Dive Brief:
- Over 1,000 hospitals and 22,000 clinics utilizing Epic’s electronic health record system are now operational on the federal government’s health information sharing framework, the company announced on Monday.
- Epic aims to migrate all of its clients to the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) by the end of this year, as stated by Matt Doyle, Epic’s Interoperability Software Development Lead.
- Currently, 41% of Epic’s customers have already integrated TEFCA, while 43% are in the process of implementing the data sharing network. The remaining 16% are still in the planning stages, according to Doyle.
Dive Insight:
TEFCA represents a significant step forward in healthcare interoperability, establishing technical standards and exchange protocols for entities to create comprehensive clinical information sharing networks nationwide.
The framework was activated in December 2023 with the participation of five Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs), which are entities representing health systems, insurers, or health IT vendors capable of requesting and receiving data from other networks.
Epic’s network, Epic Nexus, was among the initial QHINs appointed during TEFCA’s launch.
The federal framework simplifies the process of health data exchange, facilitating improved care coordination and information sharing among providers in underserved and rural areas, Epic emphasized during the announcement. The company had previously committed to migrating all clients to TEFCA by the end of 2025.
The number of QHINs has increased since the implementation of TEFCA. In recent months, Surescripts, a prominent e-prescribing platform, obtained QHIN status, bringing the total number of designated information sharing networks to nine.
Oracle Health, a competitor of Epic in the EHR market, has also applied for QHIN designation, with their application being submitted in February.
As the largest EHR vendor in the U.S., Epic holds a significant position in the healthcare technology landscape. According to a report by healthcare IT research firm Klas Research, Epic controlled over 42% of the acute care hospital market last year.
