This is the second in a series of issue briefs highlighting data from the 2016 AHA Annual Survey Information Technology (IT) Supplement for community hospitals collected November 2016 – April 2017. This brief focuses on provider sharing and use of clinical data and barriers to effective use of shared information. Published March 2018.

Presentation slides and recording from 2/22/18 webinar.

The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) will be finalized at the end of 2018. Please join us to gain an understanding of key focus areas to ensure TEFCA compliance and gain a wider perspective and viewpoints from the healthcare community.

This informative webinar will begin with a brief introduction of TEFCA followed by a facilitated panel discussion. We will discuss the goals and complexity of TEFCA and invite an open conversation of associated risks, interdependencies with state and federal agencies, consent and consent management, impact on the opioid epidemic, and more.

Panelists include:
- Gerard Scheitlin, Global VP, Security, Risk and Assurance, Orion Health
- Kelly Thompson, CEO, Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC)
- ONC Representative invited

Enclosed are the comments of eHealth Initiative (eHI) on the ONC Draft Trusted Exchange Framework (TEF) and the U.S. Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI). eHI is in a unique position to comment and offer insight on this issue. Our viewpoints are broad and consensus-based. We are the only independent non-profit, multi-stakeholder coalition dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through the use of technology and health information. Moreover, eHI’s work and its membership have built needed coalitions and moved the health IT field forward at critical junctures.

On January 25, 2018, eHealth Initiative (eHI) held its annual Government Affairs Retreat at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. The gathering convened eHI members and policy experts to discuss the 2018 federal legislative and regulatory landscape. During this day long meeting, participants shared important, up-to-the-minute intelligence on healthcare priorities for Congress and the Administration; identified impactful federal policy and regulatory shifts; and developed policy priorities and action items for eHealth Initiative, and its members, for the upcoming year.

Over the years, the healthcare industry has moved from paper-based records to electronic records. While there have been significant investments in electronic health record (EHR) systems, the lack of interoperability between EHRs limits accuracy and efficiency when exchanging patient data across the continuum of care. In the current transition from fee-for-service models of reimbursement to value-based care, access to comprehensive patient information is increasingly important. In its quest for optimal patient outcomes, the healthcare industry is trying to improve the quality and availability of data and are using analytics as a catalyst to improve performance.
eHealth Initiative (eHI) interviewed nine executives from provider organizations and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) to gain insight on the current state of interoperability, population health, and their future potential. In November and December 2017, executives answered questions on the types of data they collected, how it is shared and analyzed, and the successes and challenges in using data analytics for population health management.

The healthcare industry is moving the needle forward on interoperability and population health management. Our webinar, Pulse on the Industry: Interoperability and Population Health Management, examines the results of eHealth Initiative’s interview-based research project on the topic.

The webinar features executives interviewed for the project. Join us as the Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN) and Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) delve into the biggest trends in interoperability and population health management:

• Challenges in the exchange of Continuity of Care Documents 
• Issues resulting from poor data quality
• Data being collected to support population health management and value-based care
• The role HIEs play in population health management

Speakers:
Morgan Honea, Chief Executive Officer, CORHIO 
Robert Denson, Chief Information Officer, CORHIO
Laura McCrary, Executive Director, KHIN
Heather Hallett, Vice President, Medicity

Presentation slides from Dr. John Glaser of Cerner, from eHI's Government Affairs Retreat held on 1/25/18.

Presentation slides from McDermott and Consulting and McDermott Will & Emery from eHI's Government Affairs Retreat held 1/25/18.