Data Sharing—From Possible To Mandatory

Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that a nationwide health data exchange was operational, providing secure transmission of consumer data across providers, hospitals, health plans, and public health agencies (see ONC Launches National Health Information Exchange Network and HHS Marks Major Milestone For Nationwide Health Data Exchange). Five Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) began exchanging data on December 12 under the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA)—a set of common rules for data exchange required by the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016. (For more on TEFCA, see . . .