Interoperability in healthcare
Interoperability in healthcare refers to how information systems, devices, and applications access, exchange and cooperatively use data. Learn how seamless information flow among various healthcare organizations improves the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
Top Stories
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19 Nov 2024
Digital Health Most Wired: Health IT budgets doubled in 2024
The 2024 Digital Health Most Wired survey revealed significant increases in health IT budgets, adoption of patient engagement tools and a stronger emphasis on cybersecurity. Continue Reading
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24 Oct 2024
Healthcare provider tips to avoid information blocking
Enforcement of the information blocking rule is underway, with a final rule from HHS and CMS outlining significant penalties for healthcare providers. Continue Reading
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05 Apr 2023
Contexture HIE Upgrades to Unified Platform for Improved EHR Interoperability
The unified Contexture HIE platform will provide participants greater EHR interoperability and faster, more reliable data exchange between healthcare providers. Continue Reading
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04 Apr 2023
Nebraska HIE Expands PDMP Use for Public Health Surveillance
Nebraska used its PDMP technology to help address challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding HIE capabilities. Continue Reading
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31 Mar 2023
MEDITECH Partnership Focuses on Health Equity Data Collaboration
MEDITECH’s data collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics aims to grow health equity data and provide hospitals nationwide with clinical and SDOH data and grant funding opportunities. Continue Reading
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30 Mar 2023
Why a Data Exchange Platform Is Vital to Healthcare Interoperability
Despite high adoption rates of health IT, there is still a clear disconnect in how health data is shared between organizations, making clear the need for a data integration platform. Continue Reading
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27 Mar 2023
EHR Vendor NextGen Launches Cloud-Based Healthcare Interoperability Tool
The cloud-based tool from EHR vendor NextGen aims to resolve healthcare interoperability challenges, such as high costs to maintain interfaces. Continue Reading
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27 Mar 2023
Oklahoma Moves Forward With Statewide Health Information Exchange Rules
Oklahoma Senate Bill 1369 mandates that all healthcare providers participate in the statewide health information exchange by July 1, 2023. Continue Reading
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23 Mar 2023
KLAS Names Epic, NextGen Top EHR Vendors for Interoperability
Epic deep adopters reported the most interoperability with in-home patient monitoring technology compared to other top EHR vendors, KLAS found. Continue Reading
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23 Mar 2023
Epic EHR Integration Looks to Streamline Genetic Testing Access
The Epic EHR integration will allow providers to access genetic testing information within their clinical workflows to support precision medicine. Continue Reading
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22 Mar 2023
OH HIE Partnership Focuses on Interoperability, Care Coordination
The Health Collaborative (THC) and Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP) have joined forces to enhance interoperability and care coordination, reflecting the growing trend of HIE consolidation. Continue Reading
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16 Mar 2023
Surescripts Unveils Latest Health Data Exchange, Interoperability Gains
Surescripts facilitated 21 billion secure health data exchange transactions in 2022, marking a significant milestone toward interoperability Continue Reading
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15 Mar 2023
CodeX Grows Steering Committee To Advance HL7 FHIR Interoperability
The five new CodeX Steering Committee members will help guide standards development for HL7 FHIR use cases, like genomic data interoperability. Continue Reading
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13 Mar 2023
CommonWell Health Alliance Adds EHR Vendor to Health Data Exchange
Customers of EHR vendor MEDHOST can now access and share records through the CommonWell health data exchange network of 34,000 clinical sites. Continue Reading
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08 Mar 2023
DirectTrust to Enhance Data Exchange Directory Through AWS Initiative
AWS support will advance DirectTrust’s Directory Improvement Initiative, which aims to deliver a more accurate directory for health data exchange. Continue Reading
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07 Mar 2023
Regenstrief Releases LOINC Updates to Support Health Data Exchange
Regenstrief added concepts to facilitate health data exchange for the monkeypox virus and COVID-19 evaluation methods in LOINC version 2.74. Continue Reading
