As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, the need for patient-centric, data-driven, and interoperable systems is more pressing than ever. Healthcare providers are expected to deliver personalized care, maintain strict compliance with regulations like HIPAA, and adapt to ever-changing patient expectations—all while managing vast volumes of data across disparate systems.
Enter the Dynamics 365 Healthcare Accelerator—a solution designed by Microsoft to help healthcare organizations unify their operations and improve patient outcomes through a common data model and prebuilt tools.
This article dives into what the Dynamics 365 Healthcare Accelerator is, how it benefits healthcare organizations, and how to implement it effectively within your health system or practice.
What Is the Dynamics 365 Healthcare Accelerator?
The Dynamics 365 Healthcare Accelerator is a set of industry-specific extensions for Microsoft’s Common Data Model (CDM), tailored for healthcare organizations. It provides a predefined data schema, sample apps, and dashboards that align with real-world healthcare scenarios such as:
- Patient engagement
- Care coordination
- Clinical and operational workflows
- Referral tracking
- Provider and facility management
The Healthcare Accelerator extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, enabling healthcare providers, payers, and researchers to build solutions faster while ensuring interoperability, security, and scalability.
Core Components of the Healthcare Accelerator
1. Healthcare Common Data Model (CDM)
The backbone of the accelerator is the healthcare-specific data model that standardizes how patient data is stored and exchanged across applications.
Key Entities Include:
- Patient
- Appointment
- Encounter
- Procedure
- Allergy
- Medication
- Care Plan
- Provider
- Facility
- Referral
This shared model ensures that data from EHRs, scheduling systems, lab platforms, and even third-party applications can be integrated into a unified view of the patient.
Benefits:
- Enables data interoperability
- Supports FHIR mappings for healthcare compliance
- Reduces complexity when integrating systems
2. Sample Applications and Dashboards
Microsoft provides ready-to-use sample apps and dashboards built using Power Apps and Power BI, designed for roles such as care managers, schedulers, and patient engagement teams.
Examples:
- Care Management App: Tracks patient care plans, appointments, and goals.
- Patient Outreach App: Schedules communications for follow-ups or surveys.
- Referral Tracking Dashboard: Monitors incoming/outgoing referrals and conversion rates.
These can be customized with minimal coding to reflect your specific operational needs.
3. Integration with Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare
The Healthcare Accelerator works hand-in-hand with the broader Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, which includes:
- Microsoft 365 for communication (Teams, Outlook)
- Azure for data hosting and security
- Power Platform for low-code development
- Dynamics 365 for business processes and CRM
The accelerator serves as the foundational data model that makes integration across these services consistent and meaningful.
Key Use Cases for the Healthcare Accelerator
1. Patient 360 View
Healthcare providers can aggregate patient data from multiple sources to present a unified patient profile that includes:
- Demographics
- Medical history
- Lab results
- Encounters and procedures
- Medication and allergy information
- Communication preferences
This empowers clinicians and care teams with real-time, holistic insights to deliver personalized care.
2. Care Coordination
Multi-disciplinary care teams can collaborate more effectively using shared plans, tasks, and notes managed within the Healthcare Accelerator’s care plan module.
Features Include:
- Assigning care team members to patients
- Setting patient-specific goals and milestones
- Documenting encounters and interventions
- Tracking adherence and outcomes
3. Referral Management
Managing patient referrals can be streamlined to avoid delays or lost information. The accelerator includes entities for:
- Referral creation
- Provider directories
- Status tracking
- Outcome reporting
This ensures patients are guided efficiently through their care journey—from primary care to specialists and beyond.
4. Provider and Facility Management
Healthcare systems often struggle to maintain accurate records of their providers, specialties, certifications, and facility locations. The Healthcare Accelerator helps maintain this data centrally for accurate scheduling, compliance, and operational efficiency.
Benefits of Using the Dynamics 365 Healthcare Accelerator
1. Accelerated Solution Development
With prebuilt schemas and templates, healthcare organizations can launch CRM systems, patient portals, or analytics tools faster and with lower development overhead.
2. Data Interoperability and FHIR Support
The Healthcare CDM supports FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standards, enabling organizations to meet data-sharing requirements under regulations like ONC Cures Act Final Rule and HIPAA.
3. Personalized Patient Engagement
By unifying clinical and non-clinical data, organizations can create targeted outreach campaigns and automate patient reminders, wellness checks, and follow-ups.
4. Improved Care Team Collaboration
Shared care plans, task assignments, and progress tracking improve communication among providers and support staff, reducing duplication of services and enhancing outcomes.
5. Enhanced Analytics and Reporting
With Power BI integration, healthcare leaders can gain actionable insights into:
- Patient satisfaction and outcomes
- Provider performance
- Referral conversion rates
- Population health trends
6. Secure and Scalable Infrastructure
Built on Azure and the Power Platform, the Healthcare Accelerator offers enterprise-grade security, role-based access, and the ability to scale as the organization grows.
Implementation Best Practices
1. Define Objectives Clearly
Before implementation, clarify what you want to achieve—e.g., streamline referrals, enhance patient engagement, or unify care coordination.
2. Engage Cross-Functional Teams
Involve stakeholders from clinical, IT, and administrative backgrounds to ensure the system meets operational needs.
3. Start with a Pilot
Roll out the solution in a single department or use case before expanding. This allows you to gather feedback, make adjustments, and demonstrate value.
4. Leverage Power Platform for Customization
Use Power Apps to create role-specific interfaces and Power Automate to trigger workflows like appointment reminders or follow-ups.
5. Ensure Data Governance and Compliance
Integrate with Microsoft Purview to apply data retention, classification, and audit controls. Ensure all usage aligns with HIPAA or other local regulations.
6. Train and Support Users
Provide end-user training, clear documentation, and helpdesk support to ensure high adoption and usability.
Real-World Example
Organization: Regional Health System
Challenge: The system lacked centralized tracking for patient referrals, resulting in missed follow-ups and revenue leakage.
Solution: Implemented Dynamics 365 Healthcare Accelerator to create a Referral Management System integrated with Power BI and their existing EHR.
Results:
- Reduced referral drop-offs by 35%
- Improved patient experience with automated updates
- Provided real-time visibility into referral conversion rates
Dynamics 365 Modules Commonly Used with Healthcare Accelerator
While the accelerator is an add-on, it’s typically used with the following Dynamics 365 modules:
- Dynamics 365 Customer Service: For patient support and case management
- Dynamics 365 Sales: For provider network development and payer relations
- Dynamics 365 Marketing: For targeted patient outreach and health campaigns
- Dynamics 365 Field Service: For managing home healthcare visits or equipment delivery
These modules can be extended using Dataverse, providing robust business logic, role-based security, and easy integration.
Licensing and Availability
The Healthcare Accelerator is available for free through Microsoft AppSource and GitHub. However, organizations must have the appropriate Dynamics 365 or Power Platform licenses to deploy and customize the solution.
Microsoft offers Healthcare Nonprofit pricing, enterprise agreements, and cloud solution provider (CSP) programs to help reduce costs.
The Future of Healthcare with Microsoft Cloud
The Healthcare Accelerator is part of Microsoft’s larger investment in cloud-based healthcare transformation, which also includes:
- Virtual health services with Microsoft Teams
- AI-driven analytics and population health insights
- IoT integration for remote patient monitoring
- Clinical trials acceleration
With Microsoft continually enhancing its Cloud for Healthcare stack, the Healthcare Accelerator is positioned as a foundation for scalable, integrated, and innovative healthcare delivery.