DirectTrust Extends TEFCA Support with The Sequoia Project

Collaboration to deploy Public Key Infrastructure for TEFCA Facilitated FHIR; govern accredited Certificate Authorities to serve QHINs under TEFCA

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / September 19, 2024 / DirectTrust®, a non-profit healthcare industry alliance focused on furthering trust in healthcare data exchange through standards, accreditation, and other services, today announced a strategic agreement with The Sequoia Project®, the Recognized Coordinating Entity® (RCE™) for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™). DirectTrust will deploy Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) that will support TEFCA Facilitated Health Level Seven (HL7®) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) as well as govern DirectTrust accredited Certificate Authorities (CAs) to serve the Qualified Health Information Networks™ (QHINs™) under TEFCA.

"We are thrilled to contract with The Sequoia Project in deploying this critical infrastructure," said Scott Stuewe, President and CEO of DirectTrust. "Our experience in secure healthcare communications, including certificate issuance for TEFCA query-based exchange, uniquely positions us to support the widespread adoption of TEFCA Facilitated FHIR. This initiative will not only enhance the security and trustworthiness of health information exchange but will also drive interoperability across the healthcare ecosystem."

"This agreement with DirectTrust is a key milestone in our efforts to implement TEFCA and foster a more connected healthcare system," added Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project and RCE lead. "By leveraging DirectTrust's expertise in PKI, we are ensuring that the TEFCA framework is built on a foundation of security and trust, which are essential for the success of nationwide interoperability."

TEFCA and Facilitated FHIR

TEFCA is a federal initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary of Technology Policy (formerly Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) designed to create a standardized and scalable framework for nationwide health information exchange. The framework is intended to ensure that healthcare data can be securely, appropriately, and efficiently shared across diverse systems, fostering interoperability and improving patient care.

Facilitated FHIR under TEFCA refers to the use of the FHIR standard and QHIN services to facilitate communication directly between the participants and subparticipants at one QHIN with those at other QHINs as an alternative to the way query exchange is enabled today in QHINs through data broker gateways. Facilitated FHIR will use Public Key Infrastructure to enable exchange to scale more seamlessly to the tens of thousands of FHIR servers which are expected to operate in TEFCA for business-to-business and individual-to-business use cases. This enables the efficient sharing of patient data across different healthcare platforms, enhancing the ability to deliver timely and accurate care.

About DirectTrust®
DirectTrust®️ is a non-profit, vendor-neutral alliance dedicated to establishing trust in a connected world. The organization serves as a forum for a consensus-driven community focused on health communication and cybersecurity, an ANSI standards development organization, an accreditation and certification body governed by EHNAC, and a developer of technical trust frameworks and supportive services for secure information exchange like Direct Secure Messaging and identity-verified credentials.

The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote, and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain privacy, security, and trust for stakeholders across and beyond healthcare. In addition, DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information while promoting quality service, innovation, cooperation, and open competition in healthcare. To learn more, visit: DirectTrust.org.

About The Sequoia Project

The Sequoia Project is a non-profit, 501c3, public-private collaborative chartered to advance implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The Sequoia Project focuses on solving real-world interoperability challenges and brings together public and private stakeholders in forums, such as the Interoperability Matters cooperative, to overcome barriers. The Sequoia Project is the Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE) for the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (formerly Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT)'s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). In this role, The Sequoia Project developed and will implement and maintain TEFCA's Common Agreement component and operationalize the Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) designation and monitoring process.

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Press contact information:
Tom Testa
Anderson Interactive
tom@andersoni.com

SOURCE: DirectTrust