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07 Mar 2023
Maryland HIE Expands Medicaid Redetermination Notification Project
The HIE notification project provides healthcare organizations with a secure report of patients facing Medicaid redetermination within the next 90 days. Continue Reading
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06 Mar 2023
ONC Outlines Health IT Interoperability Progress in Report to Congress
Health IT interoperability has grown significantly in the past decade, with 96 percent of hospitals using ONC-certified EHRs in 2021 compared to 28 percent in 2011. Continue Reading
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04 Mar 2023
Key Piece to Today’s Interoperability Puzzle: Cloud Fax
Digital cloud fax technology can fill an important interoperability need in the here and now. Continue Reading
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03 Mar 2023
3 Key Pieces to the Interoperability Puzzle: #3 Query-Based Exchange + Directed Exchange
Combining query-based and directed exchange gives clinical users a powerful tool to advance information sharing and improve patient care. Continue Reading
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01 Mar 2023
3 Key Pieces to the Interoperability Puzzle: #1 Query Based Exchange
Query-based exchange plays a key role in the sharing of patient information between healthcare organizations. Continue Reading
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28 Feb 2023
ONC, CMS Partner on Proposed Rules for HIE Interoperability
In December 2022, CMS proposed two rules that aim to align data standards across payers and healthcare providers to streamline HIE interoperability. Continue Reading
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27 Feb 2023
Memorial Healthcare System Taps Virtual Care Epic EHR Integration
The KeyCare Epic EHR integration expands patient access to virtual care providers, allowing Memorial Healthcare to widen its digital front doors. Continue Reading
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23 Feb 2023
The Sequoia Project Adds DoD, EHR Vendor Officials to Board
Representatives from Stanford Medicine Health Care, AHIMA, DoD, and EHR vendor OneRecord will bring fresh perspectives to The Sequoia Project board of directors. Continue Reading
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23 Feb 2023
ONC Toolkit Outlines Foundational Elements of SDOH Information Exchange
SDOH information exchange requires the alignment of hardware, software, data, processes, and standards, ONC officials emphasized. Continue Reading
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22 Feb 2023
DirectTrust Reports Over 72M Monthly Direct Secure Messages in 2022
The increasing number of direct secure messages sent and received via DirectTrust suggests a growing preference for direct secure messaging over faxing in the healthcare industry. Continue Reading
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21 Feb 2023
UCSF Looks to EHR Integration of Dental Records for Patient-Centered Care
An EHR integration at UCSF that merges medical and dental records is set to enhance patient-centered care delivery and foster innovation. Continue Reading
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13 Feb 2023
95% of Certified Health IT Developers Met ONC Cures Act Deadline
The ONC Cures Act Final Rule mandated certified health IT developers to provide FHIR-based APIs for providers and patients by December 31, 2022. Continue Reading
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08 Feb 2023
How An HIE Approaches Continuous Patient Data Quality Improvement
An HIE in Tennessee has tapped an AI-based platform to reduce duplicate patient EHRs as part of its patient data quality improvement efforts. Continue Reading
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01 Feb 2023
HealtheLINK HIE Reports Uptick in Health Data Exchange in 2022
In 2022, the HealtheLINK HIE delivered more than 1.1 million clinical results monthly, a 16 percent increase in health data exchange over 2021. Continue Reading
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31 Jan 2023
PCP Use of Community HIE Cuts Likelihood of Hospital Reutilization
While PCP use of community HIE lowered the chances of hospital reutilization, clinicians only looked up three percent of patients recently released from the hospital. Continue Reading
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30 Jan 2023
HIA Calls on Congress for Healthcare Interoperability, ePA Legislation
HIA called for policy to support healthcare interoperability through a standards-based, real-time approach to electronic prior authorization (ePA). Continue Reading
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24 Jan 2023
Regenstrief Institute Framework Addresses Patient Matching Accuracy
The eight-pronged framework will work as a ‘measuring stick,’ providing consistent guidelines to assess the accuracy of patient matching algorithms. Continue Reading
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24 Jan 2023
How EHR Integrations Can Tailor Patient Outreach for Value-Based Care
EHR integrations can help healthcare organizations conduct patient outreach to support value-based care delivery and improve population health. Continue Reading
