Surescripts Responds to ONC’s Release of the Draft Trusted Exchange Framework

ARLINGTON, Va. – January 19, 2018 – Two weeks ago, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced the highly anticipated Draft Trusted Exchange Framework, intended to advance the establishment of a national health exchange infrastructure, a goal of the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016. As an industry leader in the exchange of health information since 2001, Surescripts has been engaged as ONC develops this consequential framework, and we provided the government a set of recommendations in August in anticipation of this draft.

The proposed framework outlines a “set of principles and the minimum terms for trusted exchange” and aims to create the technical and governance infrastructure through which different health information networks will connect and share information.  Trust is a critical foundation of the exchange of health information, and we applaud ONC’s focus on elements that build trust, including standards, safety, privacy and security.

Over 16 years ago, disparate pharmacies and PBMs collaborated to found Surescripts as a neutral, independent organization dedicated to turning healthcare data into actionable intelligence. Today, the Surescripts Network Alliance includes virtually all electronic health records (EHR) companies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), pharmacies and clinicians, and an increasing number of health plans, long-term care and specialty pharmacy organizations. Nearly 13 billion transactions are sent across our network annually, including nearly 5 million e-prescriptions every day. The Surescripts experience is proof that private industry can evolve and meet the needs of interoperable health information exchange.

We believe in the transformational power of the ubiquitous exchange of patient health information to deliver actionable intelligence to the point of care. And we know that more actionable intelligence in the hands of providers leads to better care decisions, and better care decisions lead to lower cost, higher quality and increased safety. As such, we support ONC’s work to eliminate barriers to and facilitate the exchange of health information, while still allowing for the innovation and business practices that foster a competitive healthcare marketplace.

We look forward to studying the substance of this ruling in detail and continuing to engage with ONC on this critical effort.

The final framework, commonly referred to as the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), is expected to be released in late 2018.