Press Releases

EHNAC Announces Finalized 2022 Accreditation Criteria Versions for All Accreditation Programs
January 5, 2022
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, today announced the release of new criteria versions for its 20 accreditation programs for use, starting January 1, 2022.

TEFCA Will be Live in 2022
July 13, 2021
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, today announced that it has posted new versions of program criteria for its 20 Today, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and The Sequoia Project announced the timeline for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). The 21st Century Cures Act, signed by President Obama in 2016, calls on ONC to “develop or support a trusted exchange framework, including a common agreement among health information networks nationally.”

EHNAC Releases New 2022 Accreditation Criteria Versions for Public Review through November 29
September 27, 2021
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, today announced that it has posted new versions of program criteria for its 20 accreditation programs for public review. The open process for adopting criteria will commence on September 27, 2021 and end on November 29, 2021.

EHNAC CEO Addresses Where Healthcare Industry Stands on the Interoperability Front as a Final TEFCA Rule Approaches
December 14, 2021
Bringing true interoperability to the electronic patient record will be a game-changer for patients, providers, payers, other stakeholders and for the industry.

Lee Barrett of EHNAC Elected to The Sequoia Project Board of Directors
January 13, 2021
As the healthcare industry works toward total interoperable data exchange, the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) continues to play a key role with the recent election of Lee Barrett, CEO and Executive Director of EHNAC, to The Sequoia Project Board of Directors.

EHNAC Announces Finalized 2021 Accreditation Criteria Versions for All Accreditation Programs
January 4, 2021
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, today announced the release of new criteria versions for its 20 accreditation programs for use, starting January 1, 2021.

EHNAC Releases New 2021 Accreditation Criteria Versions for Public Review through Dec. 3
October 6, 2020
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, announced today that it has posted new versions of program criteria for its 21 accreditation programs for public review. The open process for adopting criteria will commence on Oct. 6, 2020 and end on Dec. 3, 2020.

EHNAC’s Executive Director Comments on Finalization of Health and Human Services Rules on Interoperability and Data Blocking Regulations
March 9, 2020
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the finalization of two rules on Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program as mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act.

EHNAC Announces Finalized 2020 Accreditation Criteria Versions for All Accreditation Programs
January 9, 2020
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, announced today the release of new criteria versions for all 18 of its accreditation programs for use starting January 1, 2020.

EHNAC Releases New 2020 Accreditation Criteria Versions for Public Review through Dec. 31
November 1, 2019
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, announced today that it has posted new versions of program criteria of its 18 accreditation programs for public review. The open process for adopting criteria will commence on Nov. 1, 2019 and end on Dec. 31, 2019.

TNAP Announces Finalized Criteria for Inaugural Accreditation Program
October 1, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) healthcare collaborative today announced the release of final criteria, TNAP v1.0, for its accreditation program. The criteria, finalized after a 60-day public comment period and beta testing process, and developed leveraging a multi-stakeholder, consensus-based process, will assess an health exchange organization’s ability to demonstrate alignment with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC’s) Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) requirements.

TNAP Steering Committee Congratulates The Sequoia Project on Being Named RCE
September 5, 2019
“The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) Steering Committee congratulates The Sequoia Project and their partners on being named by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as the Recognized Coordinated Entity (RCE). The TNAP Collaborative has been working since early 2018 to create a program to ensure that entities conducting health information exchange meet a minimum level of privacy and security. The appointment of the RCE confirms that ONC is moving forward in its efforts to achieve nationwide connectivity and meet the requirement of the 21stCentury Cures Act of 2016. Assuring stakeholder trust in the security of the exchange process, however, will be a critical factor for success of this initiative. The purpose of the TNAP Accreditation program is to offer a pathway for exchange participants to establish that they can be trusted with important and sensitive information from a technical and policy perspective. TNAP looks forward to working directly with the RCE to facilitate efficient and effective implementation of nationwide interoperable healthcare.”

Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) Announces
Participating Beta Organizations Ahead of Finalizing Program Criteria
August 20, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) collaborative today named six healthcare organizations, selected by the TNAP Steering Committee Beta Workgroup, who are serving as beta candidates and initial testing sites for its draft accreditation program.

Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) Releases Accreditation Criteria for Public Review
July 18, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) healthcare collaborative today announced a 60-day public comment and review period of the draft criteria for its accreditation program.

The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) Collaborative Survey Finds Concern Over Privacy and Security Key Barrier to Interoperability
June 26, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) collaborative, established to directly align with the development of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), today announced the results of a healthcare industry stakeholder survey.

