Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) is a unified interoperability network led by the U.S. government. By setting common policies, technical standards, and governance structures, TEFCA streamlines health information exchange while ensuring privacy, security, and patient consent protections.
TEFCA’s approach includes a Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) model, where designated QHINs serve as central hubs for exchanging data between participants.
TEFCA is built on lessons learned from a decade of data sharing on other clinical networks:
- eHealthExchange
- Carequality
- CommonWell
However, TEFCA expands data sharing on the network to a broader range of healthcare participants:
- healthcare providers
- payers
- public health agencies
- individuals
- researchers
In addition to broader participation, TEFCA also plans to evolve how data is shared. It expands from a document-based sharing approach to a more flexible adaptive FHIR®-based exchange.
As the network matures, TEFCA is expected to reduce administrative burdens, improve care coordination, enhance public health response capabilities, and empower patients with greater access to their health data.
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