MedAllies Is Now a Designated QHIN™
Driving the Future of Healthcare Information Exchange
What is a QHIN?
A Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) is an “on-ramp” to the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™), supporting simplified national health information exchange. QHINs are networks of organizations working together to share data. All approved QHINs have undergone a rigorous application and testing process to ensure exchange from any QHIN entry point across all QHINs to any QHIN endpoint. QHINs will connect directly to each other to ensure interoperability between the networks they represent.
QHINs are vital for creating a seamless flow of health information, reducing data silos, and enabling more coordinated patient care. By becoming a QHIN, MedAllies is committed to enhancing data exchange capabilities across various healthcare stakeholders, including providers, payers, and patients.
Receive information as needed from providers on QHIN, including those connected through Carequality implementers, CommonWell Health Alliance, and eHealth Exchange.
What is TEFCA?
TEFCA was created under the 21st Century Cures Act and comprises two parts: the Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement. The Trusted Exchange Framework describes the common principles for data sharing, while the Common Agreement is a legal agreement that defines the governing approach, expectations, and rules for the QHINs.
TEFCA’s goal is to establish a universal floor for interoperability across the country by developing the infrastructure model and governing approach for users in different QHIN networks to securely share basic clinical information with each other. Importantly, this would happen under commonly agreed-to expectations and rules – regardless of which QHIN network a healthcare organization participates in.
This new Framework has delivered a unique opportunity for the U.S. healthcare system by creating a universal floor of interoperability that connects healthcare constituents, including providers, public health groups, payers, and healthcare consumers. TEFCA’s rules and non-binding principles bring the potential to expand care coordination and interoperability while decreasing delays in patient data exchange – finally delivering on interoperability’s potential to deliver the trusted and actionable information on the right patient to the right health care constituent at the right time – including ensuring healthcare consumers control over their own health data.
For more detailed information about TEFCA, you can visit the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) website.
As a QHIN, MedAllies Participant Organizations Can Leverage
- High-capacity networks to exchange transactions: Access to robust networks that handle large volumes of data exchange efficiently.
- A Platform that supports all applicable standards: Including FHIR, HL7, C-CDA, and IHE Profiles.
- An Embedded Record Locator Service (RLS): Enables searching the entire nationwide network in real-time to gather comprehensive patient data — not just in a limited geofenced location.
- Streamlined onboarding and live technical support: Ensuring smooth integration and continuous support for all participants.
- A comprehensive security program: Ensuring the safety of the MedAllies Platform, participants, and data exchanged.
- An industry-leading governance program: To ensure the highest compliance with industry regulations.
- Enhanced data usability: Through MedAllies’ Data Usability Module, which is compliant with Sequoia’s Data Usability Implementation Guide Version 1.
And secure the following data exchange benefits:
- Expanded purposes for the exchange of information: Supporting a variety of use cases for data sharing.
- Fewer barriers to connection and greater access to information: Simplifying the process of connecting different healthcare entities.
- Access to a broader range of provider types, health care, and other healthcare-related constituent organizations: Enabling comprehensive care coordination.
- Reduced independent connections and their inherent intricacies of data exchanges: Simplifying the technical and administrative complexities involved in data exchange.
FAQs
Healthcare providers interested in joining a QHIN can start by contacting an approved QHIN organization, such as MedAllies. They will need to undergo a rigorous application and onboarding process to ensure they meet the necessary standards for data sharing and interoperability.
A variety of healthcare-related organizations can become QHINs, including healthcare providers, payers, public health agencies, and health information exchanges. These organizations must meet specific criteria and undergo a thorough vetting process to be designated as a QHIN.
Being part of a QHIN allows healthcare providers to access a nationwide network of health information, improving patient care by providing comprehensive data from multiple sources. This access enhances clinical decision-making and facilitates better patient outcomes.
QHINs must support various technology standards such as FHIR, HL7, C-CDA, and IHE Profiles. These standards ensure that data can be exchanged seamlessly and securely between different healthcare systems and organizations.
TEFCA establishes strict guidelines and policies for QHINs to follow, ensuring that health information is exchanged securely. This includes data encryption, access controls, and regular security audits to protect sensitive health data.