September 25, 2025
National framework expands secure interoperability across U.S. EHR systems
OCHIN has reached another milestone in its longstanding commitment to interoperability and data security by going live on the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) through its OCHIN Epic platform.
TEFCA is a national initiative designed to simplify health data sharing by providing a single access point to connect health information networks across the country. This is especially valuable in rural and medically underserved communities, where patients often face barriers to accessing care and achieving good health and well-being.
With this advancement, OCHIN Epic members can now seamlessly exchange clinical summary documents to improve care coordination with other TEFCA participants—including providers using non-Epic platforms—through Epic’s Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN), Epic Nexus. This secure connection enables OCHIN Epic providers to share patient information with a broader care network, enhancing clinical quality and supporting operational and financial wellness.
“The ability for providers to exchange information with their patients’ clinicians on other electronic health record platforms isn’t just helpful for coordinating care and improving workflows—it can measurably improve the health of rural and medically underserved communities by giving providers the complete information they need to make real-time, data-driven decisions on patients facing greater medical complexity,” said Zareen Razzaque, director of interoperability at OCHIN.
In addition to facing greater medical complexity, people in rural and medically underserved communities often experience higher rates of chronic illness compared with those in more affluent areas. Within the OCHIN network, 46% of patients are living with at least one chronic condition and 29% of patients screened have at least one identified social need. People in these communities, particularly medically underserved urban areas, also tend to relocate more often, making it especially important that their records are securely accessible across systems and locations.
OCHIN Epic’s TEFCA integration will also help ensure that OCHIN network patients can access their medical records through the Individual Access Services (IAS) program. For example, if a patient relocates and has medical records in different parts of the country, an IAS-enabled app connected to the TEFCA framework can securely retrieve those records and present them in a single, unified view for the patient.
TEFCA is a public-private collaboration established under the 21st Century Cures Act, a federal law enacted in 2016 to accelerate health care innovation and expand access. When TEFCA went live in 2023, OCHIN was part of a large cohort of Epic-using health systems that pledged to join the framework—leading by example and reinforcing our commitment to keeping providers in rural and medically underserved communities at the forefront of technology innovation.
All TEFCA participants undergo a rigorous vetting process to ensure they meet strict criteria for security, data standards, and privacy. In addition to providing a unified on-ramp with technical standards for sharing patient health information, TEFCA also has the potential to reduce regulatory reporting burdens and streamline public health efforts by minimizing administrative tasks.
OCHIN’s TEFCA implementation builds on our longstanding commitment to interoperability, having exchanged more than 640 million clinical summaries through OCHIN Epic since 2010. To learn more about OCHIN’s interoperable knowledge solutions, which have received top honors from Epic for eight consecutive years, visit our website.
