Pushing Forward Healthcare Interoperability Efforts by The Sequoia Project in 2025

New guidelines for health care privacy and consent, extending data sharing to new types of organizations, ensuring the clinical usability of data, and just lots and lots of growth—these are on the agenda of The Sequoia Project in the upcoming year. In this video, CEO Mariann Yeager concisely explains in this interview their recent achievements, how they work with the ONC and other stakeholders on TEFCA and QHINs, and some of their upcoming plans.

TEFCA: Ramping Up a National Framework for Trusted Exchange

Yeager has been CEO of The Sequoia Project since it began in 2012. It is Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy’s (ASTP – Formerly ONC) recognized coordinating entity (RCE) to implement the government’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), which went live a year ago. While they have gotten a lot of attention for being the TEFCA RCE, The Sequoia Project has almost a dozen healthcare interoperability projects they are working on.

No doubt there’s been some confusion on The Sequoia Project’s role in TEFCA vs ASTP’s, so we wanted to learn more about what the RCE can and can’t do. Yeager explained the division of labor on TEFCA between ASTP and The Sequoia Project. ASTP defines the regulations and procedures around them, such as handling appeals. Sequoia, under the guidance of ASTP finalizes the “building blocks” of the implementation—such as contracts, common agreements, and technical frameworks—and works closely on implementation with stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

Yeager describes the growth of TEFCA as “exponential,” pointing out that it rose from 1 million records in July to 3 million in October. On July 1, TEFCA expanded to support public health, and there are standard operating procedures now for health care operations. Yeager attributes their TEFCA success to setting a “high bar” for performance, resilience, integrity, and security, along with focusing on short-term, incremental goals that are achievable.

Beyond TEFCA: Knocking Down Remaining Barriers To Exchange

Beyond their TEFCA leadership, The Sequoia Project is uniquely positioned to tackle the remaining challenges to seamless and secure health information sharing. Each year, its members prioritize the remaining barriers and pain points to exchange, then the non-profit convenes experts to solve these issues within their Interoperability Matters workgroups. For example, privacy and consent have been hot topics in the world of healthcare interoperability with new regulations popping-up across the country. The Sequoia Project workgroup is assembling the leading industry and government experts to solve these complexities. At the 2024 Annual Meeting in December, the membership supported the formation of a new TEFCA Community of Practice, also under the Interoperability Matters.

The non-profit goes beyond data exchange to improve the practical usability of data with a workgroup led by clinicians. This workgroup regularly updates an implementation guide that features opportunities that can be implemented within an 18-month timeframe. This pragmatic approach to moving the market is a hallmark of The Sequoia Project’s approach to real-world solutions to health IT interoperability.

The Data Usability Workgroup is further supported by the Data Usability Taking Root Movement, co-sponsored by AHIMA. An ever-growing number of organizations are joining the movement by pledging to implement the workgroup’s guide. Once pledged, they received additional support and resources to help them succeed, in exchange for reporting their progress to improve data.

They have also started working on interoperability with pharmacies, where health care is increasingly being provided, as the industry continues to expand the types of participants in health information exchange in pursuit of integrated, whole person care. The Sequoia Project also “channels the voices of consumers” through a workgroup that currently has 50 participants, which is developing toolkits to educate and empower consumers and their data.

Watch the video for more details about how they are trying to harmonize the laws on privacy and consent, handle segmented data for granular data sharing, and broaden discussion of TEFCA and healthcare interoperability.

Learn more about The Sequoia Project: https://sequoiaproject.org/

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube.

Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.

The Sequoia Project is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene.

New guidelines for health care privacy and consent, extending data sharing to new types of organizations, ensuring the clinical usability of data, and just lots and lots of growth—these are on the agenda of The Sequoia Project in the upcoming year. In this video, CEO Mariann Yeager concisely explains in this interview their recent achievements, how they work with the ONC and other stakeholders on TEFCA and QHINs, and some of their upcoming plans.

TEFCA: Ramping Up a National Framework for Trusted Exchange

Yeager has been CEO of The Sequoia Project since it began in 2012. It is Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy’s (ASTP – Formerly ONC) recognized coordinating entity (RCE) to implement the government’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), which went live a year ago. While they have gotten a lot of attention for being the TEFCA RCE, The Sequoia Project has almost a dozen healthcare interoperability projects they are working on.

No doubt there’s been some confusion on The Sequoia Project’s role in TEFCA vs ASTP’s, so we wanted to learn more about what the RCE can and can’t do. Yeager explained the division of labor on TEFCA between ASTP and The Sequoia Project. ASTP defines the regulations and procedures around them, such as handling appeals. Sequoia, under the guidance of ASTP finalizes the “building blocks” of the implementation—such as contracts, common agreements, and technical frameworks—and works closely on implementation with stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

Yeager describes the growth of TEFCA as “exponential,” pointing out that it rose from 1 million records in July to 3 million in October. On July 1, TEFCA expanded to support public health, and there are standard operating procedures now for health care operations. Yeager attributes their TEFCA success to setting a “high bar” for performance, resilience, integrity, and security, along with focusing on short-term, incremental goals that are achievable.

Beyond TEFCA: Knocking Down Remaining Barriers To Exchange

Beyond their TEFCA leadership, The Sequoia Project is uniquely positioned to tackle the remaining challenges to seamless and secure health information sharing. Each year, its members prioritize the remaining barriers and pain points to exchange, then the non-profit convenes experts to solve these issues within their Interoperability Matters workgroups. For example, privacy and consent have been hot topics in the world of healthcare interoperability with new regulations popping-up across the country. The Sequoia Project workgroup is assembling the leading industry and government experts to solve these complexities. At the 2024 Annual Meeting in December, the membership supported the formation of a new TEFCA Community of Practice, also under the Interoperability Matters.

The non-profit goes beyond data exchange to improve the practical usability of data with a workgroup led by clinicians. This workgroup regularly updates an implementation guide that features opportunities that can be implemented within an 18-month timeframe. This pragmatic approach to moving the market is a hallmark of The Sequoia Project’s approach to real-world solutions to health IT interoperability.

The Data Usability Workgroup is further supported by the Data Usability Taking Root Movement, co-sponsored by AHIMA. An ever-growing number of organizations are joining the movement by pledging to implement the workgroup’s guide. Once pledged, they received additional support and resources to help them succeed, in exchange for reporting their progress to improve data.

They have also started working on interoperability with pharmacies, where health care is increasingly being provided, as the industry continues to expand the types of participants in health information exchange in pursuit of integrated, whole person care. The Sequoia Project also “channels the voices of consumers” through a workgroup that currently has 50 participants, which is developing toolkits to educate and empower consumers and their data.

Watch the video for more details about how they are trying to harmonize the laws on privacy and consent, handle segmented data for granular data sharing, and broaden discussion of TEFCA and healthcare interoperability.

Learn more about The Sequoia Project: https://sequoiaproject.org/

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube.

Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.

The Sequoia Project is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene.