Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms that come up when you scope a health tech, asset management, or digital transformation build — from EHR integration and HIPAA to CMMS, predictive maintenance, and legacy modernization. Written for founders and operations teams evaluating a development partner, not for a spec sheet.
All terms
44 plain-language definitions across health tech, compliance, asset and work order management, and digital transformation. Filter by category or search for a term.
44 of 44 terms
EHR (Electronic Health Record)
An EHR, or electronic health record, is the digital patient record system used by hospitals and clinics, such as Epic, Cerner, or Athenahealth. A health tech platform that needs to read or write patient data into a provider's existing systems has to integrate with an EHR, which is a fundamentally different engineering problem than building a standalone app.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityEHR Integration
EHR integration is the work of connecting a health tech platform to a hospital or clinic's existing electronic health record system so data flows between them without manual re-entry. It typically means building against FHIR or HL7 interfaces and handling the data mapping between two systems' different formats, which is one of the most common reasons health tech teams bring in an outside development partner.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityFHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources)
FHIR is the modern data standard for exchanging healthcare information between systems. FHIR APIs are how a health tech platform talks to EHRs, labs, and other care systems without a custom point-to-point integration for every partner.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityHL7 (Health Level Seven)
HL7 is the older messaging standard for exchanging clinical data between healthcare systems, and it is still widely used alongside FHIR. Many hospital systems still run HL7 v2 interfaces for lab results and admissions, so a platform integrating with real providers usually needs to support both.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilitySMART on FHIR
SMART on FHIR is a standard that lets a third-party app launch securely from inside an EHR, using the clinician's existing login and pulling patient context automatically. It is how clinical apps appear inside a provider's normal workflow instead of requiring a separate login.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityInteroperability
Interoperability is the ability of different healthcare systems to exchange and make use of data without custom, one-off work for every connection. Building for interoperability from the start, rather than one-off integrations, is what lets a platform add its second, third, and tenth data source in weeks instead of months.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityHealth Information Exchange (HIE)
A health information exchange, or HIE, is a network that lets participating providers, labs, and health systems share patient data across organizational boundaries. Connecting to an HIE is a different integration than a single EHR connection, since it aggregates data from many sources rather than one system.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityRPM (Remote Patient Monitoring)
RPM, or remote patient monitoring, is technology that collects patient health data outside a clinical setting, usually through connected devices or wearables, and routes it to a care team. RPM platforms need reliable device integration, alerting logic for abnormal readings, and a clear escalation path to a clinician.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityTelehealth
Telehealth is the delivery of clinical care remotely, typically combining video visits, scheduling, and clinical documentation. Making it genuinely usable for clinicians depends on HIPAA-compliant video infrastructure and EHR-aware documentation, not just a video call widget.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityCare Coordination
Care coordination is the practice of organizing multiple providers, care managers, and sometimes the patient around a single shared care plan. It is common in maternal health and chronic care, where no single provider owns the full picture of the patient's journey, and the software behind it keeps everyone working from the same plan.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityClinical Decision Support (CDS)
Clinical decision support, or CDS, refers to software features that surface relevant clinical information or recommendations to a provider at the point of care. AI-driven CDS comes with distinct regulatory and liability considerations depending on how directive the recommendations are.
Read moreHealth Tech & InteroperabilityRevenue Cycle Management
Revenue cycle management is the process of tracking a patient's financial journey from appointment scheduling through billing and payment collection. Software in this space needs to integrate with EHRs and clearinghouses, and errors anywhere in the chain directly affect a provider's cash flow.
Read moreCompliance & RegulatoryHIPAA
HIPAA is the US law governing how patient health information is collected, stored, and shared. Any platform handling patient data needs HIPAA-compliant architecture from day one, since encryption, access controls, and audit logging have to be built into the system design, not added after launch.
Read moreCompliance & RegulatoryPHI (Protected Health Information)
PHI is any patient data that can identify an individual and relates to their health, treatment, or payment for care. Systems that touch PHI need specific safeguards around storage, transmission, and access, which shapes almost every architecture decision in a healthcare platform.
