We believe that participating in the QHIN process is the best way we can reinforce the interoperability we enable today and support the nation’s progress toward greater healthcare interoperability. We also expect that this will help unlock even more efficiency and value from our network for Surescripts Network Alliance participants. 

If designated, a QHIN would add more clinical endpoints to the Surescripts network, helping locate and exchange more records. TEFCA also provides for payment and exchange use cases that could power additional functionality such as care coordination, care management, quality measurement and risk adjustment.  

Surescripts Health Information Network LLC also anticipates helping to shape the future development of TEFCA by joining the Governing Council—one more avenue to surface the needs and perspectives of Surescripts Network Alliance participants across the industry. 

Key benefits include: 

• A simpler approach to data exchange with less need for one-off connections 
• The ability to exchange information for different types of purposes 
• Reduce barriers to connection and improve access to information 
• Exchange data with a broader range of health care organizations 

TEFCA establishes a set of technical, data access and security requirements to create the trust needed for providers to confidently send and receive clinical information. This could help healthcare providers: 

• Efficiently access more complete clinical records, allowing them to make more informed decisions, reduce duplicative tests and better coordinate care 
• Ensure that primary care providers are notified about hospital admissions, discharges and other healthcare interactions outside their practice 
• Reduce the administrative burden of sharing data with public health agencies, which often have unique reporting requirements and connection method 

TEFCA will enable easier access to clinical and administrative information that can help health plans and pharmacy benefit managers improve care for their members more efficiently. Connecting to a QHIN could help them: 

• Gain a more holistic view of their members’ clinical history, helping identify and close care gaps while supporting the industry's shift towards value-based care 
• Leverage TEFCA’s payment and healthcare operations use cases to power care management, population health and risk adjustment programs 
• Reduce dependency on outdated technology such as faxes and phone calls to providers, easing administrative burden 
• Inform prior authorization and other processes intended to help ensure appropriate, affordable and safe care 
• Exchange data with public health agencies, helping manage public health emergencies in a more efficient and collaborative manner  

• Reduce dependency on outdated technology such as faxes and phone calls to providers, easing administrative burden 
• Gain a more holistic view of their patients’ clinical history, helping identify and close care gaps while supporting the industry's shift towards value-based care 
• Inform medication therapy management and other processes intended to help ensure appropriate, affordable and safe care 
• Exchange data with public health agencies, helping manage public health emergencies in a more efficient and collaborative manner

Initially, the Common Agreement will require health information exchange among QHINs for the purposes of: 

• Treatment includes the provision, coordination or management of healthcare by one or more healthcare providers. It also includes the coordination or management of healthcare by a third-party provider, a consultation between providers treating a common patient, or the referral of a patient from one provider to another. 
• Individual (patient) access services allow patients to receive a copy of their electronic health records and give them the ability to direct a copy of their records to another provider or entity authorized by the individual.  

In the future, health information exchange by QHINs will also include the purposes of: 

• Payment includes the activities that healthcare organizations use to obtain payment or reimbursement for healthcare services, including health plans acquiring premiums to satisfy their coverage responsibilities. 
• Healthcare operations include administrative, financial, legal and quality improvement functions that a covered entity needs to run its business and support treatment and payment activities. 
• Public health refers to any request, use, disclosure, or response authorized under HIPAA regulations or other applicable laws regulating public health activities. 
• Benefits determination helps federal or state government agencies decide whether a person is eligible for federal or state benefits for any reason other than healthcare. 

Possibly. Currently, some organizations struggle to respond to various requests in accordance with the information blocking rule. These organizations could potentially meet certain parts of their obligations by making the data available to a QHIN, which is required to make the health information available to requestors in compliance with TEFCA’s standards.  

However, TEFCA participation alone does not provide a formal exception to information blocking or create a safe harbor.