The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement is now live, enabling multiple qualified health information networks to securely exchange information, adhering to consistent nationwide technical and policy standards, according to a Dec. 12 article in Health Affairs Forefront written by Sequoia Project CEO Mariann Yeager.
The 2016 21st Century Cures Act mandated the creation of TEFCA, which aims to establish a comprehensive framework for governance, policy and technical standards, creating a baseline for interoperability in nationwide health information networks.
According to the report, five qualified health information networks are now officially operational and are actively engaging in TEFCA exchange. The remaining two are working to complete their implementations.
Together, these qualified health information networks span the majority of U.S. hospitals and tens of thousands of providers, facilitating billions of annual transactions across all 50 states.
Collaborating under TEFCA, users of these qualified health information networks can now establish connections with one another, irrespective of the network they belong to.