Why Every Supplier Doesn't Need to Build Everything Themselves
- Jason Cropper
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
Many suppliers entering the NHS assume they need to build and manage every aspect of interoperability themselves.
Connectivity, integration, hosting, monitoring, onboarding, assurance and operational support can quickly become part of the scope. What begins as a straightforward product implementation can gradually evolve into a much larger programme of work.
For some organisations, this is entirely appropriate.
For many others, however, it creates unnecessary complexity.
The more time suppliers spend building and maintaining interoperability infrastructure, the less time they are able to spend improving the products and services that differentiate them in the market.
The Hidden Cost of Doing Everything Yourself
When suppliers first consider NHS interoperability, the focus is often on technical capability.
How will we connect?
How will we exchange data?
How will we support customers?
How will we meet NHS requirements?
These are all reasonable questions.
What is sometimes overlooked is the ongoing effort required to maintain these capabilities once they have been established.
A single interface is rarely just a single interface.
It often brings with it additional responsibilities such as:
Secure connectivity
Monitoring and alerting
Environment management
Change control
Assurance requirements
Documentation
Operational processes
Supplier coordination
Individually, these responsibilities may appear manageable. Taken together, they can consume a significant amount of time, effort and budget.
Focus on What Makes You Different
Most health technology suppliers are not trying to become interoperability specialists.
They are trying to solve specific healthcare problems.
Whether the focus is patient engagement, workflow optimisation, clinical decision support or digital transformation, the primary value lies within the product itself. Customers are rarely choosing a supplier because they operate an integration environment - they are choosing a supplier because the product solves a problem.
This is why many organisations are beginning to challenge the assumption that every aspect of interoperability must be developed and managed internally.
If an organisation can reduce the effort required to establish connectivity, onboard customers and manage interoperability services, it can dedicate more resources to product development and innovation.
Learning from Other Industries
This shift is not unique to healthcare.
Over the last decade, organisations across many sectors have moved away from building and maintaining every supporting capability themselves.
Cloud services have replaced physical infrastructure.
Managed services have reduced operational overhead.
Platform-based approaches have simplified complex technical challenges.
Interoperability is following a similar path.
Instead of building every component from scratch, suppliers are increasingly able to consume interoperability capabilities as services, allowing them to focus on the areas where they add the most value.
The question changes from:
How do we build everything ourselves?
to:
Which capabilities should we build ourselves, and which should we consume?
Simplicity Creates Momentum
One of the most common characteristics shared by successful interoperability programmes is simplicity. That does not mean the underlying technology is simple, it means unnecessary complexity has been removed.
Organisations that progress most effectively are often those that focus on delivering outcomes rather than owning infrastructure.
They recognise that interoperability is ultimately a means to an end. The objective is to exchange information, support users and enable services. How those capabilities are delivered is often far less important than whether they work reliably and sustainably.
The Importance of Flexibility
The healthcare landscape changes constantly.
Standards evolve.
Connectivity requirements change.
Organisational priorities shift.
Suppliers who build every aspect of interoperability internally can sometimes find themselves carrying significant overhead when requirements change.
More flexible approaches often allow organisations to adapt more quickly without needing to completely redesign the supporting environment.
This can reduce risk while helping suppliers respond more effectively to changing customer needs.
A More Practical Approach
Choosing not to build everything internally should not be seen as a compromise.
In many situations, it is simply a pragmatic business decision.
The most successful suppliers are often those that remain focused on their strengths while making intelligent use of specialist expertise when it is needed.
Interoperability remains important.
Connectivity remains important.
Onboarding remains important.
But that does not necessarily mean every supplier needs to become an expert in every part of the process.
Sometimes the fastest route to success is allowing specialists to handle the complexity while you focus on delivering value through your product.
How Osprey Can Help
Osprey helps suppliers simplify interoperability by providing practical expertise across onboarding, connectivity, architecture and integration.
Rather than requiring suppliers to build and manage every supporting capability themselves, we help organisations identify the most effective and proportionate approach for their circumstances.
Whether you're establishing your first NHS connection, expanding existing interoperability capabilities or looking for a more managed approach to integration, Osprey can help reduce complexity and accelerate progress.
Related Solution
A fully managed service that removes operational burden while ensuring reliable and secure interoperability.
