OpenAdaptAPI or screen automation: when to use each
Use a supported API whenever it covers the whole task: it skips the screen and has a defined contract. Use screen automation such as OpenAdapt only for work that's still only reachable through the screen, and check the result through the system's own data, which can be a read-only API even when the write isn't available.
Updated 2026-10-18
At a glance
| A supported API | OpenAdapt | |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Any task the API exposes in full | Tasks only reachable through the screen |
| When the screen changes | Not affected | Finds the field again or stops; a person approves a fix |
| Proof the record saved | The response, plus a read-back if you add one | A second read of the record, where available |
| Cost per run | Set by the service | $0 in model fees in our runs; it needs a computer signed in |
| Access | Often gated by vendor agreements and per-site enablement | Your staff's own session |
Where an API is stronger
- It skips screen rendering, focus and clicks entirely.
- Requests and responses have a defined structure, with explicit status codes.
- Authentication and conditional requests have standard meanings you can test.
- The vendor supports the contract as the screens change.
When screen automation still makes sense
- The API exists but doesn't cover the step, such as a referral entry or an attachment.
- Write access needs a vendor agreement, fees or per-clinic enablement you don't have yet.
- The system is an installed program or reached by remote desktop, with no API at all.
Even then, a read-only API, a report or a database role can check the save. That's the second read OpenAdapt uses. See How do you get data into an EMR without a usable API?.
Questions
Will OpenAdapt replace our integration?
No. Where an approved API covers a task, use it. OpenAdapt covers the remainder, and one program can mix the two: a step set up by hand can call an API directly while the rest goes through the screen.
Related: UiPath · Claims intake without re-keying · How it works · All comparisons
Sources
- IETF RFC 9110, HTTP Semantics (rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110), messages, status codes and conditional requests.
See it on your process
Bring one task your team types every day. We'll tell you whether it fits, and what a test on your own system would cover.