One Year of Epic Connecting Hospitals Under TEFCA
Epic celebrates a milestone as it marks one year of connecting hospitals since becoming a part of the Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement. The company pledges to continue its efforts in connecting health system customers under universal interoperability.
Why It Matters
Prior to TEFCA, Epic had already established its electronic health records-based interoperability network and had partnered with others to create nationwide exchange frameworks such as Carequality. Since TEFCA went live in December 2023, Epic has successfully onboarded 625 hospitals in just 12 months.
“Epic’s customers are swiftly connecting with TEFCA,” stated Rob Klootwyk, Epic’s director of interoperability. Dr. David Kaelber, Chief Health Informatics Officer at MetroHealth System, added, “TEFCA provides a universal on-ramp for organizations, particularly those in rural and underserved communities, to connect, addressing the previous limitations faced by 30% of U.S. hospitals in exchanging electronic health information.”
The Larger Trend
In early 2023, the U.S. Health and Human Services approved Epic, along with other organizations like eHealth Exchange, CommonWell, Health Gorilla, Kno2, and KONZA National Network, as the first qualified health information networks under TEFCA. Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) serve as the on-ramps for providers to join TEFCA. Building trust is crucial in onboarding healthcare providers to ensure successful participation in the interoperability framework.
Epic commenced onboarding its initial cohort of 24 health systems, including renowned institutions like Mount Sinai, Mayo Clinic, Kaiser, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford Health, as well as individual hospitals and safety nets, to test the nationwide interoperability framework. Dr. Matthew Eisenberg, Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at Stanford Health Care, expressed excitement about the prospect of a simplified, if not singular, on-ramp for secure, national health information exchange that will benefit patients and providers alike.
On the Record
Dr. Kaelber emphasized the impact of TEFCA on patient care, stating, “TEFCA helps MetroHealth and other health systems enhance patient care nationwide by providing access to a broader range and depth of patient electronic health information for a more comprehensive understanding of each patient.”
Written by Andrea Fox, Senior Editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
