Data sharing is critical in every facet of government, from the intelligence community to social services to infrastructure management. The management and response to the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the significant need for enhanced data sharing capabilities across government organizations to enable faster, more well-informed decision-making. With that experience as a catalyst, the healthcare community is doubling down on efforts to ensure data — whether it is clinical, research, or statistical — is able to be more openly shared across organizational boundaries.
Trusted Agreements for Nationwide Healthcare
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) published the Trusted Exchange Framework, Common Agreement (TFCA) with the goal of establishing “a universal floor for interoperability across the country.” This agreement creates the infrastructure model and governing approach for users in different networks to securely share basic clinical information with each other.
The use case for this effort is supporting patients no matter where they receive care. If you are on vacation in a different state and get hurt, you want the ER there to have quick and accurate access to your health records held by your doctor at home. Additionally, this common framework promotes equity in care, ensuring that people in rural or other underserved areas can have their records easily accessed when they travel to larger cities for treatment.
TFCA has been in development for years, but the rapid digitization of health records and health services has accelerated its viability. Beyond care providers, TFCA also aims to tie in payers to smooth the data exchange required to have health claims accepted and paid out by insurers.
Blocking Information Blocking
Of course, with health information, privacy and security are of paramount importance, but protecting the patient should not mean blocking all access. Information blocking is defined as “a practice that interferes with, prevents, or materially discourages access, exchange, or use of electronic health information.”
In practice, information blocking has meant electronic health records (EHR) vendors prohibiting hospital clients from using certain vendors to access or use health information. It also covers imposing unnecessary licensing terms, fees, training, or waiting periods to prevent access to health records.
As of September 1, 2023, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has the authority to investigate reports of information blocking across certified health IT developers, companies that resell certified health IT, health information networks, and health information exchanges (HIEs). Those doing the reporting are frequently patients looking to gain more control over their health data.
Allowing Consumers to Own Their Data
Citizens are becoming more protective of their data and have begun taking more ownership over their health. With the rise of telehealth services, consumers now have more options than ever to seek health advice and treatment. This move beyond the traditional doctor’s office walls will further drive the need for data sharing and interoperability. In fact, it may be this patient demand that has a bigger impact than any government mandate.
Of course, the need for and challenges of data interoperability extend far beyond healthcare organizations. Government agencies looking to streamline citizen service and improve customer experience can learn from the work to date in healthcare and gain actionable insights for securely and efficiently transferring data across organizational boundaries.
As the founder of GovEvents and GovWhitePapers, Kerry is on a mission to help businesses interact with, evolve, and serve the government. With 25+ years of experience in the information technology and government industries, Kerry drives the overall strategy and oversees operations for both companies. She has also served in executive marketing roles at a number of government IT providers.
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