Special Notice / Hearing: None
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Colleen Chawla, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Rich Bailey, Chief Information Officer, San Mateo County Health
Subject: Agreement with Epic Nexus to Provide Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement Participation Services
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with Epic Nexus to provide participation services for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement network, within San Mateo County Health, in an amount not to exceed $207,000.
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BACKGROUND:
The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) network connects various Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) nationwide, enabling seamless, secure data sharing for purposes such as treatment, public health, and patient access. QHIN connections facilitate nationwide interoperability among participants, including hospitals, providers, and public health agencies.
Through TEFCA, San Mateo County Health (SMCH) can securely exchange health information with a broader range of providers, health systems, payers, and public health agencies. This enhanced interoperability reduces administrative barriers, decreases delays in accessing patient information, and supports more informed, timely clinical decision-making. As a result, SMCH patients and clients, especially those managing chronic conditions, seeking emergency care, or navigating transitions between care settings, benefit from safer, more cohesive, and more efficient care.
SMCH has centralized its Electronic Health Record (EHR) on the Epic platform. Epic's QHIN, Epic Nexus, is built for Epic databases and tailored to the Epic user community, making it the most seamless option for connecting SMCH's Epic database for the TEFCA framework. For this reason, SMCH obtained a waiver from the County's Request for Proposal (RFP) process to implement Epic Nexus' QHIN with minimal effort and no ...
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