Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement(TEFCA) Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet
| About the TEFCA
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TEFCA is a rule published by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on 19th January 2022 as per the requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act (HealthIT.gov, 2023). It consists of the Trusted Exchange Framework (TEF) and the Common Agreement components, which will create the basic technical and
legal infrastructure for broadly sharing EHI across different health information networks (HINs). TEFCA was developed to improve the interoperability of healthcare network systems in the United States to allow access to patient electronic health information anywhere as needed, improving the efficiency of health information exchange (HIE) (Adler-Milstein et al., 2020). The TEFCA also aimed to support the nationwide scalability of electronic health records systems. |
| Impact of TEFCA on System Implementation
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The TEFCA will significantly impact system implementation as it seeks to ensure that implemented systems for the management of electronic health information will have enhanced interoperability, higher security and client privacy, accessibility, and usability. Therefore, all organizations and entities setting up electronic systems to manage health information must adhere to common legal and technical requirements when implementing such systems. |
| Impact of TEFCA on Clinical Care, Patient/Provider Interactions, and Workflow | The TEFCA will enhance the accessibility and security of EHI through improved interoperability and usability of implemented systems. The increased accessibility of EHI will significantly impact clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow. Evidence links electronic health records with interoperability to improved walkarounds and workflow (Zheng et al., 2020). Additionally, the accessibility of EHRs is a factor in improved collaboration among care providers as well as improved interactions between patients and physicians, improving healthcare outcomes (Vos et al., 2020). |
| Organizational Policies and Procedures that are/will Be in Place at the Healthcare Organization to Address the TEFCA
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Organizational policies and procedures set for TEFCA include;
· Planned upgrade of computing systems · Training employees on systems use and ensuring the safety and privacy of patient information · Checking system compatibility and upgrading, · Setting up protocols for system access and security. |
References
Adler-Milstein, J., Garg, A., & Patel, V. National Survey of Health Information Exchange Organizations: A Path Forward Under Tefca. In 2020 Virtual Annual Research Meeting. Academy Health.
HealthIT.gov. (2023). Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). https://www.healthit.gov/topic/interoperability/policy/trusted-exchange-framework-and-common-agreement-tefca
Vos, J. F. J., Boonstra, A., Kooistra, A., Seelen, M., & van Offenbeek, M. (2020). The influence of electronic health record use on collaboration among medical specialties. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12913-020-05542-6/TABLES/2