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.
Industry and Contract News
Health IT Initiative Revolutionizes Access to Medical Records for Texas Charitable Clinics
In a groundbreaking effort to close healthcare gaps for underserved Texans, Greater Houston Healthconnect (Healthconnect) announced a statewide effort to connect charitable clinics across Texas at no cost. This collaboration between Healthconnect, InterSystems, and J2 Interactive will reduce administrative burdens on these volunteer-driven clinics and help improve quality of care.
Direct Secure Messaging Presents an Opportunity for Improved Communication Among Health, Community Agencies
Direct Secure Messaging, commonly referred to as Direct, shows great potential to facilitate healthcare data-sharing among organizations that target underserved populations like homeless shelters and care partners. That’s the takeaway from a recent graduate project I completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s School of Biomedical Informatics. A successful implementation of Direct has the potential to ensure shelters are prepared to provide appropriate support services.
Oracle Health to Apply for TEFCA QHIN Status
Oracle Health announced that it intends to begin the process to become a Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) as a part of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). Becoming a QHIN will allow Oracle Health to directly enable its healthcare customers to participate in the U.S. government’s nationwide approach to offer secure, smooth, and standardized sharing of health information between providers and payers, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies.
DirectTrust® Releases New 2025 Accreditation Criteria Versions for Public Review through November 22
DirectTrust®, a non-profit healthcare industry alliance focused on furthering trust in healthcare data exchange through standards, accreditation, and other services, announced it has posted new versions of program criteria for its 27 accreditation programs for public review and comment.
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.
2025 Board of Directors Announced: Congratulations to the re-elected and newly elected 2025 Civitas Board of Director members. Please join us in congratulating:
- Carmen Hughes, MBA, Executive Director, HI-BRIDGE Solutions HIE (new Board member)
- David Kendrick, MD, MPH, FACP, CEO, MyHealth Access Network (re-elected)
- Gabrielle Rude, CPHQ, PhD, President and CEO, Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (new Board member)
- Melissa (Rutala) Kotrys, MPH, CEO, Contexture (re-elected)
State HIE News
Michigan Health Information Network Receives Governance Gold Medalist Community Excellence Award at Civitas Networks for Health 2024 Annual Conference
The Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN) has been awarded the prestigious Governance Gold Medalist Community Excellence Award at the Civitas Networks for Health 2024 Annual Conference, held in Detroit, Michigan. This award recognizes organizations that have pioneered efforts to develop and refine governance models that support data sharing and health improvement across sectors, including partnerships between healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and public and private entities.
The Download: Leveraging Information, Technology, and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Data to Improve Healthcare Access
November 25, 2024, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Register
Traditional healthcare often has a limited view of social factors impacting health, such as access to food, housing, and transportation — elements that are critical to reducing health disparities and advancing health equity. Join MiHIN and Socially Determined for an insightful discussion celebrating HIMSS Global Health Equity Week. They will discuss how data and technology empower providers to address social determinants, enhance patient outcomes and promote equitable healthcare access for Michigan residents.
Health Commons Project Completes Acquisition of OneHealthPort to Advance Healthcare Innovation and Access across Washington State
Health Commons Project, a nonprofit dedicated to improving healthcare
access and quality through technology and innovation, announced it has completed the acquisition of OneHealthPort, Washington State’s Health Information Exchange (HIE) and prominent provider of health data solutions. This strategic acquisition underscores Health Commons Project’s commitment to expanding its impact by improving data interoperability, enhancing care coordination, and promoting public health across Washington.
SacValley MedShare Completes Phase 1 of Admission, Discharge and Transfer Integration with Dignity Health
SacValley MedShare QHIO is pleased to announce the completion of Phase 1 of its Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) integration with Dignity Health. This milestone represents a significant advancement in healthcare interoperability and patient care coordination across multiple regions, meeting the data-sharing mandates outlined in AB 133, the Data Exchange Framework (DxF), as defined in Health and Safety Code Section 130290 under the California Health & Human Services Agency.
CyncHealth Selects Health Catalyst to Elevate Health Data Management
Health Catalyst, Inc., a provider of data and analytics technology and services to healthcare organizations, announced a new partnership with CyncHealth, the designated statewide health information exchange (HIE) for Iowa.
Hires and Openings
Civitas Networks for Health
Civitas Networks for Health has openings for the following positions:
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:
Upcoming Events
eHealth Exchange Annual Meeting
When: December 10, 2024
Where: Embassy Suites by Hilton, Nashville TN
Event Page
Register for this event.
It is that time of year again, time for them to share this year’s accomplishments with their eHealth Exchange participants. This year they are traveling to beautiful Nashville, TN. This years meeting topics and presentations will be partially based on feedback received from last years Annual Meeting Survey.
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.