A sign of the same name outside Epic’s headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin.
Source: Yiem, via Wikipedia CC
Healthcare software giant Epic Systems, whose technology is used by thousands of hospitals and clinics across the country, said Friday it plans to move all of its customers to a new government-backed medical records exchange platform by the end of next year.
Epic is one of the organizations helping the federal government establish the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) to provide a legal and technical framework for securely sharing patient information.
TEFCA launches in December, Epic explain The company’s current goal is to have “the full Epic community” online by the end of 2025.
Sending medical records between different hospitals, clinics and medical facilities is complex. Information is stored in multiple formats and across dozens of different vendors, making it difficult for doctors and other providers to access all relevant patient data. Epic holds the records of more than 280 million individuals in the United States, although patients often have records from multiple providers.
There are also significant barriers to accessing sensitive information due to privacy protections surrounding patient data. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that requires patient consent or knowledge for third-party access.
Several companies and organizations have been formed to try to streamline the exchange of health care information, but TEFCA’s purpose is to help bring all the different players together. Due to Epic’s outsized influence and its 45-year history in the market, the company’s commitment to TEFCA is likely to bolster the exchange’s credibility.
In addition to Epic’s announcement, there is also an interoperability network called Carequality, also It said on Friday it was working to align with TEFCA. Carequality includes Epic membership.
To join Carequality, organizations must be vetted and must agree to adhere to the clear “permitted purposes” of exchanging patient records. For example, the permitted purpose of “treatment” means that the doctor or hospital requesting the data is providing care to the patient in question.
Carequality found itself embroiled in controversy earlier this year after Epic said some online participants were requesting records for reasons that were not therapeutic. Carequality said Friday it was revising its policy to align with TEFCA’s definition of treatment, which could help prevent such conflicts in the future.
“Carequality supports and encourages all appropriate and safe exchange of health information, participated in the development of TEFCA to this end, and actively supports those participating in TEFCA or seeking to migrate to TEFCA,” Carequality said in a blog post on Friday.
Epic said it applauds Carequality’s decision to align with TEFCA and use the same treatment definitions. The company will continue to help customers facilitate communication through Carequality during their transition to TEFCA, the statement said.
Epic said Carequality currently connects more than 70% of hospitals, more than 50,000 clinics and more than 600,000 care providers.
“TEFCA represents the best opportunity to take the remaining 30 percent of U.S. hospitals off the sidelines and strengthen trust between data exchange networks and care organizations,” Epic said.
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