Carequality — a decades-old interoperability initiative with an information exchange framework that includes more than 45 networks linking more than 50,000 outpatient clinics and 4,200 hospitals — announced last Friday that it would “take a hard look” at the federally-led Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, or TEFCA.
WHY IT MATTERS
Carequality was founded in 2014 – launching as one of the first national interoperability frameworks and complementing the network of state and regional health information exchanges. A decade later, the 501c3 nonprofit connects more than 600,000 individual health care providers nationwide, facilitating the exchange of approximately 940 million documents each month.
TEFCA, made law by the landmark 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, was developed based on stakeholder feedback by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and is currently led by the Sequoia Project, the project’s accredited coordinator.
“The community-led Carequality Interoperability Framework and TEFCA share many common features,” Carequality officials said on August 16. “As TEFCA finds its own path to ramping up production deployment this year, the Carequality community is watching, learning, and in some cases, engaging with TEFCA.
This includes new improvements to its own framework to “increase trust in the current connection and plans to develop a strategic roadmap for integration” with TEFCA in the future, officials said. “Carequality’s framework is mature and supported by a thoughtful governance structure. We are committed to furthering interoperability while protecting patient data.”
With TEFCA and the Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) gaining traction, Carequality continues to refine its own frameworks and processes and aims to link with TEFCA as needed, according to the statement, “with an eye toward future convergence of the two frameworks.” New goals include:
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Leverage existing Carequality policies now to address community concerns about mandatory responses to queries
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Expedite the review and adoption of ongoing policy amendments to align with TEFCA’s approach to the definition of treatment
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Establish stronger directory integrity controls
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Incorporate TEFCA Delegate policies into our existing On Behalf policies for increased transparency and control
Carequality has scheduled an informational webinar for Thursday, August 29, at 1 p.m. for stakeholders to learn more.
THE BIGGER TREND
One of Carequality’s most notable participants is Epic, with 100% of its community participating in the information exchange framework. The electronic health records giant issued its own statement praising the group for its affiliation with TEFCA.
The company said it plans to secure commitment from the entire Epic community to migrate to TEFCA through Epic Nexus QHIN, with plans to roll out to all customers by the end of 2025.
“TEFCA is the nation’s best opportunity to lift the remaining 30% of U.S. hospitals out of stagnation and strengthen trust between data exchange networks and care organizations,” Epic officials said in a statement.
ON THE RECORD
“We know that when interoperability is done right, patients receive care that empowers them to make informed decisions about their healthcare journey,” Carequality leaders said in announcing the restructuring.
“Disrupting current interoperability frameworks poses too great a risk to patient outcomes,” they said. “This is why we are evolving strategically and methodically to meet the needs of our dynamic community today, while planning for convergence with TEFCA in the future. Together, we can build on our successes, ensure that interoperability is trusted and continues to be the foundation of a healthier future for all.”
Mike Miliard is executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS.
