TEFCA, authorized by the 21st Century Cures Act, aims to establish universal interoperability by creating a standardized, secure system for exchanging electronic health information across the U.S. Epic Nexus joined the federal framework in December 2023.
The framework aims to address a gap in healthcare interoperability. Prior to TEFCA, an estimated 30% of U.S. hospitals — many in rural or underserved communities — faced barriers in exchanging electronic health information. TEFCA’s universal “on-ramp” is designed to bridge this divide, according to a Dec. 16 news release.
“TEFCA helps MetroHealth and other health systems improve patient care nationwide by providing access to a larger breadth and depth of patient electronic health information,” said David Kaelber, MD, PhD, chief health informatics officer at Cleveland-based MetroHealth. “This fosters a more holistic understanding of patients’ needs and improves care coordination.”
Currently, 100% of U.S. health systems using Epic’s software are interoperable.