The Sequoia Project, in its role as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC) Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE), has announced it will form a work group to inform the RCE’s efforts in developing the Common Agreement.
The Common Agreement will establish baseline technical and legal requirements for health information networks to be designated as Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) as part of the TEFCA (Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement) framework.
ONC was tasked to develop or support a trusted exchange framework as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. In September, the nonprofit Sequoia Project was awarded a cooperative agreement to serve as the RCE that will manage and oversee QHINs under TEFCA.
The RCE is now accepting Common Agreement Work Group (CAWG) applications through Feb. 28, 2020 from organizations that can demonstrate an ability to meet proposed expectations for QHINs and who have experience operating health information networks (HIN) at nationwide scale.
Importantly, selection for the work group does not guarantee designation as a QHIN. If selected, applicants can designate up to two organizations that participate in the applicant’s HIN to serve on the work group, according to officials at The Sequoia Project.
In advance of the launch of the CAWG, the RCE is hosting a series of four public webinars focused on specific Common Agreement provisions developed by the RCE, the Additional Required Terms and Conditions (ARTCs). The community feedback collected at these 90-minute public meetings will inform the work group’s efforts. The webinars will take place between mid-February and mid-March.
The draft Common Agreement will then be posted for public comment by ONC after the work group’s efforts conclude.
“We’re entering a critical phase of the Common Agreement development process, and we need input from organizations that will agree to participate in exchange activities under the purview of the Common Agreement. This will ensure the agreement is both practical and adopted with broad support,” Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project. “This work provides an opportunity for the health IT community to shape the future of interoperability through TEFCA. It’s essential we engage the implementation community and provide as many opportunities as possible for everyone to participate.”
The Sequoia Project originated in 2012 to advance healthcare interoperability, and is an organization that has managed the eHealth Exchange, which has become the largest health information network in the U.S. It also has supported the Carequality initiative.
