The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) is collaborating closely with the broader health tech ecosystem to dramatically accelerate secure, nationwide health data exchange. Through expanded Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs), standardized APIs, real-world testing, and joint initiatives, the partnership is removing longstanding barriers to seamless information flow, enabling better care coordination, reduced administrative burden, and improved patient outcomes across the U.S. healthcare system.
Glimpse:
TEFCA’s growing network of QHINs now connects thousands of providers, payers, public health agencies, and health systems, with new tools for FHIR-based querying, patient-directed access, and real-time data sharing. Health tech companies are integrating TEFCA-compliant exchange into EHRs, apps, and analytics platforms, while joint pilots demonstrate faster transitions of care, fewer duplicate tests, and better population health insights. The ecosystem is focused on scaling adoption, refining governance, and addressing remaining challenges like consent management and rural connectivity.
The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), the national backbone for secure health information exchange under the 21st Century Cures Act, is deepening its collaboration with the health tech ecosystem to overcome persistent barriers and accelerate widespread adoption of interoperable data sharing. At HIMSS 2026 and subsequent industry forums, TEFCA leadership and major technology vendors highlighted how the framework’s Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) now numbering several major players are connecting thousands of hospitals, physician practices, health plans, pharmacies, labs, and public health departments in real time. This expanding network enables providers to query and retrieve comprehensive patient records across organizational boundaries without point-to-point interfaces or manual faxing.
The sessions highlighted a sharp increase in investigations and enforcement activity by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Several hospitals and large health systems have already faced civil monetary penalties for blocking patient access to records or charging excessive fees for data sharing, with more cases expected to be resolved publicly in 2026. HHS introduced new disincentives, including reductions in Medicare payments for eligible hospitals and clinicians that fail to meet information sharing requirements, set to take effect later this year. These measures aim to create stronger financial and reputational incentives for compliance while protecting patients’ rights to their health data.
Health tech companies have responded by embedding TEFCA-compliant exchange into core products: EHR vendors have activated FHIR APIs for patient-directed access and cross-network queries; analytics platforms now pull longitudinal data from multiple sources for population health insights; and telehealth and remote monitoring solutions are leveraging TEFCA to ensure continuity of records across care settings. Joint pilots with large health systems have shown measurable gains reduced hospital readmissions through better discharge summaries, fewer duplicate tests due to accessible prior imaging and labs, and faster prior authorization workflows when payers join the exchange. These successes are driving momentum, with more organizations actively onboarding to QHINs each month.
TEFCA’s governance body, The Sequoia Project, is working closely with ONC, CMS, and industry stakeholders to refine policies around consent management, data quality standards, and liability protections, while addressing remaining challenges such as rural connectivity gaps and varying adoption rates among smaller practices. New tools include simplified onboarding guides, free technical assistance for smaller providers, and public dashboards tracking exchange volume and coverage. The ecosystem is also collaborating on real-world evidence studies to quantify TEFCA’s impact on cost, quality, and equity, with early data suggesting billions in potential savings from reduced administrative waste and preventable complications.
The push reflects a shared recognition that true interoperability requires not just technical standards but active collaboration between government, payers, providers, and technology innovators. As TEFCA matures and adoption accelerates, the partnership is positioning the U.S. healthcare system closer to the long-standing goal of seamless, secure data flow that follows the patient ultimately enabling better care coordination, more informed decisions, and a shift toward value-based models that reward outcomes over volume.
“TEFCA is no longer a framework on paper it’s a living network that’s connecting real patients and providers every day. By working hand-in-hand with the health tech ecosystem, we’re turning the promise of interoperability into measurable progress for American healthcare.”
By
HB Team
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