Electronic health data can unlock clinical insights to support better patient care when captured and aggregated in EHR systems. However, accessing and exchanging data in the fragmented US healthcare system remains challenging.
Across the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), we have implemented 3 foundational building blocks called for by the 2016 21st Century Cures Act to create a unified approach for secure, high-quality, and timely exchange of health data across the healthcare system.
First, the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) provides a minimum baseline for data elements that must be available in federally regulated health information technology systems such as certified EHRs.
Second, these data elements must be accessible using Health Level 7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), a secure, flexible, and open-industry standard for health data exchange.
Lastly, the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) provides a network to securely exchange health data across the country.
With these building blocks, healthcare data exchange is shifting away from inefficient customized approaches to a more streamlined and unified data flow.
On the roadmap to unified health data exchange, DHHS agencies are working on to continue developing the building blocks for different topics, to increase the adoption of the building blocks, and to overcome the remaining challenges like facilities that do not adopt certified health IT and data quality, completeness, and complexity.
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