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23 Jan 2023
Lack of Interoperability Exacerbates Staffing Shortages, Clinician Burnout
Provider organizations noted poor interoperability as the most common problem they need help addressing, as it worsens clinician burnout and staffing shortages. Continue Reading
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20 Jan 2023
MO Set to Launch Statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
The enactment of this program will make Missouri the 50th to integrate prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) data into the EHR. Continue Reading
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19 Jan 2023
Interoperability, Data Quality Leads the Way as Top Exec Priorities
Healthcare systems and hospital executives are focusing on interoperability initiatives as they seek to improve data quality and information sharing challenges in 2023. Continue Reading
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18 Jan 2023
DirectTrust Releases TNAP Version 2.0 Criteria for TEFCA Participants
The DirectTrust TNAP-Participant accreditation program demonstrates stakeholder compliance with TEFCA Participant requirements. Continue Reading
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17 Jan 2023
COVID-19 Sparks Health IT Market Growth in Telehealth EHR Integrations
Telehealth EHR integrations were twice as likely to contain specialized capabilities for COVID-19 response compared to all apps listed in EHR app galleries. Continue Reading
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17 Jan 2023
ONC Releases Draft US Core Data for Interoperability Version 4
ONC encourages the public to submit comments on the Draft United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) v4 until April 17. Continue Reading
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12 Jan 2023
Physicians in ACOs More Likely to Use HIE to Share Patient Data
While ACO participation is associated with higher HIE use, some physicians in emerging care models face barriers to data exchange, including a lack of connectivity. Continue Reading
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11 Jan 2023
ONC Releases 2023 Interoperability Standards Advisory Reference Edition
The 2023 ONC Interoperability Standards Advisory Reference Edition includes a new Human and Social Services subsection. Continue Reading
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05 Jan 2023
DirectTrust and Health Data Standards Org EHNAC Announce Completion of Merger
The EHNAC Commission will oversee health data standard accreditation-specific matters, and The DirectTrust Board of Directors will continue as is. Continue Reading
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04 Jan 2023
California HIE Earns NCQA Validated Data Stream Designation for Third Year
As an NCQA Validated Data Stream, California’s statewide health information exchange (HIE) helps reduce the burden of HEDIS reporting for payers. Continue Reading
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27 Dec 2022
What Are HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability (FHIR) Accelerators?
HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability (FHIR) accelerators aim to advance health data exchange for various use cases, like genomic data sharing. Continue Reading
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15 Dec 2022
The Sequoia Project Publishes Health Data Usability Implementation Guide
The data usability resource from The Sequoia Project covers topics like health data integrity, the effective use of codes, and data searchability. Continue Reading
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15 Dec 2022
FAST Releases Implementation Guides for HL7 FHIR Health Data Exchange
The FAST implementation guides cover data security and intermediary health data exchange topics within the HL7 FHIR environment. Continue Reading
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13 Dec 2022
eHealth Exchange HIE Reaches 1.35 Billion Health Data Requests Per Month
eHealth Exchange officials originally intended the health data exchange hub to support a million transactions per day, but now the HIE processes 33 million requests daily. Continue Reading
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09 Dec 2022
Epic Launches Website for Health IT Vendors to Report Interoperability
The site will be open to all health IT vendors, not just Epic App Market participants, to expedite vendors’ ability to demonstrate interoperability. Continue Reading
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08 Dec 2022
HL7 Calls on NCVHS to Designate FHIR as Clinical Attachments Data Standard
HL7 officials outlined how the FHIR data standard can support HIPAA-mandated prior authorization and clinical attachments workflows. Continue Reading
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08 Dec 2022
Bulk FHIR Could Boost Access to Immunization Data for Population Health
An open-source population health database tool that uses the Bulk FHIR protocol could synchronize the data in its system with the state immunization system for community-based efforts. Continue Reading
