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Earlier this week, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) announced that TEFCA is officially live with several Quality Health Information Networks (QHINs).
A blog by the leaders of the ONC and Sequoia Project explains the significance:
"When the Office of the Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) was established in 2004, the health information technology (IT) landscape was relatively bare. Few hospitals and providers used electronic health records (EHRs) and only a handful of health information networks had been established. The vision for secure nationwide health information exchange based on interoperable health information technology systems was there, but the investment, policy, and technical means to do so was not.
"Now, nearly 20 years later, our industry’s and patients’ moment has arrived. The health IT landscape is flourishing thanks to the HITECH Act of 2009, the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, and the relentless efforts of clinicians, hospitals, health IT software developers, standards development organizations, and government agencies. Today, we mark one of the most important milestones in our nation’s digital health history. The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) is now live, with multiple Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) able to securely exchange information according to common, nationwide, technical and policy standards."
The article continues:
"The primary goal of TEFCA is to establish a universal governance, policy, and technical floor for nationwide network-to-network health information interoperability."
GaHIN is participating in TEFCA through its connection with eHealth Exchange, which is among the first organizations to achieve QHIN status. Nearly a dozen regional HIEs operating in 15 states and serving 126 million patients are planning to participate in QHIN-based exchange through eHealth Exchange, according to the organization.
"For the past decade, GaHIN has been instrumental in facilitating health data exchange in the state of Georgia as well as nationwide," said Dr, Denise Hines, PMP, FHIMSS, CEO of GaHIN. "TEFCA's go live gives me hope that we have finally achieved the breakthrough we need to extend public/private partnerships that allow the seamless exchange of data that will help providers deliver better quality care while reducing costs and administrative burdens."
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