The computer operator will only need to enter the patient information, the software will take care of the rest. Similarly to SOAP, these RPC technologies can also enable complex resource and data sharing via the Web. Again, SOAP overcomes these obstacles. SOAP messages are not blocked by firewalls. SOAP messages, on the other hand, utilize the HTTP standard, and thus port 80, and so are able to pass through most firewalls.
SOAP is platform independent.
SOAP is built on platform-independent Web standards. It is compliance with these standards that allows machines running Unix, Windows, Macintosh, Linux and just about any other operating system to all communicate via the Web. There are significant obstacles inherent in SOAP and in the other components of a health information infrastructure that will need to be worked out. SOAP will need to be adopted as an official Web standard. Even if SOAP is accepted as a Web standard though, it will take years for the technology to mature and to be widely adopted and deployed.