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02 Dec 2022
NextGen Healthcare Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire TSI Healthcare
NextGen Healthcare will work to expand specialty care services as a result of acquiring health IT vendor TSI Healthcare. Continue Reading
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01 Dec 2022
CMS Publishes RFI for National Healthcare Provider Directory Data Hub
According to a CAQH estimate, transitioning healthcare provider directory data to a single platform could save the healthcare system $1.1 billion annually. Continue Reading
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30 Nov 2022
CalHHS Launches Portal for State’s First Health Data Sharing Agreement
The data sharing agreement is the first step in the CalHHS Data Exchange Framework, which seeks to promote health equity through enhanced interoperability. Continue Reading
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23 Nov 2022
Pew Focuses Health IT Efforts on Public Health Data Sharing
After working to support policies for enhanced health IT use, Pew is looking to improve data sharing between providers and state public health agencies. Continue Reading
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22 Nov 2022
100+ Healthcare Organizations Join Texas HIE Network for Care Coordination
An HIE partnership has brought together healthcare organizations across Texas to share patient health data through a single platform for care coordination. Continue Reading
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18 Nov 2022
DirectTrust, EHNAC Merge to Advance Health Data Exchange Accreditation
The merger will help healthcare organizations better navigate the privacy and security hurdles that afflict health data exchange, an EHNAC official said. Continue Reading
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17 Nov 2022
MI HIE Hosts Community of Practice to Advance Social Care Data Interoperability
The Michigan HIE has convened eight social care platform vendors, including WellSky and Findhelp, to collaborate on social care data interoperability efforts. Continue Reading
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09 Nov 2022
WEDI Calls on HHS to Delay No Surprises Act Data Exchange Requirements
WEDI said that HHS should employ a glidepath approach to the No Surprises Act data exchange requirements until the industry has adopted data standards to support GFEs. Continue Reading
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01 Nov 2022
ONC Pilots Guide to Further SDOH Interoperability, Standards
The affinity group will define the exchange of SDOH data using the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard to support SDOH interoperability supported by ONC USCDI version 2. Continue Reading
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27 Oct 2022
CMS IPPS Policies Set to Advance Public Health Data Exchange
The CMS 2023 IPPS final rule requires antimicrobial use and resistance (AUR) data exchange to help advance public health reporting. Continue Reading
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13 Oct 2022
How AZ Drives Health Equity for American Indian Populations Through HIE
The initiative aims to drive health equity by incentivizing IHS facilities to participate in the HIE with a 2.5 percent increase over the standard Medicaid reimbursement rate. Continue Reading
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12 Oct 2022
Training, Interoperability Key for Electronic Health Information Sharing
Many organizations reported that training across and within departments, as well as with patients, was a priority for electronic health information sharing. Continue Reading
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11 Oct 2022
The Sequoia Project Seeks Feedback on Draft TEFCA FHIR Implementation Guide
The Sequoia Project has published a draft facilitated FHIR implementation guide, which includes proposed technical and process requirements for TEFCA data exchange. Continue Reading
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11 Oct 2022
MEDITECH Expands Collaborative Environments for Health IT Development
Health IT developers will have access to a collaborative environment that supports SMART on FHIR apps as part of the MEDITECH Greenfield Workspace. Continue Reading
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28 Sep 2022
Maryland Designates CRISP HIE as State Health Data Utility
The operation of the CRISP HIE as a health data utility is set to improve some of the state’s leading public health priorities, such as prescription drug monitoring. Continue Reading
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22 Sep 2022
The Sequoia Project Issues Final Set of Information Blocking Resources
The Sequoia Project has put together five resources to support stakeholders as they navigate the information blocking rules issued by ONC. Continue Reading
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19 Sep 2022
Collaboration Needed for Race, Ethnicity Data Collection, Exchange
Stakeholders should agree on race, ethnicity, and language data collection and validation approaches to advance data-driven health equity efforts. Continue Reading
