Sharing Health Data Update December 2024

We are now past the 20 year mark in our quest for healthcare interoperability. Under an executive order from president G W Bush (April 2004), the ONC was established and Dr. David Brailer was dubbed “America’s first Health Information Czar.” The Meaningful Use program was then born out of the HITECH Act and Merit-Based Incentive Payment System was then born our of the MACRA legislation. And then information sharing from the CURES Act. And now the release of Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement (TEFCA). All trying to move our healthcare system to the digital age, better outcomes, controlling and reducing costs, and patient access to their health data. It has not been an easy road and the debate of the journey will never end.

The Sequoia Project Addresses Health Data Information Sharing with Educational Toolkit
The Sequoia Project, a non-profit and trusted advocate for nationwide health information exchange, released an informational and educational toolkit to support providers, health IT developers, health information networks and exchanges, and the greater healthcare community’s commitment to compliance with the federal Information Blocking Rule (IBR).

PointClickCare Continues to Advance Interoperability Across the Healthcare Continuum, Expanding its Partnership with Kno2 to Facilitate Nationwide Data Exchange
PointClickCare, a healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful care collaboration and real‐time patient insights, announced its expanded partnership with Kno2, a designated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) with billions of annual network transactions. This announcement follows the company’s ONC CEHRT designation and launch of its United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) Connector Program, further demonstrating PointClickCare’s ongoing efforts and investments to advance interoperability across the healthcare ecosystem.

Indian Health Service Joins eHealth Exchange Designated QHIN
eHealth Exchange™, one of the nation’s oldest and largest health information networks, announced that the Indian Health Service (IHS) has selected it as its Designated Qualified Health Information Network® (QHIN™) and is now live on the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™).

Commonwell Health Alliance
Rewind it: Fall Summit 2024 Recap – By Paul L. Wilder – The CommonWell Health Alliance 2024 Fall Summit, held on November 4-5 in Nashville, brings healthcare and technology leaders together to advance interoperability in health data exchange. The agenda includes sessions on cutting-edge advancements, best practices, and the latest updates in health information exchange. Attendees participate in discussions, networking, and collaborative opportunities with experts from diverse backgrounds, all focused on improving seamless and secure data sharing.

The Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) and the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC) announced a formal affiliation between the two organizations to form a new organization named Civitas Networks for Health. The organization serves as a platform for local nonprofit health collaboratives and health information exchanges to grow and thrive. Read their latest news. Follow them @civitas4health.

Civitas Collaboratives in Action | Localized Approaches to National Interoperability: How Public Health Agencies are Leveraging HIEs for Data Modernization

Don’t miss the final Collaboratives in Action event of the year on December 19, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET! Join Civitas Networks for Health CRISP Shared Services, eHealth Exchange and Virginia Health Information to explore how Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) are advancing Data Modernization Initiatives (DMI) to improve data sharing, emergency preparedness, and public health responses.

The event will be led by speakers Jay Nakashima, President of eHealth Exchange, Sheena Patel, MD, CMPE, Executive Director of Public Health Modernization at CRISP Shared Services, and Tim Powell, Senior Fellow of Public Health Informatics at Virginia Health Information.

Register for this event.

State HIE News

C3HIE Promotes Jim Hoag as Interim CEO: Driving Innovation and Collaboration in Health Data Exchange
C3HIE, a leader in health information exchange (HIE) across Texas, has appointed Jim Hoag as Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025. With over 25 years of healthcare and health IT leadership at organizations such as Baylor Scott & White Health and Healogics, Hoag is set to lead C3HIE into its next phase of growth, introducing forward-thinking solutions and strengthening partnerships.

Hixny Achieves Status as First HRSN Validated Data Stream by NCQA
Hixny, New York’s cutting-edge health information exchange (HIE), became the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)’s first validated data stream specifically focused on health-related social needs data (HRSN). With New York’s Health Equity Reform (NYHER) 1115 Waiver Amendment set to go live January 1, the timing of the announcement is perfect.

Civitas Networks for Health
Civitas Networks for Health has openings for the following positions:

• Part-Time, Independent Contractor: Salesforce Developer and Administrator
• Finance and Accounting Manager, Nonprofit Organization (Part-Time or Full-Time available)

Contexture
Contexture is a nonprofit organization that provides strategic, technical and administrative support to communities committed to advancing health through information sharing. As the leading health information exchange for Arizona and Colorado, Contexture is the largest health information organization in the western region. They currently have an opening for a Chief Legal Officer & Privacy Officer.

