We are now nearing 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.
Industry and Contract News
PointClickCare and C3HIE Collaborate to Enable Smoother and Safer Care Transitions for Patients Across the State of Texas
PointClickCare, a healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful care collaboration and real-time patient insights, and C3HIE, a community partner offering additional critical interoperability and care coordination services, announced its first direct partnership.
Sizzling New Additions: Welcoming Our Latest Members as Summer Heats Up!
CommonWell is delighted to announce the newest members of the CommonWell Health Alliance, Acuity Health, Calcium Health, and HelixBeat. Their decision to join our Alliance further advances their commitment to accelerating health information interoperability and improving patient care.
FDA Receives 2024 FORUM Innovation Award for Using eHealth Exchange and FHIR to Validate Adverse Events
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received a 2024 FORUM Innovation Award for their Biologics Effectiveness and Safety (BEST) initiative using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) nationwide for next-generation electronic exchange of rich clinical patient data involving validation of adverse events between healthcare providers and the FDA.
Kno2 and Docusign Revolutionize Provider-to-Provider Signature Workflows in Healthcare
Kno2®, a provider of interoperable healthcare communication is excited to announce the transformation of provider-to-provider signature workflows in the healthcare industry with one of the world’s leaders in e-signature, Docusign.
Spotlight on Community Networks
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 Networks for Health to Host 2024 Annual Conference in Detroit This October
Civitas Networks for Health announced its 2024 Annual Conference, slated for Tuesday, October 15 through Thursday, October 17, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. Under the theme ‘Bridging Data and Doing’, this year’s gathering is not only poised to unite Civitas’ 170+ member organizations, but also bring health transformation and health data professionals from across the country together, fostering a collaborative environment to explore the vital synergy of increased data sharing to drive meaningful action.
Collaboratives in Action: Building on Existing Infrastructure to Further Health Related Social Needs Screening
Civitas hosts quarterly Collaboratives in Action events focused on showcasing important industry data-driven, multi-stakeholder collaborations and initiatives. These educational webinars provide opportunities for sharing best practices, lessons learned, and practical insights into solutions. Here is a summary and resources from the May 23rd Collaboratives in Action event.
State HIE News
SacValley MedShare Partners with CommonSpirit Health to Expand its Reach as a Statewide HIE
SacValley MedShare, a premier Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Qualified Health Information Organization (QHIO), proudly announce its expansion from a regional to a statewide network in partnership with CommonSpirit Health. This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in the organization’s commitment to enhancing healthcare interoperability and data exchange across the state.
MiHIN Achieves Health Information Service Provider Reaccreditation from DirectTrust™
The Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN), Michigan’s state-designated health information exchange (HIE), announced it has once again achieved full DirectTrust™ Health Information Service Provider (HISP) accreditation. DirectTrust’s accreditation and certification programs are governed by the organization’s Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC).
Hires and Openings
Civitas Networks for Health
Civitas Networks for Health is seeking a part-time Salesforce Developer and Administrator Contractor to design, develop, and maintain Salesforce solutions tailored to meet our specific business requirements. Civitas is a national nonprofit member- and mission-driven organization that supports local collaboratives in transforming healthcare operations through secure data exchange and multi-stakeholder health improvement initiatives.
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.
Health Gorilla
Health Gorilla aspires to cut through the noise and disrupt the healthcare information technology space – making interoperability possible and ensuring access for developers, providers, and patients. Join them in their quest to improve patient and physician satisfaction, care delivery, clinical and operational outcomes, and health equity. View all their current job openings.
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 position for:
- eHealth Exchange In-house Legal Counsel
Reports to: President
FLSA Status: Exempt, Full Time
Supervisory Responsibility: N/A
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.
New York eHealth Collaborative
New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health to improve healthcare by collaboratively leading, connecting, and integrating health information exchange across the State. They are currently seeking the following positions:
Upcoming Events
eHealth Exchange
When: Friday, July 9, 2024 1:00 – 2:00pm ET
Register for this event.
eHealth Exchange: TEFCA Technical Webinar – This webiar provides a monthly update on TEFCA technical specifications and updates with eHealth Exchange as a Designated QHIN. Many HIEs have already indicated their plans to join eHealth Exchange QHIN. Use this webinar as an opportunity to learn more about TEFCA-based exchange.
RCE Monthly Informational Call
When: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET
Register for this event.
The Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE) hosts a public informational call as an opportunity to share information about the progress to-date on the third Tuesday of each month. View previous calls.
2024 DirectTrust Annual Conference
When: September 22-25, 2024
Where: St. Louis Hilton at the Ballpark, St. Louis, Missouri
Event Page
Registration now open.
Hashtag: #DirectTrust2024
DirectTrust is proud to announce their 2024 Conference, themed “The Future of Trust in Health.” Set against the backdrop of St. Louis, Missouri, from September 22-25th, this event is dedicated to exploring and constructively bridging the tensions between usability, privacy, security, identity, and collaboration within the interconnected health ecosystem. Meet the Keynote Speakers: Micky Tripathi, Susannah Fox, and Greg Garcia.
Civitas Networks for Health 2024 Annual Conference
When: October 15-17, 2024
Where: Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, Detroit MI
Event Page
Register for this event.
Hashtag: #Civitas2024
Early bird registration ends on July 15th, 2024, and hotel room block access is available for a limited time. Don’t miss out!
Join Civitas Networks for Health for their 2024 Annual Conference –”Bridging Data and Doing”. This year’s conference aims to continue the valuable conversations and initiatives spurred by last year’s gathering in Maryland, focusing on the latest developments in health data sharing, community health, social determinants of health, health equity, and more.
ONC's Cures Act Final Rule
In May of 2020 the 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program released by the ONC and published in the Federal Register.
The TEFCA Players
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.
Designated QHINs as of February 2024
Interoperability Market
According to Allied Market Research, the healthcare interoperability solutions market size was valued at $5,320.0 million in 2020, and is expected to reach $21,544.6 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 14.9% from 2021 to 2030. Interoperability in healthcare refers to timely and secure access, integration and use of electronic health data so that it can be used to optimize health outcomes for individuals and populations. As populations around the world age and people live longer, interoperability and data sharing are going to become increasingly critical for delivering effective healthcare. Interoperability is the ability of two or more systems to exchange health information and use the information once it is received.
According to the report published by Fior Markets, the global healthcare data interoperability market is expected to grow from USD 2.83 billion in 2020 and to reach USD 5.80 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 9.38% during the forecast period 2021-2028. The primary reasons driving healthcare interoperability market growth include a growing focus on patient care, a growing need to tighten healthcare costs, and government measures to improve patient experience of treatment. System interoperability, information interchange, and data availability are all important factors in improving health outcomes. Individual health data is mobilized throughout the whole range of care providers in health organizations, enabling coordinated, safe, and high-quality treatment that supports payment reforms, transparency efforts, and individuals’ ability to control their health.