Read moreCompliance & RegulatoryHITRUST
HITRUST is a security certification framework built specifically for healthcare, combining requirements from HIPAA, ISO, and other standards into one auditable framework. Larger healthcare clients and payers increasingly require HITRUST certification from vendors, not just a general HIPAA compliance claim.
Read moreCompliance & RegulatorySOC 2
SOC 2 is an audit standard that verifies a company's security, availability, and confidentiality controls. Health tech platforms handling sensitive data often need SOC 2 Type II compliance to pass enterprise procurement and investor due diligence.
Read moreCompliance & RegulatoryFDA SaMD (Software as a Medical Device)
SaMD, or software as a medical device, is FDA's classification for software intended for a medical purpose, such as diagnosis or treatment guidance, that runs independently of hardware. Whether a product qualifies as SaMD changes its entire regulatory and development path, so this needs to be determined during discovery, not after launch.
Read moreCompliance & RegulatoryBusiness Associate Agreement (BAA)
A BAA is a contract required under HIPAA between a healthcare provider and any vendor that handles PHI on their behalf, including software development partners and cloud hosts. A development team building healthcare software needs to operate under a signed BAA before touching real patient data.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementCMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)
A CMMS is software that plans, schedules, and records maintenance on physical assets. It stores an asset register, raises work orders, and tracks parts and costs, moving a team from reactive breakdown repairs to planned maintenance backed by a full asset history.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementCAFM (Computer-Aided Facility Management)
CAFM software manages the physical space, assets, and services of a facility from a single system, covering space planning, maintenance, and compliance together. It overlaps with a CMMS but typically adds space and lease management on top of pure maintenance tracking.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementAsset Integrity Management
Asset integrity management is the discipline of ensuring critical infrastructure, such as pipelines, pressure vessels, or industrial equipment, continues to operate safely and reliably over its lifecycle. Software in this space tracks inspection history, corrosion data, and risk scoring per asset, which is central to energy and oil and gas operations.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementAsset Performance Management (APM)
Asset performance management, or APM, is the practice of tracking how well physical assets perform against expected output, reliability, and cost, and using that data to guide maintenance and replacement decisions. It typically sits on top of sensor or IoT data feeding into a predictive maintenance model.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementPredictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance uses condition data and historical trends to service an asset just before it is likely to fail, rather than on a fixed schedule or after a breakdown. Building this well requires reliable sensor data pipelines feeding a model, not just a maintenance calendar.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementWork Order
A work order is a task instruction to fix, install, or service something, typically created from an inspection finding or a maintenance schedule. It records what needs doing, who is assigned, and the due date, and stays open until the work is completed and verified.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementFleet Management
Fleet management is the practice of tracking and maintaining a company's vehicles or mobile equipment, covering maintenance scheduling, location tracking, and utilization. The software that supports it typically integrates with telematics hardware to pull real-time vehicle data automatically.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementVendor Management
Vendor management is the practice of tracking the contracts, performance, and compliance of the outside service providers a company relies on, such as maintenance contractors or suppliers. For facilities and manufacturing teams, the supporting software often ties vendor performance data back to specific assets or work orders.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementWarehouse Management System (WMS)
A warehouse management system tracks inventory location, movement, and fulfillment inside a warehouse or distribution center. Building one that scales usually means integrating with barcode or RFID hardware and the broader inventory and order management systems around it.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementParts Inventory Management
Parts inventory management tracks the stock of spare parts and components used for maintenance and repairs, so a technician isn't blocked waiting on a part that should have been reordered already. This is usually built as a module inside a CMMS rather than a standalone system.
Read moreAsset & Work Order ManagementWarranty Claims Automation
Warranty claims automation is the streamlining of how warranty claims on equipment or products are filed, tracked, and resolved, replacing the manual paperwork between a company and its suppliers or manufacturers. It typically ties into the same asset records used for maintenance history.
Read moreDigital Transformation & ModernizationHealthcare Digital Transformation
Healthcare digital transformation is the process of moving a healthcare organization from manual, paper-based, or legacy-software workflows to modern, connected digital systems. This usually touches EHR integration, patient-facing tools, and internal operations at once, which is why it is typically scoped as a program rather than a single project.