WEDI Offers Public Comments on Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement Draft 2
June 19, 2019
WEDI, the nation’s leading nonprofit authority on the use of health IT to create efficiencies in healthcare information exchange and a statutory advisor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced the submission of recommendations to Don Rucker, M.D., National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) pertaining to the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) Draft 2.

EHNAC’s Executive Director Offers Comment on ONC Draft 2 of the Trusted Exchange Framework
April 24, 2019
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), issued draft 2 of the Trusted Exchange Framework as well as a public comment period through June 17, 2019.

HHS Announces Next Steps in Advancing Interoperability of Health Information
April 19, 2019
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today issued for public comment draft 2 of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) that will support the full, network-to-network exchange of health information nationally. HHS also released a notice of funding opportunity to engage a non-profit, industry-based organization that will advance nationwide interoperability.

EHNAC Announces Development of New Trusted Network Accreditation Program
May 15, 2018
Accreditation program to align with 21st Century Cures Act, leverage existing frameworks and best practices while supporting blockchain, GDPR, cloud, and other underlying enabling technologies.

EHNAC’s Executive Director Provides Comment on ONC Draft of Trusted Exchange Framework
January 9, 2018
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), issued its draft Trusted Exchange Framework.
Coverage

EHNAC, HITRUST Partner to Strengthen TNAP Health Data Security
March 22, 2022
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) and HITRUST have announced a partnership to strengthen the health data security framework of the Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP).

EHNAC, HITRUST Partner to Promote Security, Privacy Standards
March 21, 2022
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) and HITRUST announced a partnership to enhance security and privacy requirements under the Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP).

The future of ONC’s interoperability framework hinges on adoption. But the agency — and industry — is optimistic
January 21, 2022
Earlier this month, EHNAC, a non-profit standards The government can’t require anyone to adopt TEFCA, raising concerns it won’t see enough voluntary uptake to create the coast-to-coast interoperability network envisaged by ONC.

ONC touts dawn of new era of interoperability with TEFCA
January 20, 2022
Release of the final framework for the plan to facilitate health information exchange sets timeline as well as a roadmap for achieving easier data accessibility.

FHIR to play crucial role in long-term TEFCA strategy
January 20, 2022
While the coding standard is still moving along a path to maturity, industry expects it to be fully ready when timeline specifies its use.

PODCAST: Lee Barrett Discusses New Criteria Versions for Organization’s 20 Accreditation Programs
January 19, 2022
Earlier this month, EHNAC, a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, announced the release of new criteria versions for its 20 accreditation programs for use.

EHNAC Updates Interoperability Criteria, Health IT Standards
January 5, 2022
EHNAC, a health IT data standards accreditation organization, has released updated criteria for its programs to support new interoperability regulations.

The key to interoperability: safe, secure access to patient health data
July 27, 2021
Patient data needs to be free and aggregated in a single location, when needed, but that is nearly impossible in today’s siloed healthcare environment where information blocking is rampant. Often times electronic health record (EHR) system A doesn’t speak with radiology software B. Many transitions of care are still transmitted by fax. Mounds of paper documents are piling up. And legacy software systems don’t interact with current technology, leaving large gaps in a patient’s health record.

Privacy and security considerations emerge as HHS fuels interoperability push
July 27, 2021
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation
Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, today announced that it has The Department of Health and Human Services Office for the National Coordinator recently announced that the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) will go live in 2022. The new nationwide framework is being designed to fuel and support interoperability in the health care sector, a key HHS initiative.

EHNAC Releases New 2022 Accreditation Criteria Versions for TPAs and others – Public Review
through November 29
October 4, 2021
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation
Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, today announced that it has posted new versions of program criteria for its 20 accreditation programs for public review. The open process for adopting criteria will commence on September 27, 2021 and end on November 29, 2021.

Interoperability expected to make major advances in 2022
December 16, 2021
Progress on interoperability has been a slog for the healthcare industry, but pressure has been steadily growing to make progress on information exchange.

The Continuing Quest for Interoperability in 2022
December 10, 2021
Progress on interoperability has been a slog for 2022 will be the year for Interoperability as it will be key to both progression and success in the year and years ahead. As interoperability is adopted throughout the industry, it will become a reality for all healthcare stakeholders as barriers around assuring patient access to data are addressed and the need for EHR data to be available in seconds for diagnosis, treatment and care management across the healthcare continuum is met.

