ONC Nationwide Trusted Exchange

EP3 Foundation Comments on Draft Trusted Exchange Framework

EMPOWER ALL PATIENTS

HIV DATA

MENTAL HEALTH DATA

ADOLESCENT DATA

SUBSTANCE USE DATA

EP3 FOUNDATION fully aligns with ONC’s TEFCA goals to empower all patients with the capacity to gather, use and share their health information with the providers and individuals with whom they choose.

Patient-centered care requires that patients and their providers access the information needed to ensure their safety and well being. We believe all patients need to access and use their health information.

Some health information requires extra privacy and confidentiality protections, such as mental health, substance use, reproductive health and HIV testing and treatments.

More than 42 million American adults suffer anxiety.

10.2 million adults have co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders.

26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with a serious mental illness.

Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings every year

Systems unequipped to provide the identity, consent, and confidentiality requirements leave these vulnerable patients without the capacity to coordinate their care.

Additionally, in some states, like California, 12 years olds have the legal right to receive confidential behavioral health services. Unless the adolescent provides specific permission, mental health, substance use, and reproductive health information cannot be shared with other providers or even their parents.

1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness.

One-half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14; three-quarters by the age of 24.

Providing these patients with integrated or whole person care requires trust frameworks to accommodate granular permission and confidentiality sharing agreements.

Nearly 1 in 25 (10 million) adults in America live with a serious mental illness

This document cites statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health.

TEFCA GOALS

NATIONWIDE INTEROPERABILITY

PATIENT ACCESS

Patients must be able to access their health information electronically without any special effort.

POPULATION-LEVEL DATA EXCHANGE

Population-level Data Exchange Providers and payer organizations accountable for managing benefits can receive population-level health information allowing them to analyze population health trends, outcomes, and costs; identify at-risk populations and track progress on quality improvements initiatives.

OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE APIs

The health information technology (health IT) community should have open and accessible application programming interfaces (APIs) to encourage entrepreneurial, user-focused innovation to make health information more accessible and to improve electronic health record (EHR) usability.

ONC's Trusted Exchange Framework aims to create a technical and governance infrastructure that connects Health Information Networks together through a core of Qualified Health Information Networks.