Three Lessons We Learned Integrating WhatsApp, EMR and Clinic Booking Systems

Building EKKO has taught us that connecting healthcare software is only part of the challenge. Making it work in a busy clinic is where things get interesting.

When we started building EKKO, we knew that integration would be an important part of the product.

Clinics already use different systems to manage patient records, appointments and communications. Our aim wasn't to replace everything they were using. It was to help these systems work together more effectively.

Over the past few weeks, we've been working with WhatsApp integrations, Plato Medical and clinic booking configurations.

Some things were easier than expected. Others took considerably longer.

Here are three lessons we've learned along the way.

1. WhatsApp integration isn't always as straightforward as it looks

As a verified Meta Tech Provider, we initially assumed connecting EKKO to a clinic's WhatsApp number would be relatively straightforward, even if the clinic was already using another platform.

We discovered that this isn't always the case.

Depending on how a clinic's WhatsApp Business account and phone number are configured, connecting another platform may require changes to the existing setup or a migration.

This matters because WhatsApp is often one of the main communication channels between a clinic and its patients.

Before choosing a WhatsApp platform, clinics should understand how the connection works, whether their existing setup supports additional integrations, and what would be involved if they wanted to change providers later.

It's something we now pay much closer attention to during onboarding.

2. Connecting to an API is one thing. Configuring a clinic's booking system is another.

We integrated EKKO with Plato Medical, an electronic medical record and practice management system used by clinics.

The API connection itself was relatively straightforward.

What took considerably longer was understanding how an individual clinic had configured its appointment booking system.

There were appointment types, resource mappings, doctor codes and other settings that needed to be correct before an appointment could be booked successfully.

Some of these details were specific to the clinic.