Delaware Health Information Network
Maestro Strategies is assisting DHIN (Delaware Health Information Network), in the recruitment of a key Director, Data Engineer to join their leadership team. This is an exceptional opportunity with one of the leading Health Information Exchanges in the country that, since 2007, has provided data at the point of care in order to enable providers to deliver high-quality, cost-efficient care.

VITL
VITL is seeking a skilled technologist with a strong background in AWS technologies and expertise with the Linux operating system. The Linux SRE is responsible for building and maintaining distributed cloud solutions that support complex health data initiatives for the Vermont Health Information Exchange (HIE) and VITL. This position will support a team that is building data driven initiatives using Amazon AWS and open-source technologies. The Systems Engineer will also be responsible for building and maintaining systems in alignment with the security controls, governance processes, and compliance measures of VITL’s system security planning processes.

KONZA
KONZA is seeking an Information Security Analyst. The KONZA Information Security Analyst plays an important role in the success of KONZA and its partners. KONZA is a fast-paced, energetic environment. This position is responsible for providing security, informational, and quality support. In addition, this position monitors and escalates system risks and executes HITRUST standards across normal operations.

North Carolina Department of Information Technology
The NC Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA) is seeking its next mission-driven, highly motivated and detail-oriented data quality team lead. The Data Quality and Integrity Team Lead (DQIL) will be the in-house data expert, comfortable working with data and business processes to enable new and innovative use cases for NC HealthConnex, the state-designated health information exchange, as well as enhance the overall experience for NC HIEA participants across external NC HealthConnex services.

Virginia Health Information
Virginia Health Information is seeking a Director of Analytics. The Director of Analytics leads VHI’s data analysis team and is responsible for implementing the organization’s data reporting strategy. This role serves as the primary point of contact to external organizations regarding several of VHI’s data collection programs, including the All-Payer Claims Database (APCD), Patient Level Data (PLD) and other data programs as assigned.

eHealth Exchange
Active in all 50 states, the eHealth Exchange is the largest query-based, health information network in the country. It is the principal network that connects federal agencies and non-federal organizations, allowing them to work together to improve patient care and public health. They have an open positions for:

• eHealth Exchange In-house Legal Counsel
• eHealth Exchange Senior Vice President of Operations and Staff

KONZA Connections

When: Wednesday, December 18, 2024  2:00 – 3:00 pm ET
Register for this event.

Mark your calendars for their next quarterly membership webinar. This session will provide an opportunity to gain insights into the latest company news and updates on their products and services.

UHIN Virtual Payer Panel

When: Friday, December 20, 2024  1:00 pm ET
Register for this event.

The final virtual Payer Panel of 2024! Ask questions and learn from Korey Marsh, Manager of Network Strategy and Provider Relations at DMBA. We’ll field questions in advance, as well as during the webinar.

ONC Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE)

The Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE) – The Sequoia Project (@sequoiaproject)is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the Common Agreement component of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). The Common Agreement is the baseline technical and legal requirements for health information networks to share electronic health information and is part of the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act).

In addition they will collaborate with ONC to designate and monitor Qualified Health Information Networks (QHIN), modify and update an accompanying QHIN Technical Framework, engage with stakeholders through virtual public listening sessions, adjudicate noncompliance with the Common Agreement, and propose sustainability strategies to support TEFCA beyond the cooperative agreement’s period of performance.

On August 28, 2023, the ONC awarded The Sequoia Project 5-Year TEFCA RCE Contract to continue their services.

RCE Resource Library – which includes a guide to the Common Agreement, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), technical documents, and other resources that make up TEFCA’s rules of the road. Start your journey to next generation interoperability here. ​

The Sequoia Project Addresses Health Data Information Sharing with Educational Toolkit – The Sequoia Project released an informational and educational toolkit to support providers, health IT developers, health information networks and exchanges, and the greater healthcare community’s commitment to compliance with the federal Information Blocking Rule (IBR).

The Sequoia Project Releases Data Usability Guide Version 2.0 – The Sequoia Project announced the release of the Data Usability Implementation Guide Version 2.0 created by its Interoperability Matters Data Usability Workgroup (DUWG). This resource covers the identified priority use cases that can be readily adopted within health information exchange vendors, implementers, networks, governance frameworks, and testing programs within 18 months.