BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The CommonWell Health Alliance® today announced its intention to apply to become one of the first Qualified Health Information Networks (QHIN) as part of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). CommonWell will submit its application with the first set of submissions.
This move follows The Sequoia Project, the Recognized Coordinating Entity for TEFCA, releasing the final Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) application this week.
TEFCA—which was published earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology—includes a common set of principles, terms, and conditions to support the development of a Common Agreement that would take the nationwide exchange of electronic health information (EHI) to the next level. The success of TEFCA would rely, in part, on the participation of well-established Health Information Networks (HINs).
Ushering a New Phase of Interoperability
CommonWell is uniquely qualified to be a QHIN. The architectural concept advocated by TEFCA—which calls for a federated query model that leverages record locator services and a query broker—builds on the approach that the Alliance has delivered to the market nationwide. With its more than 75 member companies, and working closely with the ONC, CommonWell is ready to help build the next phase of nationwide interoperability.
“TEFCA has the potential to increase the level of empowerment by individuals and their care providers by enabling them to get the data they need to make the best care decisions—something CommonWell has been focused on since day one,” said Paul L Wilder, executive director of CommonWell Health Alliance. “CommonWell is more than prepared to transition to QHIN status, help build TEFCA, and take the nationwide exchange of EHI to the next level.”
Currently, stakeholders often must join multiple networks to get the information they need to support coordinated patient care. With TEFCA, joining a HIN that participates in the network created by the Common Agreement will enable access to and exchange of information from varied sources.
CommonWell Members Share Support
“athenahealth looks forward to TEFCA taking shape to help usher in the next generation of information sharing services through QHINs,” said Michael Palantoni, board member, CommonWell Health Alliance, and vice president of product management, platform services, athenahealth. “We fully support CommonWell and its efforts to serve as a QHIN, and we look forward to supporting QHIN connectivity for our customers as part of our broader interoperability offerings, which connect all players in health care—providers, payers, patients, and partners—so they can seamlessly exchange data and unlock actionable insights.”
“This is another tangible example of the CommonWell Health Alliance demonstrating vision and commitment to interoperability. As a QHIN, we will continue to be a catalyst for improved delivery and equitable access to health care across the nation through innovation,” said Jody Harbour, senior vice president of product management, CPSI.
“Greenway Health, as a founding member of CommonWell, remains committed to ensuring a true national exchange of health information to empower patients with seamless access to their medical records,” said David Cohen, chief product and technology officer, Greenway Health. “It is exciting to see CommonWell and Alliance members aligning to collaboratively support the mission of TEFCA and eliminate a major source of friction in information sharing that exists in the industry today.”
“CommonWell and its dedication to interoperability and innovation will continue to serve health care organizations well in the years ahead,” said Hoda Sayed-Friel, senior vice president, MEDITECH. "Through the collaborative work of Alliance members, CommonWell is giving MEDITECH customers the solutions they need to meet the increasing needs for patient care, patient empowerment, and public health. I'm looking forward to seeing how our joint efforts continue to improve information sharing for providers and communities via TEFCA."
“We believe in the value of a nationwide health information exchange that will enable patients to access their health care data wherever they receive care—regardless of the IT systems being used by that facility. Our long participation in the CommonWell Health Alliance has been in service to this goal,” said Sam Lambson, vice president of interoperability, Oracle Cerner. “As a QHIN under TEFCA, CommonWell can further this mission of achieving ubiquitous health care records together with our fellow Alliance members.”
“The health care world has known for years that TEFCA would become a reality and our mission has always been aligned to be part of this,” said Nick Knowlton, chairman of the board of directors, CommonWell Health Alliance, and vice president of strategic initiatives, ResMed. “CommonWell looks forward to working with the ONC, the Sequoia Project, and all other QHINs to collaborate, share best practices, and build the future of interoperability—better and together. As a team and community, we have always been and will continue to be a strong advocate for patients and providers alike.”
Today, the CommonWell network enables the federated exchange of patient information across more than 27,000 provider sites representing 171 million individuals on its nationwide network alone. Combined with its CommonWell ConnectorTM and collaboration connections like the Carequality Framework, connected provider sites can exchange data with more than 50,000 clinics, hospitals, specialty centers and more. To date, more than 2.6 billion health documents have been exchanged across the CommonWell network.
About CommonWell Health Alliance
CommonWell Health Alliance is a not-for-profit trade association of health care and technology organizations working together to create universal access to health data nationwide. CommonWell members represent more than 20 care settings, including market leaders and technology innovators in acute, ambulatory and post-acute care, patient portals, imaging, population health, emergency services, data locator services and more. CommonWell and its members are committed to the belief that provider access to health data must be built into information technologies at a reasonable cost for use by a broad range of health care providers and the populations and people they serve.
To learn more about CommonWell Health Alliance, visit https://www.commonwellalliance.org/. Engage with CommonWell on our blog, as well as through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter using the handle, @CommonWell. CommonWell Health Alliance® and the CommonWell Logo are registered trademarks of CommonWell Health Alliance Inc.
