Agile, Adaptable, Efficient: Why South Africa’s Healthcare Needs Composable Architecture.

A Flexible, Future-Ready Approach to Healthcare Administration in South Africa

South Africa’s healthcare sector is at a crossroads. With rapid technological advancements, changing regulations, and growing demands for efficiency and accessibility, healthcare leaders must rethink how they manage operations. CEOs and boards are looking for ways to modernise their systems—not just to keep up, but to stay ahead. One of the most promising solutions? Composable Architecture for Core Administration and Processing Systems (CAPS). This approach offers the flexibility, resilience, and adaptability needed to navigate the complexities of modern healthcare administration.

What is Composable Architecture?

Imagine building a system like assembling Lego blocks—each piece is independent, yet they fit together seamlessly. That’s the essence of composable architecture. Instead of relying on rigid, monolithic systems, healthcare providers can use modular, interchangeable components. Need to update a billing process or integrate a new telehealth feature? With composable architecture, changes can be made without disrupting the entire system.

“In turbulent times, composable business principles help organisations master the accelerated change that is essential for business resilience and growth. Without it, modern organisations risk losing their market momentum and customer loyalty,”

David Groombridge, Vice-President of Research at Gartner - Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2021.

For South Africa, where public and private healthcare systems often operate in silos, this approach could be transformative—improving efficiency, interoperability, and patient care.

Composable Architecture vs. Microservices: What’s the Difference?

While both aim for flexibility, they operate at different levels:

Microservices: Focused on Software

• Breaks applications into small, independent services (e.g., separate modules for patient records, billing, and appointments).
• Each microservice runs independently, communicating via APIs.

Examples of Microservices in Healthcare:

• Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Patient data is securely managed in dedicated modules.
• Billing and Claims Processing: If claims processing fails, it doesn’t crash the entire financial system.
• Telemedicine: Video consultations, scheduling, and diagnostics run as separate services.

Composable Architecture: A Bigger Picture

• Goes beyond software—encompasses the entire IT infrastructure (hardware, software, and processes).
• Allows healthcare providers to mix and match modules (EHRs, claims, telehealth) into a single, adaptable system.

Examples of Composable Architecture in CAPS:

• Claims Processing Systems: Submission, validation, and payment modules work together but can be updated independently
• Health Information Exchanges (HIEs): Seamlessly shares patient data across public and private providers.

In short, microservices are a part of composable architecture—but the latter is a broader strategy for building agile, future-proof healthcare systems..




Why South African Healthcare Needs Composable Architecture

1. Customisation Without Disruption

Need a new feature or regulatory update? Modify just the relevant module instead of rebuilding the entire system.




2. Better Connectivity Between Systems

A composable approach ensures seamless integration between various healthcare modules, such as EHRs, HIEs, and medical claims processing. This fosters a more connected healthcare ecosystem, benefiting both providers and patients.




3. Quick Adaptation to Change

Healthcare regulations in South Africa are continuously evolving. A composable system allows organisations to swiftly update administrative processes and integrate new technologies without overhauling the entire infrastructure.




4. Scalability to Meet Growing Demands

Both public and private healthcare providers are experiencing increased patient volumes. Composable architectures support both horizontal (adding more servers or systems) and vertical (enhancing the capacity of existing systems) scalability, ensuring consistent performance even during peak periods.




5. Accelerated Innovation

Healthcare administrators leveraging composable architectures can quickly implement and deploy new digital health services, such as AI-driven diagnostics, patient engagement portals, and remote monitoring solutions, keeping them ahead of industry trends.




6. Cost Efficiency

By allowing independent upgrades and modifications, composable systems reduce IT maintenance costs, minimise downtime, and enhance resource allocation. This is particularly valuable for resource-constrained environments like South Africa’s healthcare administration systems both in the public and private sectors.




Making It Work: A Practical Approach

A full system overhaul isn’t necessary—or practical. Instead, healthcare leaders can start small:

• Phase 1: Focus on high-impact areas like patient records or claims processing.
• Phase 2: Expand to telehealth, billing, and analytics.
• Continuous Improvement: Monitor, refine, and scale based on real-world performance.



The Future of Healthcare Administration in South Africa




The challenges facing South Africa’s healthcare system won’t disappear overnight. But by embracing composable architecture, providers can build systems that are . The result? Faster innovation, smoother operations, and better care for all. As the South African healthcare sector continues to evolve, embracing composable architecture will be a crucial step towards a more responsive, interconnected, and sustainable healthcare administration landscape.



• Healthcare Technology.
• Digital Transformation
• Health Insurance
• Cloud Computing
• Business Strategy