Are We At the End of the Healthcare Interoperability Tunnel?
January 25, 2021
In a recent message I got from EHNAC, they had this great image at the start of their email…

Will 2021 See Health Data Interoperability?
December 17, 2020
2021 will be a year where we see continued advancement across several fronts impacting the health IT landscape. For one, interoperability will continue to dominate HIT as ONC implements several of their delayed rules on information blocking while CMS looks to implement its interoperability rule.

Nine Ladies of Health IT Look to 2020
December 22, 2019
It is day nine of our 12 Days of Christmas Posts and we rounded up these 9 ladies in health IT. The debate still continues if 2019 is the “Year of the Woman”. The fight continues for equal pay and equal access. The dialogue continues on #metoo and respect in the work place. But there is no denying these women are at the top of their game and we wanted to hear what they have to say about what we can expect in 2020. From digital health and telemedicine to interoperability and healthcare payments, here is what they are predicting about the new year.

Healthcare IT security is only as good as the weakest link
December 19, 2019
Last fall’s breach of the federal Affordable Care Act healthcare signup portal serves as a wakeup call that no data is safe. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services detected anomalous activity in an enrollment pathway used by agents and brokers, affecting the files of 75,000 individuals.

8 Policy Changes to Expect in 2020
December 4, 2019
With an election year just about upon us, there are a number of changes coming from the current administration that are going to impact the managed care industry in 2020. Changes in allowable benefits, home health, hospice carve-ins, and new CPT codes for remote home monitoring are just a sample of these.
Lee Barrett, executive director and CEO of Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission, the nonprofit standards development and healthcare accreditation company, says to the extent to which managed care companies manage drugs, as well as other healthcare service delivery, the current focus on bringing drug costs under control is relevant.

Finding the Right Balance for Your Organization: The Difference between Base HIPAA Compliance and Cybersecurity Best Practices
November 19, 2019
When organizations are making decisions about implementing privacy and security controls, whether in preparation for EHNAC Accreditation, HITRUST, other certifications, or simply HIPAA/HITECH compliance, the area of cybersecurity best practices can cause confusion.

EHNAC Posts 2020 Health Data Exchange Accreditation Criteria
November 4, 2019
The Electronic Healthcare Networks Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit accrediting body for health data exchange organizations, has posted new versions of program criteria for its 18 accreditation programs for public review.

EHNAC lays out HIT industry practices criteria for 2020
November 4, 2019
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission has released draft criteria for its 18 accreditation programs in 2020.
EHNAC accredits a range of industry stakeholders for meeting best business practices that include data exchange, privacy and security protections and other metrics.

TNAP Announces Finalized Criteria for Inaugural Accreditation Program
October 18, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) healthcare collaborative announced the release of final criteria, TNAP v1.0, for its accreditation program.

Trusted Network Accreditation Program Names Six Beta Testers
August 21, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP), has named six healthcare organizations to serve as beta candidates and initial testing sites for its draft accreditation program. TNAP will provide third-party accreditation for healthcare exchange entities such as qualified health information networks (QHINs), participants, health information exchanges, accountable care organizations, data registries, participant members and other stakeholders.

TNAP Collaborative Survey Finds Concern Over Privacy and Security Key Barrier to Interoperability
July 1, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) collaborative, developed to promote interoperability by assuring the security and privacy of trusted networks, announced the results of a healthcare industry stakeholder survey. The feedback generated from the survey will help guide the development of a transparent, inclusive and open process as the collaborative continues to develop a program that aligns with TEFCA draft provisions recently released by the federal government.

Interoperability Slowed by Concerns Around Privacy and Security
June 28, 2019
The majority of healthcare leadership supports the ONC push to fuel data sharing, but most view privacy and security concerns as the biggest barriers to true interoperability, a TNAP survey finds.
The Electronic Health Network Accreditation Commission established TNAP one year ago in partnership with WEDI, eHealth Initiative, eP3 Foundation, and SAFE-BioPharma Association. EHNAC provides accreditation to organizations that meet the standards for electronic data sharing.

Survey: Privacy and security are barriers to Interoperability
June 27, 2019
A recent survey finds that privacy and security concerns continue to hamper the increasing interoperability of healthcare systems.
The research, based on a survey from the Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP), found that survey respondents overwhelming indicate that improving the electronic movement of health information will improve patient care, notes Lee Barrett, CEO at the Electronic Health Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), which accredits organizations for meeting best practices for electronic data exchange.

EHNAC’s Executive Director Offers Comment on ONC Draft 2 of the Trusted Exchange Framework
May 24, 2019
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), issued draft 2 of the Trusted Exchange Framework as well as a public comment period through June 17, 2019.

