FHIR ensures that VectorCare can follow the patient wherever they go – connecting every service, from transport and DME to home health and community support.

By standardizing how systems exchange data, we enable providers, payers, and partners to act as one connected, interoperable ecosystem, no matter how complex the network.

Our Vision

VectorCare’s mission has always been to simplify and accelerate how care is delivered. With SMART on FHIR, we’re taking the next step toward that vision: A world where every patient request, transport, and service begins at a single, intelligent entry point, powered by interoperability and keeping care teams in the EHR and avoiding legacy systems and siloed solutions that don't talk to each other.

Connectivity isn’t just a feature of healthcare’s future. It’s the foundation.

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