Surescripts HIE network receives TEFCA QHIN designation

Surescripts Health Information Network LLC, a subsidiary of health IT vendor Surescripts, has been designated as a TEFCA Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) by the Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE), The Sequoia Project, Inc.

Surescripts has supported health information exchange (HIE) through the Surescripts Network Alliance for more than two decades. Now, Surescripts Network Alliance participants – health IT vendors, health plans, health systems and pharmacies -- can connect to Surescripts Health Information Network to participate in national HIE through TEFCA.

“We are thrilled that Surescripts Health Information Network has achieved QHIN designation and appreciate the ongoing support of the RCE, The Sequoia Project and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP), in achieving this pivotal milestone,” Tara Dragert, chief product officer of Surescripts and president of  Surescripts Health Information Network, said in a press release.

“As a QHIN, Surescripts Health Information Network will leverage the industry-leading reliability, support, and deep partnership that our parent company, Surescripts, is known for,” she said.

Participation in Surescripts’ HIE network has grown steadily in recent years, with a 10% increase in patient data from 2022 to 2023. Overall, the network supported almost 24 billion exchanges of patient clinical and benefit information in 2023, connecting 2.14 million providers and organizations.

“This QHIN designation underscores our purpose -- advancing clinical intelligence sharing and amplifying our ability to collaborate and improve healthcare at a greater scale,” said Frank Harvey, CEO of Surescripts. “Together, we’re going places in healthcare as we tackle our shared challenges -- and simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing takes us there.”

Surescripts joins eight other designated QHINs participating in TEFCA:

• CommonWell Health Alliance
• eHealth Exchange
• eClinicalWorks
• Epic Nexus
• Health Gorilla
• Konza
• Kno2
• MedAllies

“The QHIN designation process is intentionally rigorous to ensure a high bar for the nation’s health information sharing infrastructure,” said Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project and RCE lead. “We’re thrilled to announce Surescripts Health Information Network as our latest QHIN and look forward to expanding TEFCA connectivity.”

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