Building Health Networks "From Scratch": The Post-TEFCA Landscape

The Evolution of Top-Down Networks

For years, nationwide health networks, from the NwHIN (which became eHealth Exchange) to CommonWell, Carequality, and TEFCA, have been planned, top-down, and governed. These frameworks were necessary to establish a baseline for exchange. 

As Mariann Yeager, CEO of the Sequoia Project, stated, "the TEFCA rails are there where it makes sense...", but they don't have to be used all the time.

The CMS Invitation to Innovate

We are now entering a new era where alternative network models are possible. CMS is pushing Aligned Networks, providing only the basic building blocks, like directories and authentication, and leaving the industry to "bake their networks from scratch," much like peer-to-peer file sharing networks in other industries.

This deregulated approach challenges the existing market. New networks could emerge quickly, leveraging pure FHIR-to-FHIR exchanges.

The Path Forward: A Mixed Model

Despite the excitement for pure FHIR and new networks, the industry remains grounded in reality. The expectation is a "mixed" model for the next 3-5 years, blending FHIR APIs with legacy IHE and brokered exchanges. While the shift to FHIR is happening, many FHIR APIs remain broken or limited.

This transitional period, marked by litigation and maturity, means organizations must navigate a complex, two-speed system.

How GetPatientRecords Helps

The future may bring fragmented, bespoke networks, but your business needs complete, unified data today. GetPatientRecords is prepared for this mixed model, utilizing both the TEFCA rails and the legacy IHE brokered exchanges. We handle the complexity of translating and aggregating data from every endpoint to deliver a unified patient record.

As the networks evolve, our platform ensures your access remains seamless, predictable, and specific to your quality and business needs.

Don't bet your strategy on a single network. Schedule a demo to see how we manage the complexity of today's "mixed" interoperability landscape.