In a sign that health data exchange is advancing overall, the CommonWell Health Alliance has officially surpassed 200 million individuals – or 62 percent of all Americans – in its nationwide network.

“From a handful of providers in our first year to this significant number today, we’ve just kept working with our membership to grow sustainably nationwide,” said CommonWell Executive Director, Paul L Wilder, in this press release. “What we’ve spent all these years building makes us exceptionally ready to help TEFCA succeed.”

This milestone comes as CommonWell recognizes its 10-year anniversary and continues the onboarding process as a candidate Qualified Health Information Networks (QHIN).

“I commend CommonWell for reaching this impressive milestone,” said Micky Tripathi, Ph.D., National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. “We are grateful that CommonWell stepped forward to become a candidate to meet the rigorous TEFCA eligibility requirements, the terms and conditions of TEFCA participation, and for their commitment to a 12-month go-live timeline. We look forward to continuing to support all the QHIN candidates as they continue through the onboarding process to improve interoperability for providers and the patients they serve.”

In other health data exchange-related news, the Sequoia Project and the American AHIMA have created a new initiative that aims to increase the usefulness of health information for the healthcare workforce.

“Over three years, more than 260 health organizations worked together through The Sequoia Project to develop practical guidance to make health data more useful for healthcare providers, health IT vendors, public health, health information exchanges, and patients,” said Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project, in this press release.  “It’s time to put this guidance into action for the public good.”

The Data Usability Taking Root initiative will improve the usability of data received by end users within their workflows by making data more computable and actionable. Participants of the new initiative will choose their implementation pathways and paces, selecting topics most meaningful to their organizations.

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