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WHAT IS TEFCA?

Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA)

 

  • The 21st Century Cures Act called on the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT to create and support a Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).

  • TEFCA outlines a common set of technical and legal requirements to simplify and enable nationwide exchange of healthcare data.

  • A central component of TECFA is operationalizing Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) to serve as centralized exchange partners in a network-of-networks approach.

  • The Sequoia Project was selected to be the Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE), which is responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining TEFCA with the ONC.

Provider Benefits

Designated QHINs will securely exchange health data with other QHINs. Connecting to TEFCA will enable providers with the ability to send, receive and query for standardized electronic health information from a wide range of participants nationwide, which is expected to help participating providers:

 

  • Improve care

  • Provide patients with access to their health records

  • Improve care coordination

  • Deliver data for value-based care, care management and population health

  • Reduce the need to participate in multiple exchanges

  • Relieve the burden of public health reporting

  • Support emergency preparedness and response

  • Increase confidence in data received from other providers

Next Steps

  • The process to become a designated QHIN is new to everyone. There is much to be learned and realized as we work through the QHIN onboarding process. We are proud to work closely with the RCE and other early adopter QHINs to operationalize TEFCA.

  • KONZA has and will continue to provide valuable input into the process, requirements and advancement of TEFCA.

  • KONZA and the handful of other organizations that have achieved QHIN application approval will now move into the third phase of the QHIN designation process, where the focus will shift to pre-production testing and project plan completion.

  • The KONZA QHIN expects to be in production late in 2023.

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