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Summary
Many healthcare providers have become certified in
Meaningful Use in various stages improving some
types of data exchange. However, exported data
remains inconsistent in quality, format, and content.
Additionally, stringent federal and state laws make
sharing certain kinds of information impossible
unless one can verify, in near real-time, the identity,
roles, and permissions of the providers, patients, and
all recipients of highly protected information.
Real Life Scenario
An 18-year-old patient was released from nine days
of inpatient, psychiatric crisis care. Now, she must
coordinate services to address her eating disorder
and alcohol addiction within her parents’ health
insurance. This entails the daunting task of
identifying providers and programs taking new
patients. Sadly, no in-network providers were
available and the only residential substance use
program with an opening is out of state.
Unfortunately, she is unable to receive electronic
health information from her substance use and
mental health providers and share them with her
new private practice psychiatrist.
Her safety is at risk! She has no communication
vehicle to coordinate her other health care providers
able to write prescriptions, such as a dentist or
podiatrist. She and her doctors are unaware of
serious unintended drug interactions when
combined with her privacy-protected medication.
Top Data Dams
Some providers, mitigating stringent state and
federal privacy laws, seem confused about the
HIPAA Individual Right to Access. They provide
sensitive data only in paper form. But even if
providers want to share data, it is difficult to agree
on the identity of the patient and the process to
confirm matching, linking and confidentiality
requirements. Additionally, apps that allow patients
to populate their own information create data
quality problems. When and how can
patient-entered information be imported to
electronic health records? What are the
requirements to ensure quality data with
provenance for peer-reviewed studies, population
safety, and patient care? Significant data obstacles
are caused by the lack of rules about who to share
with, when and how to share including Levels of
Assurance for Identity and Authentication.
ENABLE PROVIDERS AND COMMUNITIES
GOAL 2
● Improve patient and provider safety
● Increase efficiency
● Gather and aggregate comprehensive data from many sources
● Provide a common method authenticating trusted health information networks participants
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program Resolution
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program requires participants to produce evidence that they
meet HIPAA Privacy and Security requirements including enhanced standards to verifying roles
and identity, patient linking, permissions, sharing and authentication.
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EP3Foundation.org/tnap