> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.carewithemma.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Connect Your Systems to Emma: Integration Methods

> Emma supports four integration methods — REST APIs, webhooks, MCP, and workflow orchestration — that can be used alone or combined.

Emma supports four integration methods so you can connect your existing systems without changing how they operate. The right method depends on the workflow, what your system can do, and whether the interaction is event-driven, request-driven, or tool-driven. Methods can be used on their own or in combination within the same workflow.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="REST APIs" icon="code" href="/rest-api">
    Call Emma directly for on-demand actions. Emma can also call your APIs during a workflow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhooks & Events" icon="bell" href="/webhooks">
    Notify Emma when something happens in your system. Emma starts the matching workflow automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Model Context Protocol (MCP)" icon="toolbox" href="/mcp">
    Expose approved capabilities to Emma as tools it can use during a live patient interaction.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Workflow Orchestration" icon="diagram-project" href="/orchestration">
    Route events and transform payloads through your existing integration platform.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## When to use each method

| Requirement | Recommended Method |
| - | - |
| Notify Emma when something happens | Webhooks & Events |
| Ask Emma to perform an action on demand | REST API |
| Let Emma use an external system capability mid-interaction | MCP |
| Coordinate multiple systems or transform data | Workflow Orchestration |
| Return workflow results to a downstream system | REST API or Webhook |

## Most production setups combine methods

A typical Emma workflow relies on more than one integration method working together. Consider an abandoned intake scenario as an example of how methods collaborate end to end:

1. A **webhook** notifies Emma that a patient started but did not complete an intake form.
2. Emma calls your **REST API** to retrieve additional patient context — prior visits, outstanding balances, preferred contact time — before initiating outreach.
3. During the live patient interaction, Emma invokes an **MCP tool** to check real-time appointment availability and offer a slot without leaving the call.
4. Once the interaction concludes, Emma posts the structured outcome — recovered, escalated, or follow-up required — back to your system of record via a **webhook or API call**.

Each method plays a distinct role: webhooks deliver events that trigger workflows, REST APIs exchange data on demand, MCP tools give Emma runtime capabilities it can invoke mid-interaction, and orchestration layers coordinate complex routing and payload transformation across multiple systems. Combining methods lets each part of the workflow use the communication pattern best suited to it.

<Tip>
  Not sure where to start? See [Choosing a Method](/choosing-a-method) for a quick decision table.
</Tip>