IHS First Federal Agency to Join TEFCA

The Indian Health Services (IHS) has selected eHealth Exchange as its Designated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN), making it the first Federal agency to join the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).

TEFCA was formed in 2022 under the 21st Century Cures Act and went live one year ago. It operates in the United States as a nationwide framework for health information sharing. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) released the latest version of TEFCA in October.

“IHS is showing leadership in its decision to join TEFCA,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy, National Coordinator for Health IT, and acting Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Micky Tripathi.

“I’ve been working with other federal agencies to stress the importance and value of participating in TEFCA – for them, and more importantly, for the American people,” Tripathi said. “I applaud IHS for being the first federal partner to join TEFCA, and I look forward to seeing others following their lead.”

IHS has been working with eHealth Exchange since 2011 when the network was originally formed.

“eHealth Exchange has been our national network of choice for over a decade. As we contemplated our participation in TEFCA, eHealth Exchange was a logical choice for Indian Health Service,” said Mitch Thornbrough, chief information officer at IHS. “While we work through tribal consent requirements, we wanted to ensure technical readiness for TEFCA exchange with the private sector, public health, and regional and state health information exchanges.”

IHS – an agency within HHS – is responsible for providing Federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. IHS provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 574 federally recognized tribes in 37 states. IHS is comprised of 45 hospitals – including 19 critical access hospitals – 59 health centers, and 32 health stations.

“As IHS looks to advance its data modernization efforts, we’re thrilled that it continues to trust eHealth Exchange as its network of choice – most recently by joining TEFCA via eHealth Exchange’s Designated QHIN,” said Jay Nakashima, president of eHealth Exchange. “As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited about the opportunity to expand TEFCA connectivity to even more federal agencies. eHealth Exchange continues to be the principal way agencies exchange clinical data with the private sector.”