Read moreDigital Transformation & ModernizationLegacy System Modernization
Legacy system modernization is the work of updating or replacing outdated software that a business still depends on, without disrupting the operations that run on it. In healthcare specifically, this often means migrating off an aging on-premise EHR or interface engine while keeping data flowing without downtime.
Read moreDigital Transformation & ModernizationInterface Engine Migration
An interface engine migration is the process of moving from one integration engine to another, such as retiring an aging Mirth Connect instance for a modern managed platform, without breaking any of the live data feeds running through it. This is high-risk work since a mistake can silently drop clinical messages.
Read moreDigital Transformation & ModernizationSystem Integration
System integration is connecting separate software systems, such as an EHR, a billing platform, and a scheduling tool, so data flows between them without manual re-entry. It is the general version of what EHR integration is specifically for healthcare.
Read moreDigital Transformation & ModernizationDigital Twin
A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical asset, process, or system, kept in sync with real-world data so teams can simulate changes before making them in reality. In manufacturing and chemical processing, this is used to test process changes without risking a live production line.
Read moreDigital Transformation & ModernizationManufacturing Execution System (MES)
A manufacturing execution system tracks and controls production on the shop floor in real time, sitting between high-level planning systems and the machines actually doing the work. Integrating with an MES is a common requirement for any software touching production data.
Read moreDigital Transformation & ModernizationSCADA Integration
SCADA, or supervisory control and data acquisition, is the system used to monitor and control industrial equipment and infrastructure remotely. Integrating with SCADA systems requires handling real-time operational data with far stricter reliability requirements than typical business software.
Read moreFacilities, Real Estate & ManufacturingFacilities Management
Facilities management is the coordinated practice of keeping a building's spaces, assets, and services safe, compliant, and usable, spanning maintenance, space planning, and vendor oversight. It is the umbrella discipline that CMMS and CAFM tools both support, and the software that runs it ties those functions into one system.
Read moreFacilities, Real Estate & ManufacturingProperty Management
Property management is the operational side of owning or running real estate, covering leases, rent collection, tenant communication, and maintenance requests. For a portfolio of any size, the software that supports it usually needs to connect to accounting and maintenance systems rather than run standalone.
Read moreFacilities, Real Estate & ManufacturingSmart Building
A smart building connects its sensors and systems, such as HVAC, lighting, and occupancy sensors, into a single software layer for monitoring and automation. Delivering one is fundamentally an IoT data integration problem before it is a dashboard problem.
Read moreFacilities, Real Estate & ManufacturingQuality Management System (QMS)
A quality management system tracks whether a company's processes and outputs meet defined standards, capturing non-conformances, corrective actions, and audit history. It is the software backbone behind ISO 9001 and similar certifications.
Read moreFacilities, Real Estate & ManufacturingSupply Chain Visibility
Supply chain visibility is the ability to track goods and materials as they move across suppliers, warehouses, and logistics partners in real time, instead of relying on periodic updates from each party. Achieving it usually requires integrating with multiple external partners' systems, each with different data formats.
Read moreWomen's & Maternal Health TechBiomarker Testing
Biomarker testing measures biological markers, such as hormone or metabolic levels, to assess health and guide care. In women's health, the value is connecting at-home or lab-based sample collection to the analysis, results, and follow-up care built around it, rather than handing the patient a raw lab report to interpret alone.
Read moreWomen's & Maternal Health TechHormonal Health Tracking
Hormonal health tracking is software that records and interprets hormone-related signals over time, such as cycle phase, symptoms, and lab values, to surface patterns a single snapshot would miss. Done well, it turns scattered daily inputs into trends a clinician or the patient can actually act on.
Read moreWomen's & Maternal Health TechPostpartum Care
Postpartum care is the support a parent needs through the weeks and months after birth, spanning physical recovery, mental health, and infant care. It fills the common gap between hospital discharge and the next scheduled visit, when families often have the most questions and the least support, and coordinated software keeps that support connected in one place.
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