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19 Sep 2022
Advancing Interoperability to Support Informed Healthcare
Achieving seamless interoperability depends on the healthcare industry’s ability to overcome obstacles such as lack of data standardization and integrity. Continue Reading
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13 Sep 2022
CalHHS Data Exchange Framework Set to Boost Interoperability
By January 31, 2023, hospitals, physician practices, and certain other entities are required to sign an agreement governing participation in the CalHHS Data Exchange Framework. Continue Reading
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08 Sep 2022
Regenstrief Secures CDC Grant for Long COVID-19 Research Using HIE Data
Researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University will leverage data from the Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC) HIE to develop a comprehensive, population-based surveillance system for long COVID-19. Continue Reading
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07 Sep 2022
HIE Participation Supports Data Exchange for 64% of Shared Patients
Researchers noted that national HIE initiatives, such as TEFCA, could help close data exchange gaps. Continue Reading
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02 Sep 2022
Surescripts Facilitates Health Data Exchange for About 20% of Americans
Surescripts enabled health data exchange for 622 million clinical documents during the first six months of 2022, an increase of 76 percent over 2021. Continue Reading
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31 Aug 2022
ONC, HRSA Partner on Uniform Data System Interoperability Initiative
ONC and HRSA are working on establishing a USCDI+ dataset to advance the interoperability of HRSA’s Uniform Data System (UDS) and improve access to health data. Continue Reading
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29 Aug 2022
Combatting the Opioid Crisis Through PDMP EHR Integrations
PDMP EHR integrations can address barriers to accessing PDMP data to inform clinical practice and improve opioid prescribing, ONC officials say. Continue Reading
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26 Aug 2022
Texas Community HIE Rebrands, Expands Offerings to Other States
A community health information exchange (HIE) based in Texas has renamed itself C3HIE based on the themes of “Connected, Collaborative, and Community.” Continue Reading
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25 Aug 2022
The Sequoia Project Selects HITRUST as TEFCA Security Certifying Body
QHINs must obtain the HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certification to comply with TEFCA security requirements. Continue Reading
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23 Aug 2022
Civitas Selects Tech Partner for National PCDH Interoperability Initiative
The continued growth of the PCDH initiative will further advance regional and nationwide interoperability progress, Civitas officials noted. Continue Reading
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22 Aug 2022
Idaho State-Designated Health Information Exchange Files for Bankruptcy
Health IT Vendor PointCare sued the health information exchange last month, claiming it stopped making payments on a two-year contract and still owed $85,350. Continue Reading
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19 Aug 2022
Data Exchange Challenges Impede Electronic Public Health Reporting
Over 70 percent of hospitals experienced at least one major challenge with electronic public health reporting, according to 2019 ONC data. Continue Reading
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17 Aug 2022
Yale Rheumatology Joins Qualified Clinical Data Registry
The qualified clinical data registry, Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE), contains a robust patient data source to help clinicians improve care quality and expand research opportunities. Continue Reading
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16 Aug 2022
HL7 Da Vinci Project Recognizes Health IT Experts as 'Community Champions'
The HL7 Da Vinci Project leadership created the Community Champions Program last year to celebrate stakeholders advancing interoperability across the industry. Continue Reading
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16 Aug 2022
NextGen Healthcare Announces Intent to Apply for TEFCA QHIN Role
Officials said that NextGen Healthcare's interoperability experience has primed the health IT vendor to become a TEFCA QHIN. Continue Reading
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10 Aug 2022
The Sequoia Project Releases Draft Information Blocking Resources
The Sequoia Project requests public feedback until August 19 on a set of resources that aim to help stakeholders comply with 21st Century Cures Rule information blocking requirements. Continue Reading
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09 Aug 2022
EHR Vendor Epic Systems: Applying as TEFCA QHIN a ‘Logical Next Step’
Epic is the first EHR vendor to announce its intention to participate in the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) as a QHIN. Continue Reading
