CommonWell Health Alliance Announces Members, Platform Enhancements to Advance Interoperability with TEFCA-Ready Platform

CommonWell Health Alliance is thrilled to announce new members and platform enhancements following the successful launch of its new platform in collaboration with ELLKAY, a leader in healthcare data interoperability. As a Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN), these milestones mark significant advancements in CommonWell’s ongoing commitment to improving and increasing healthcare data sharing across the nation.

Athenahealth, ModuleMD, and Solace Health were among the first members to go-live on the new platform and within CommonWell’s  Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™) QHIN. CommonWell now connects 36,000 provider organizations to each other on the new TEFCA-capable platform.

“Our goal is to provide the most interoperable platform in healthcare and our longstanding partnership with CommonWell Health Alliance is integral to our success,” said Michael Palantoni, Vice President of Platform Services at athenahealth. “We’re excited to extend this relationship and connect to CommonWell’s QHIN so we can provide access to an expanded national network of data, with no additional cost or effort to our customers.”

Key Benefits of the New Platform:

1. Enhanced Interoperability: The new platform leverages ELLKAY’s cutting-edge technology to facilitate smoother and more reliable data exchange across various health information systems.
2. TEFCA™-Enabled: The platform is designed to be TEFCA enabled, ensuring compliance with national standards for health information exchange while extending connectivity to a broader network of healthcare providers, ensuring that more patients benefit from the seamless exchange of health information.
3. Modernized Data Security and Privacy: With state-of-the-art security measures, including HITRUST® certification, the platform ensures that patient data is always protected, complying with the highest industry standards.
4. Streamlined Workflows: The integration simplifies healthcare providers’ workflows, allowing for more efficient data management and improved patient care coordination.
5. Simplified Onboarding: Service Adopters, which are commonly health IT vendors wishing to connect their clients to the network, will find a simpler path to integrate and onboard to the network.

These benefits have been made possible through Commonwell’s commitment to delivering multiple platform updates and enhancements aligned to  TEFCA, including:

• New Platform Announced: As part of our dedication to enhancing healthcare interoperability, the development of the new TEFCA-enabled platform was officially announced.
• QHIN Designation: CommonWell Health Alliance was designated as a QHIN in February, a critical step in aligning with TEFCA.
• Launched Testing with Members: In March, CommonWell began testing the new platform with its members, ensuring that it meets the highest standards of reliability and efficiency.
• Enabled Carequality in New Platform: In April, Carequality access was enabled within the new platform.
• TEFCA Production Testing: By May, CommonWell had progressed to production testing under the TEFCA framework, further validating the platform’s readiness for widespread use.
• Enabled ModuleMD and Solace in TEFCA: In early June, ModuleMD and Solace Health were among the first members enabled on the platform within the TEFCA framework.
• New Platform Connected to Legacy for Continuity: In July, CommonWell connected the new platform to our legacy systems, ensuring seamless continuity for its members during the transition.
• Enabled athenahealth in TEFCA: By August, athenahealth was also successfully enabled on the platform within the TEFCA framework.

CommonWell’s TEFCA-enabled platform ensures seamless, secure, and efficient exchange of health information among providers, patients, and other healthcare stakeholders. This enhances its ability to provide comprehensive data exchange services and supports its mission to drive better clinical outcomes and patient experiences.

“The go-live of our new platform represents a significant leap forward in our efforts to enhance healthcare interoperability,” said Paul L. Wilder, Executive Director of CommonWell Health Alliance stated. “This empowers us to deliver on our promise of making critical health data accessible whenever and wherever it is needed. Plus, incorporating TEFCA services into the platform ensures that we are at the forefront of national health information exchange initiatives.”

CommonWell continues to grow, as they announced the addition of three new members just last month: AxiomEHR, Nightingale Technology, and RXTrail. As of today, the Alliance has more than 70 members, 36,000 provider organizations connected, and has exchanged over 7.7 billion health records with 238+ million unique individuals identified.