Two organizations, Surescripts Well being Data Community LLC and the US Certified Well being Data Community (USQHIN), a subsidiary of Velatura Public Profit Corp., are making use of to turn into Certified Well being Data Networks (QHINs) beneath the Trusted Change Framework and Widespread Settlement (TEFCA).  

There are actually 20 organizations formally search QHIN standing and 7 “candidate QHINS,” together with: CommonWell Well being Alliance, eHealth Change, Epic, Well being Gorilla, Kno2, KONZA Nationwide Community and MedAllies. These are organizations which have had their functions accepted and are within the testing and challenge plan completion part of the applying course of.

E-prescribing community firm Surescripts stated its community delivered clinicians 2.5 billion treatment histories and 1.25 billion hyperlinks to scientific paperwork on the level of care in 2022. Its Surescripts Community Alliance consists of practically all digital well being information distributors, pharmacy profit managers, pharmacies and clinicians, plus well being plans, long-term and post-acute care organizations, affected person entry distributors and specialty pharmacy organizations.

“We are the largest interoperability firm within the nation already,” Frank Harvey, Surescripts’ CEO, advised Healthcare Innovation in a latest interview. 

“We’re very assured that we will serve everybody throughout the spectrum of healthcare. And if you concentrate on the Certified Well being Data, Networks in TEFCA, it actually does turn into a community of networks, as you’ll, as a result of every one goes to achieve success bringing in individuals who shall be their clients,” Harvey added. “We actually suppose the staff at ONC has completed a beautiful job. If you concentrate on what is the significance of this, it comes again to the affected person’s potential to verify they’re getting the proper therapy once they’re in entrance of a care supplier, as a result of with an incomplete medical file, they’re by no means positive that the proper choices are being made.”

Surescripts was a member of the Widespread Settlement Workgroup and labored with the Sequoia Mission and ONC to draft the Widespread Settlement that established the infrastructure mannequin and governing strategy for securely sharing primary scientific info between networks.

Moreover, Surescripts expertise, together with Surescripts File Locator & Change, relies on the HL7 FHIR commonplace that helps clinicians discover and retrieve scientific paperwork exchanged through Carequality—a nationwide, consensus-based interoperability framework that permits info change amongst well being information sharing networks.

Surescripts famous that it has been a pacesetter within the adoption of the FHIR commonplace, taking part in HL7 accelerators, together with the Argonaut Mission, the DaVinci Mission and FAST, aiming to satisfy the interoperability objectives within the twenty first Century Cures Act.

USQHIN and dad or mum firm Velatura are strategic companions for HIEs, well being information utilities, suppliers, payers, labs, sufferers, and public well being officers that share aggregated well being information.  If accepted, QHIN designation would permit USQHIN to additional lengthen this functionality nationwide. 
Velatura was established to increase the Michigan Well being Data Community Shared Companies’ modular and scalable interoperability services and products for entry and use exterior of Michigan. For instance, Velatura serves because the infrastructure for the New Jersey Well being Data Community. It has labored with GaHIN, Georgia’s statewide HIE, to exchange its legacy HIE system with Velatura’s cloud-based HIE platform. Additionally, the Wisconsin Statewide Well being Data Community (WISHIN) chosen Velatura to function the back-end technical platform for the state designated HIE.

USQHIN stated it could submit its formal QHIN utility in January 2024. 

“Interoperability is important for enhancing care coordination, enhancing the affected person expertise, and unlocking the total potential of whole-person healthcare,” stated Tim Pletcher, D.H.A., government director of USQHIN, in an announcement. “USQHIN is a pacesetter within the secure, safe, and well timed change of healthcare info, and turning into a QHIN is the subsequent logical step in our journey to enhance the care continuum by making useful information out there on the level of care. Reaching QHIN standing would allow us to make the most of our expertise and experience to affect coverage and decision-making round interoperability and FHIR-based change.”

The Widespread Settlement, launched in September 2021, consists of six change functions that organizations should assist to be designated as a QHIN. The change functions embrace Remedy, Cost, Well being Care Operations, Public Well being, Advantages Willpower, and Particular person Entry Companies.

USQHIN notes that it at the moment gives a number of core providers required by the ONC for QHIN certification, together with Question and Response for EHI requests from members, finish consumer Message Supply to guarantee that info is seamlessly handed to its last vacation spot from QHIN to QHIN, Particular person Entry Companies giving sufferers management of their info, Significant Selection for people to find out how their private ePHI is disclosed and used, and ADT Hub, which is designed to extend the amount and high quality of admission, discharge, and switch messages out there to private and non-private members.