WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is increasing oversight of the nation’s health information exchange network after electronic record-sharing through TEFCA grew from 10 million to more than 1 billion records in less than a year.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is taking new steps to strengthen the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, the nationwide system designed to let patients and healthcare providers securely share electronic health information.
The department awarded a new contract to strengthen oversight of the network and verify that participating organizations follow required policies and procedures.
ONC is also conducting additional reviews of Qualified Health Information Networks and their participants to evaluate compliance with TEFCA’s rules and operating requirements.
The expansion comes as federal officials seek to improve patient access to medical records while policing information blocking, fraud and misuse of health data across a rapidly scaling network.
“Americans deserve secure, timely access to their health records,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated. He described access to personal health records as “a fundamental right.”
Chris Klomp, HHS chief counselor and director of the Center for Medicare, stated that the department is prepared to use regulatory and policy tools to address information blocking and protect patients’ access to their own health data.
“When critical health information is blocked or withheld, patients suffer the consequences,” Klomp stated.
National Coordinator for Health IT Thomas Keane stated that ONC will refer potentially civil or criminal conduct, including information blocking and fraud, to appropriate federal agencies for investigation.
Those agencies include the HHS Office for Civil Rights, HHS Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice.
The HHS Office for Civil Rights will continue enforcing HIPAA rules governing the confidentiality, security and accessibility of health information.
Paula M. Stannard, director of the Office for Civil Rights, stated that people who believe they have been denied access to their health information or that its security has been violated may file a complaint with OCR.
The increased oversight marks a shift from network expansion toward governance, enforcement and trust as TEFCA becomes a larger conduit for electronic health information across the U.S. healthcare system.
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