Oracle Health applies for TEFCA QHIN designation

EHR vendor Oracle Health has formally submitted an application to become a TEFCA qualified health information network (QHIN).  

TEFCA aims to drive nationwide healthcare interoperability through a network of networks approach. The framework became operational in December 2023 with the federal designation of five initial QHINs. Since then, TEFCA has added three QHINs.

“If designated, becoming a QHIN will help us enable providers, public health officials, patients and payers to securely access data that can help improve care delivery, deliver insight into community health and accelerate authorizations and reimbursements,” Seema Verma, executive vice president and general manager of Oracle Health and Life Sciences, said in a press release.

“This builds on our long-standing leadership in driving interoperability to increase industry-wide efficiency and to help ensure patients retain control over their own data,” Verma added.

Officials noted that the network, built on Oracle cloud infrastructure, is also expected to make sharing health data faster and more efficient by reducing the need for extra technology layers that can complicate and slow down data sharing.

In addition, the press release indicated that Oracle Health is designing its network to support data types not typically available in other health information exchanges, including X-rays and MRIs.

Securely expanding the variety and volume of data available across the healthcare continuum is increasingly important to drive advanced AI features that can help inform clinical decision-making, optimize care plans and streamline payment processes, officials underscored.

If designated as a QHIN, Oracle Health customers will be able to share health information securely between providers, payers and government agencies through TEFCA.

Hannah Nelson has been covering news related to health information technology and health data interoperability since 2020.