Sharing Health Data Update February 2025

We are now well 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.

eClinicalWorks Achieves Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) Designation
eClinicalWorks®, the largest ambulatory cloud EHR, is pleased to announce that eClinicalWorks has been formally designated as a Qualified Health Information Network® (QHINTM). As a prominent interoperability healthcare IT leader, eClinicalWorks is well-positioned to further advance the goals of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common AgreementTM (TEFCATM) and the 21st Century Cures Act as an early EHR recipient of the QHIN designation.

ASTP and The Sequoia Project Designate eClinicalWorks as QHIN
The Sequoia Project, as the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common AgreementTM (TEFCATM) Recognized Coordinating Entity® (RCE®), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP), announced the designation of the eighth Qualified Health Information Network® (QHIN™). eClinicalWorks joins CommonWell Health Alliance, eHealth Exchange, Epic Nexus, Health Gorilla, Kno2, KONZA National Network, and MedAllies, and their customers in the ever-expanding TEFCA community.

Selfii acquires Privacy Suite by TripleBlind
Selfii, a provider of privacy-preserving health data solutions for individuals and healthcare organizations, announced the launch of TripleBlind Exchange, a first-of-its-kind data marketplace enabling secure, HIPAA/GDPR-compliant access to protected health information (PHI) without the need for traditional de-identification methods, marking the solution as a novel alternative to current market offerings.

WellSky selected Kno2 as its Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) under the TEFA Agreement
To participate in the TEFCA national network, WellSky selected Kno2, a leader in healthcare communication and interoperability, as its Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN). As a QHIN, Kno2 will serve as the intermediary of the national network by facilitating the secure exchange of information across different health information entities.

eHealth Exchange Announces New Board Members and Leadership Appointments To Advance Payer and Public Health Strategies
eHealth Exchange, one of the nation’s largest health information networks, announces new board of directors. Four esteemed leaders will strengthen the organization’s alignment with its payer and public health strategies and enhance the diversity of perspectives guiding its mission.

The Sequoia Project Publishes State of Consent Capabilities
The Sequoia Project published Moving Toward Computable Consent: A Landscape Review for public feedback. This whitepaper explains the importance of managing privacy and consent when sharing personal health information, scans the current landscape of challenges facing those entrusted with personal health information, enumerates existing solutions, and explores the strengths and deficiencies of these approaches.

Edifecs Introduces Healthcare Interoperability Cloud
Edifecs, Inc., a global health information technology solutions company, announced its Healthcare Interoperability Cloud, which enables payers to take a strategic approach to interoperability and address compliance, including with CMS-9115-F and CMS-0057-F, and non-compliance use cases.

WorldView and Kno2 Announce New Partnership
WorldView, powered by LivTech, and Kno2, a provider of healthcare communication and interoperability, have partnered to reimagine how care agencies access and use patient data. This integration ensures providers can break through long-standing data silos, accessing the complete picture of a patient’s health to make faster, smarter, and more informed care decisions.

eHealth Exchange President Jay Nakashima Is Recognized as 2025 Federal 100 Award Recipient
eHealth Exchange, one of the nation’s largest health information networks, proudly announces that Jay Nakashima, eHealth Exchange president, is a 2025 Federal 100 Award recipient. This prestigious recognition honors government and industry leaders who have made significant contributions to federal IT, driving innovation and improving public sector technology.

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.

Announcing 2025 Annual Conference Premier Partnership with 211 San Diego – 211 San Diego which encompasses Community Information Exchange (CIE) San Diego, and San Diego Health Connect (HIE) will serve as the premier conference partner for the 2025 Civitas Annual Conference alongside other California Civitas members. Convening under the theme, “Bridging Data and Doing,” the event will take place from September 28-30, 2025, in Anaheim, CA. Sponsorship opportunities are now available. As a sponsor, you’ll gain unparalleled visibility among 800+ expected industry leaders while demonstrating your organization’s commitment to innovation in health and health care. From keynote sessions to networking events, our sponsorship packages offer tailored opportunities to showcase your brand and connect with a highly engaged audience.

State HIE News

deTASO EMR & SHARE HIE – A Hub for Streamlined Interoperability in DD/IDD Care

In a groundbreaking effort to enhance healthcare connectivity and streamline interoperability for providers serving individuals with Developmental Disabilities (DD) and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), deTASO EMR and SHARE Health Information Exchange (HIE) have created a seamless integration hub. This innovative collaboration enables DD/IDD providers to connect more efficiently, ensuring comprehensive and real-time access to critical patient health data across the state of Arkansas.

