For over a decade, the healthcare industry has invested heavily in standards like HL7 and FHIR to try and break down data silos and enable better information exchange. While they’ve built an important foundation, true interoperability, where systems seamlessly work together in real time, remains elusive.
That’s where Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol step in.
These new approaches can move the industry beyond static APIs and data formatting to context-aware, agent-driven, and intelligent interoperability that reflects the real-time needs of healthcare workflows.
Why FHIR & HL7 Aren’t Enough
FHIR defined the structure of data, but healthcare demands require:
- Real-time orchestration across applications
- Context-rich, role-aware communication
- Automation embedded directly into clinical workflows
The reality is most EHRs still operate as closed platforms, limiting third-party innovation and creating friction when integrating digital tools.
What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?
MCP standardizes how AI models and services understand and share context—such as the user’s role (e.g., nurse vs. physician), the patient’s clinical state, the workflow stage (e.g., pre-op vs. discharge), and the intent of a task.
Example for Providers:
A hospital’s pre-operative surgical workflow assistant can use MCP to share context with the post-operative recovery system. When a patient is marked as “surgery complete” and “diabetic,” the system passes:
- Role: Surgeon to Recovery Nurse
- Intent: Handoff patient with insulin regimen
- Patient State: Post-op, NPO, glucose trending low
- Workflow Stage: Post-op recovery, hour 1
The recovery nurse’s dashboard auto-prioritizes diabetic-specific care reminders without the nurse manually re-entering patient details or status.
What is A2A (Agent2Agent Protocol)?
A2A enables autonomous, secure communication between AI agents embedded in different systems—letting them make decisions and trigger actions across platforms.
Example for Providers:
Imagine a hospital’s discharge planning agent is running in the EHR, and a home health coordination agent runs in a third-party care management app.
With A2A:
- The discharge agent detects a patient eligible for home oxygen
- It automatically pings the home health agent with patient details and insurance
- The home health agent books the delivery and confirms caregiver instructions
- No case manager had to manually fax, call, email…. the agents coordinated it instantly and securely
Why This Matters to Providers:
MCP and A2A allow your systems to:
- Talk to each other without costly integrations
- Adapt care plans in real-time
- Reduce manual steps across handoffs
- Deliver automation tailored to clinical roles and patient context
Together, they’re laying the groundwork for agentic AI in healthcare – where digital teammates collaborate across care settings on your behalf.
What Does This Mean for Patients
- Faster Prior Authorizations: Real-time agent-led approvals reducing delays from days to minutes.
- Seamless Care Coordination: Apps such as remote monitoring, specialty care, and chronic condition management integrate into provider systems without friction.
- Greater Control of Health Journeys: Patients benefit from systems that work together – enabling proactive, personalized care across the provider, payer, and pharmacy platforms.
What is the Timeline to Adoption
- 2025–2026: Pilots are underway specifically around value-based care.
- 2026–2028: Policy, market forces, and innovation pressure will drive broader adoption among digital health platforms and EHRs.
- By 2030: Intelligent, modular ecosystems will start replacing today’s monolithic EHR architectures.
Bottom Line: FHIR built the foundation. MCP and A2A are building a modular, intelligent and interoperable future the healthcare industry has long been waiting for.