Meet Newfire’s Interoperability Practice Lead
Making healthcare systems talk to each other isn’t easy, but it’s exactly the kind of challenge Brendan Iglehart thrives on. Over the past decade, he’s led EHR integrations and designed interoperability strategies for organizations ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 50 giants. Now, as Staff Healthcare Architect at Newfire Global Partners, he helps clients unlock data, streamline workflows, and deliver measurable value.
In this conversation, Brendan shares what’s shaping interoperability today, from emerging industry developments to smarter integration approaches, and reflects on his own path from Newfire client to team member. Read on for a pulse on current interoperability trends and a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work with Newfire on integration projects.
You’ve helped over 250 companies with their interoperability strategy. What patterns have you seen that separate successful integration efforts from the rest?
Brendan Iglehart: The first thing is to be very grounded in a product-led approach, where you prioritize what matters most and when. Especially for companies new to integration, or for people responsible for it who haven’t done it before, the bias is often toward asking for everything and figuring it out later.
Saying “we want all the data” is a common request from teams new to integration or interoperability, but it’s not the most effective starting point. It’s far more productive to focus on the specific experiences and workflows that are most critical to enable, and the value they deliver to your users.
The companies that understand this well are okay with taking a minimum viable product approach and adding on later. This is especially critical when working with resource-constrained health systems — most of them these days. If you ask IT teams to do too much upfront, it will take longer to get any value. But if you start with one or two high-value workflows, show results, and build from there, you’ll move faster and build trust.
Another important factor is aligning interoperability goals with the company’s sales pipeline. You don’t want to spend time and resources doing everything at once if it’s not necessary yet. Things change: your target customer today may be different in a year, especially if you’re an early-stage company.
What shifts are you currently seeing around how healthcare organizations think about integration? What recent developments in health tech do you think will have the biggest impact on how the industry approaches integration in the next few years?
BI: Similar to what I mentioned before, there’s more emphasis now on proving value quickly. Health systems have never had excess IT resources to spend on initiatives without a clear return, but now, given tight finances and funding constraints, there’s even more pressure to do more with less.
This is leading to more creative thinking about solving interoperability problems. Instead of launching a big, resource-heavy project, organizations are looking for ways to show initial value and expand over time, with fewer demands on internal resources.
There’s also more investment in digital health innovation, even though you might expect the opposite in a tight budget environment. Many innovation teams now have KPIs tied to near-term ROI from integrating and piloting new products.
As for health tech developments, the obvious answer there is AI. Health systems that wouldn’t have considered AI products a couple of years ago are now more open to them, partly because AI has improved, and partly because they’re looking for cost savings and efficiency gains. Integration is often a necessary part of these innovation projects because connecting a digital health product to the EHR, the healthcare system’s “central nervous system,” is critical.
How do current federal initiatives and regulatory efforts influence the future of healthcare interoperability?
BI: There appears to be growing momentum at the federal level to address interoperability challenges, with recent initiatives signaling both interest and action.
For example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently issued a broad request for information on interoperability; I submitted comments on behalf of Newfire based on the use cases and issues we’ve seen firsthand with our clients. There have also been multiple in-person sessions on health tech interoperability in Washington, D.C., attended by top policymakers. It’s been encouraging to see high-profile people engaging in central interoperability issues.
The big question is: what comes next? Recent progress in interoperability has largely been driven by regulation, such as expanding standards like FHIR among EHRs, payers, and healthcare organizations. The next frontier might be expanding networks like QHINs and TEFCA, which allow data exchange without one-to-one connections with each healthcare organization.
The core challenge has never been purely technological; it’s been about risk and relationships between organizations. Large health systems have little incentive to open up to unknown companies. Now, the focus is on reducing those friction points, especially since we have the technology to make data flow more seamlessly than it could 10 or 20 years ago — and the federal government is showing conviction on bringing together coalitions to improve data sharing.
For clients new to interoperability, what can they expect when they work with you? What’s your approach to making technical projects feel manageable?
BI: Most of the companies I’ve worked with start with little to no understanding of interoperability or where to begin. I remember how confusing it was when I first entered this space, so I approach these conversations from square one, meeting clients where they are.
My background, having worked for an EHR vendor, a health system, and multiple digital health vendors, means I understand the different priorities at play. A big part of my job is education, and I enjoy helping clients understand the problems and potential solutions.
I’ve often bridged the gap between software developers and end users, helping both sides work together effectively. Throughout my career, I’ve led projects ranging from a few months in scope to multi-hundred-million-dollar Epic implementations replacing dozens of IT systems. Drawing on that experience, I can reassure clients that challenges may seem daunting, but others have solved them before.
At Newfire, we take pride in meeting clients at their level of knowledge and experience to achieve successful outcomes.
If you could give one piece of advice to a product team planning their first EHR integration, what would it be?
BI: Take a breath — it’s going to be okay. These challenges have been tackled successfully before, and there are smart people in this space who are willing to help, including our team at Newfire. Don’t be intimidated by the complexity; it’s always manageable with the right approach.
You’ve worked in this space for over a decade. What keeps you motivated and excited about the work?
BI: Ultimately, we’re all patients. The work I do may one day directly help me, my friends, or my family. That’s why I take it seriously: getting things right can impact people’s lives.
The technology itself, and the way the field continues to evolve, also fascinates me. Healthcare and technology are both fields where you never run out of things to learn. I’m naturally curious, so I enjoy constantly exploring new developments. Working in both fields at once is the best of both worlds.
What’s one outcome you’ve helped a client achieve that you’re especially proud of?
BI: A recent example at Newfire is our work with a health tech client focused on delivering disease research insights. We helped them connect to an EHR, retrieve data in FHIR format, and translate it into a relational database for analytics. It wasn’t a flashy project, but it unlocked valuable data that could support research, potentially even leading to new treatments.
I’ve worked on similar projects in the past, such as connecting multiple EHRs to extract cardiovascular health data for performance benchmarking. In that case, we solved a problem the client had struggled with for many months in about a month.
After working with some of the biggest names in healthcare tech, what made you choose to build the interoperability practice at Newfire?
BI: Before joining Newfire, I worked with them as a client and saw firsthand the quality of their work. The expertise, collaboration, and results they consistently delivered made a lasting impression. Having that insider’s view meant I already understood the culture and how the company operates, which gave me a lot of confidence in the environment I’d be stepping into.
That familiarity, and the chance to build a new practice within a company I knew could deliver, made the opportunity especially exciting. Many companies offer software development and similar services, but Newfire delivers strong results consistently. We keep clients happy, and they recommend us to others. Leveraging global talent effectively is part of that, and we’ve proven we can do it while delivering outcomes clients couldn’t achieve otherwise.
From Brendan’s Playbook to Your Project
Brendan’s insights cover everything you need to make interoperability projects succeed, from clarifying the business case to proving value early. He’s led everything from short, focused pilots to large-scale EHR transformations, always bridging the gap between technical teams and end users.
His approach reflects what Newfire brings to every engagement: deep healthcare expertise, a focus on measurable value, and a collaborative process that meets clients where they are. If you’re ready to unlock data, streamline workflows, and deliver lasting results, you’ll work directly with Brendan and our team to make it happen. Connect with us to explore how we can make your next integration project a success.
