Patent ID: 7590617

Claim:
A method of using an Application Programming Interface (API) to enable a healthcare system (HCS)—executed and used by healthcare workers for viewing healthcare records managed by the HCS—to access a document management system (DMS) server managing patient documents and making them available for access by plural user terminals, the API providing authorization and access to the DMS server, the method comprising: adding a user interface control to a pre-existing user interface of the HCS by adding to the HCS code for executing functions or methods of the user interface control and the API, thereby creating a modified HCS, where the user interface control is part of or interfaces with the API; interactively logging onto the modified HCS by executing an HCS user authentication process of the HCS which is separate from the API; based on authentication information related to the HCS user authentication process, automatically authenticating a user to use the DMS server; after authenticating the user to the DMS server, receiving interactive input by the user interacting with the user interface control to cause the API to submit to the DMS server a request to locate a document managed at the DMS server; and displaying the requested document based on a response from the DMS server and navigating the requested document from within the modified HCS using the user interface control.