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02 Aug 2022
HL7 Launches GenomeX Community to Enhance Genomic Data Interoperability
HL7 seeks members to help develop scalable FHIR-based use cases for genomic data interoperability to support personalized care delivery. Continue Reading
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02 Aug 2022
Carequality Interoperability Framework OKs Federal Participation
Allowing federal agencies to participate in the Carequality Interoperability Framework is expected to expand data exchange between the private sector and government agencies. Continue Reading
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25 Jul 2022
All of Us Research Program Issues RFI for EHR Data Collection from HIEs
HIEs could help broaden the availability of EHR data in the All of Us dataset without requiring additional action by participants. Continue Reading
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22 Jul 2022
Intermountain Partnership Automates EHR Data for Organ Donor Referrals
The new tool will use time-sensitive EHR data to automate organ donor referrals, enhancing coordination between hospitals and organ procurement organizations (OPOs). Continue Reading
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20 Jul 2022
The Sequoia Project Releases TEFCA Flow-Down Resource
New resources from The Sequoia Project outline TEFCA flow-down provisions and the kinds of entities that can be participants or subparticipants in TEFCA. Continue Reading
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14 Jul 2022
Alaska DOH Seeks Proposals for Statewide Health Information Exchange Services
With its HITECH Act funding ending, the Alaska DOH is looking for proposals for statewide health information exchange services to drive interoperability. Continue Reading
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13 Jul 2022
ACEP Taps Consultancy for Clinical Emergency Data Digital Platform
The partnership is set to advance care delivery through analytics by integrating clinical emergency data from over 1,000 hospitals into a digital platform. Continue Reading
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11 Jul 2022
The Sequoia Project Releases TEFCA Draft SOP for IAS Exchange Purpose
The Sequoia Project welcomes public feedback on a draft standard operating procedure (SOP) for the TEFCA IAS Exchange Purpose until July 29, 2022. Continue Reading
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08 Jul 2022
Epic EHR Integration to Improve Molecular Testing Access
The EHR integration will let oncologists order Caris Life Sciences’ entire testing portfolio directly within Epic, improving molecular testing access for patients. Continue Reading
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05 Jul 2022
Improved SDOH Data Collection, Interoperability Needed for Health Equity
Panelists at an ONC Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) hearing emphasized the need for standardized SDOH data collection and closed-loop referral processes to inform health equity efforts. Continue Reading
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01 Jul 2022
How a Unified EHR Implementation Can Boost Interoperability, Efficiencies
An EHR implementation at a New Hampshire community hospital is set to enhance interoperability and the patient experience. Continue Reading
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30 Jun 2022
Greater Collaboration Needed for Digital Health, Interoperability
As the digital health transformation progresses, an article from the National Academy of Medicine called for interoperability standards to go beyond EHRs. Continue Reading
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29 Jun 2022
Epic EHR Integration Expands Patient Access to Genetic Testing
Over 250 million providers that use Epic Systems will now be able to order an array of tests from Myriad through this EHR integration, increasing patient access to genetic testing. Continue Reading
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27 Jun 2022
FAST Becomes an HL7 FHIR Accelerator, Enhancing FHIR Scalability
As a new HL7 FHIR Accelerator, FAST will be able to continue its scalability work and develop infrastructural standards to support FHIR implementations. Continue Reading
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22 Jun 2022
New England HIE Collaboration Enables Regional Interoperability
The HIE collaboration between Maine’s HealthInfoNet, The Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI), and Vermont’s VITL aims to boost regional interoperability for better care coordination. Continue Reading
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22 Jun 2022
How FHIR APIs Can Support Genomic Data Sharing for Research, Patient Care
As part of ONC’s Sync for Genes program, two healthcare organizations demonstrated how HL7 FHIR APIs can facilitate genomic data sharing. Continue Reading
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20 Jun 2022
EHR Vendor Epic Announces Plan to Join TEFCA Interoperability Network
The EHR vendor will apply to join the TEFCA interoperability network as an inaugural Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN). Continue Reading