Micky Tripathi, National Coordinator for Health IT, ASTP/ONC
LinkedIn: Micky Tripathi
LinkedIn: ASTP
Mariann Yeager, CEO, The Sequoia Project
LinkedIn: Mariann Yeager
LinkedIn: The Sequoia Project
The “T” in Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™) is an important part of what drives our work. So too is the public-private engagement we have created over the past seven years. As we launched TEFCA last year we did so with the expectation that we would need to make iterative adjustments over time to help it grow. That’s why we’ve recently released a new standard operating procedure (SOP) to guide how organizations seeking to participate in specific “Exchange Purposes” within TEFCA are vetted (see: Vetting Process SOP).
The need for additional vetting became apparent as Qualified Health Information Networks® (QHINs™) operationalized “TEFCA Required Treatment” under the Treatment Exchange Purpose. Participation in this specific Exchange Purpose differs from the broad HIPAA-based treatment Exchange Purpose because responses (i.e., disclosures) are both required and automated. Given these differences within TEFCA, more upfront trust is necessary to establish who can engage in this exchange.
The Vetting Process SOP establishes a clear, consistent, objective, and transparent framework for QHINs to use to assess, for example, whether their Participants and Subparticipants are able to participate in the TEFCA Required Treatment Exchange Purpose. We expect, as necessary, to build on this vetting process over time for additional Exchange Purposes. The Common Agreement has also been updated to clarify ASTP’s role in helping to resolve QHIN disputes associated with vetting. This minor update will be referred to as Common Agreement Version 2.1 and was published in the Federal Register on November 26, 2024.
This vetting process, which will expand over time, raises the bar for network trust. This is another example of how the TEFCA public-private collaboration allows us to build on past experience to establish a trustworthy and scalable framework for nationwide interoperability going forward.
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This article was originally published on the Health IT Buzz and is syndicated here with permission.