WISHIN Connections – January 2025
WISHIN Connections is WISHIN’s monthly electronic newsletter. WISHIN Connections keeps you up to date with WISHIN activities, news on health information exchange (HIE), and new product developments. In their January 2025 edition you will learn how WISHIN can assist EHRs, what events are upcoming, how to use WISHIN pulse, have an opportunity to share your input and much more.

Lawsuit Filed Against Rhode Island HIE by Whistleblower Who Alleged Impermissible Uses of HIE Data
A lawsuit has been filed against the (RIQI) by a former HIPAA officer who alleges she was terminated for blowing the whistle on impermissible disclosures of HIE data. RIQI is a Rhode Island state government contractor and was the operator of the state health information exchange (HIE) – CaseCurrent – from 2021 to July 2024, when the contract was awarded to another vendor.

VITL CEO on Pandemic’s Role in Strengthening Health Data Partnerships
VITL CEO Beth Anderson says the pandemic helped cement a bond between Vermont health information exchange and Department of Health. Read her recent interview with Healthcare Innovation. Beth is the president and CEO of VITL, the nonprofit organization that runs the Vermont Health Information Exchange. 98.9% of Vermonters are sharing their health records through VITL. VITL delivers real time data to 1325 connected health care organizations including hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and independent primary care practices.

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
Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) is currently seeking a Project Manager Analyst. Specifically, the Project Manager plays a critical role by serving as the lead for project work for all assigned project initiatives and will integrate with all DHIN teams, DHIN stakeholders and technology vendors. Projects are typically IT integration but are shifting towards projects requiring software development and customization. The PM has no positional authority and must be able to create and sustain cooperative voluntary relationships between the project participants.

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 Director of Governance & Onboarding

MiHIN
MiHIN is currently seeking a Senior Product Engineer. The Senior Product Engineer is responsible for translating business needs into technical solutions as well as managing a high performing team responsible for technical delivery. Normal responsibilities require critical thinking, data driven analysis and providing a fount for technical leadership. The efficiency, efficacy and cost effectiveness of our digital application portfolio are the key determinants of the Senior Product Engineer’s success. Using team management and technical excellence, the Senior Product Engineer will work to improve uptime, reduce cycle time and provide solutions that reduce technical risk.

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.

VITL
VITL is seeking a Operations Client Support Lead. This role will define and guide processes for customer and operations support including the daily interactions between our clients and our organization. The Client Support Lead plays a crucial role in prioritizing customers’ needs, expectations and satisfaction; they will lead our team in delivering the highest level of customer service in all client support interactions. The Client Support Lead will manage the day to day operations of the system and services in coordination with VITL’s internal technical team and contracted vendor support resources. The Client Support team oftentimes will be the first to identify issues, and will prioritize and escalate all issues based on severity.

Civitas Member-Led Webinar Featuring KONZA Hosted by J2 Interactive

When: Thursday, February 27, 2025 3:00pm ET
Register for this event.

How Top HIEs are Using Salesforce to Grow – The rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare demands that Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) adopt agile, scalable, and cost-effective solutions to manage the complex flow of patient data across networks. CRMs like Salesforce, that can be customized for healthcare-specific business models, offer innovative solutions that can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

HL7 and leaders from the FHIR Accelerators

When: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET
Register for this event.

FHIR Deep Dive Webinar Series –Dive into the world of FHIR and its transformative impact on health data exchange! Join HL7 and leaders from the FHIR Accelerators — Gravity Project, Helios, Da Vinci, FHIR at Scale Taskforce (FAST), and CARIN Alliance — for an insightful 6-part webinar series. Gain a deeper understanding of FHIR, its applications, and groundbreaking projects leveraging FHIR Accelerators to shape the future of healthcare interoperability.

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.

The Sequoia Project Publishes State of Consent Capabilities – The Sequoia Project published Moving Toward Computable Consent: A Landscape Review for public feedback. This whitepaper explains the importance of managing privacy and consent when sharing personal health information, scans the current landscape of challenges facing those entrusted with personal health information, enumerates existing solutions, and explores the strengths and deficiencies of these approaches.

Organizations that have completed the Qualified Health Information Network® (QHIN™) application and have been accepted into the project planning and testing phase of the on boarding and designation process.

According to research by Grand View Research, the global healthcare interoperability solutions market size was estimated at USD 3.42 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.15% from 2024 to 2030. An increase in the adoption of interoperability solutions by healthcare authorities, a rise in investments to enhance healthcare facilities, favorable government initiatives to improve patient care, high government funding, and a focus on patient-centric care are some major factors propelling the market growth. In February 2023, the federal government provided USD 505 million to federal data partners and Canada Health Infoway to advance digital health tools and an interoperability roadmap. Thus, the rising investments and funding from government bodies are anticipated to drive the industry growth.