TNAP Collaborative Launches Survey to Identify Issues with the Interoperable Exchange of Healthcare Data
May 23, 2019
The Trusted Network Accreditation Program (TNAP) collaborative, developed to promote interoperability by assuring the security and privacy of trusted networks, announced the release of a five-question survey. The survey was designed to help gather input related to the interoperable exchange of healthcare data from industry stakeholders. This is especially important in light of the recent release of the second version of the Office for the National Coordinator’s Trusted Exchange Framework draft.

5 industry groups form initiative to aid interoperability
May 22, 2019
Five healthcare industry stakeholders have joined to establish a new Trusted Network Accreditation Program to boost health data interoperability.

HITECH Answers Feature Coverage: NOW on Demand – Listen to Experts on Security
March 4, 2019
In a recent HIMSS Highlight, Lee Barrett was spotlighted for a feature piece on privacy and security.

HIMSS19 Highlight with Lee Barrett
February 28, 2019
HIMSS19 in Orlando, FL, February 11-15. Roberta Mullin talks to Lee Barrett, Executive Director of EHNAC about why security is still a priority issue and their new consulting service currently rolling out.

Working with Third Parties to Decrease Risks: Q&A with Lee Barrett from EHNAC
July 25, 2018
Target. Delta Airlines. MyFitnessPal. MyHeritage. Applebees. Very different types of businesses, but they do have one thing in common. All were victims of a data breach that had its roots in a third-party vendor.

EHNAC TEFCA Accreditation Program to Promote Interoperability
July 19, 2018
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) recently collaborated with WEDI, eHI, eP3 Foundation, and several other healthcare organizations to establish a Trusted Exchange Accreditation Program (TEAP) to promote interoperability in a way that aligns with ONC’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).

Why You Need to Ensure Healthcare Data Privacy and Security
July 5, 2018
From artificial intelligence to the Internet of Things (IoT) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) protocols, healthcare continues to embrace emerging technologies. But during this effort to achieve better ease of use and seamless interoperability, these technologies bring with them data privacy and security concerns that keep many healthcare stakeholders awake at night.

Why You Need to Ensure Healthcare Data Privacy and Security
July 5, 2018
From artificial intelligence to the Internet of Things (IoT) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) protocols, healthcare continues to embrace emerging technologies. But during this effort to achieve better ease of use and seamless interoperability, these technologies bring with them data privacy and security concerns that keep many healthcare stakeholders awake at night.

EHNAC Announces Development of New Trusted Exchange Accreditation Program
May 22, 2018
Accreditation program to align with 21st Century Cures Act, leverage existing frameworks and best practices while supporting blockchain, GDPR, cloud, and other underlying enabling technologies

EHNAC Announces Development of New Trusted Exchange Accreditation Program
May 21, 2018
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, today announced a collaboration with WEDI, SAFE-BioPharma Association, LLC, eHI, and eP3 Foundation to establish a new Trusted Exchange Accreditation Program (TEAP).

EHNAC Developing Trusted Exchange Accreditation Program
May 19, 2018
To align with the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a nonprofit standards development organization and accrediting body, is working with other organizations to establish a new Trusted Exchange Accreditation Program (TEAP).

New program aims to ensure identities in exchanging health data
May 18, 2018
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission, which accredits industry stakeholders for meeting best business practices that include privacy and security protections, now is focusing on a new accreditation program to ensure identity verification and authentication of stakeholders conducting health information exchange, as well as supporting blockchain and cloud hosting services.

EHNAC featured in 15 leading initiatives working to boost HIT security
February 28, 2018
ONC’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) draft has so far been met with industry support, with organizations lauding ONC in working to strengthen trust and support for nationwide interoperability while also considering data security.
EHNAC was featured in Health Data Management’s Top 15 HIT security initiatives.

EHNAC helping to craft new digital policies
February 14, 2019
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission is one of several industry organizations working with federal agencies to build out digital capabilities for healthcare.

Data Security Cited in ONC Health Data Exchange Framework Praise
January 10, 2018
ONC’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) draft has so far been met with industry support, with organizations lauding ONC in working to strengthen trust and support for nationwide interoperability while also considering data security.

ONC Health Data Exchange Framework Enjoyed Support From Industry
January 9, 2018
The American Hospital Association (AHA), DirectTrust, and the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) have voiced support for ONC’s efforts to improve health data exchange via the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).

ONC releases draft Trusted Exchange Framework to aid interoperability
January 8, 2018
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT on Friday released a draft Trusted Exchange Framework to enable interoperability across disparate healthcare information networks nationally, as directed by the 21st Century Cures Act.