Bryan Health Joins Trusted Exchange Framework to Improve Healthcare Nationwide
Bryan Health’s participation in TEFCA, a federal initiative, will help ensure that Nebraska patients’ health records follow them wherever they receive care
Bryan Health is participating in the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), a federal initiative designed to strengthen secure health information sharing across the country.
By participating in TEFCA, Bryan Health is helping ensure that its patients, wherever they might go, receive high-quality, personalized care. Information sharing is especially important in rural environments, where someone might receive care at a local clinic that’s hours away from the nearest specialists or hospitals.
“TEFCA is an important milestone in our work to make healthcare a more connected experience for our patients,” said Bridgett Ojeda, chief information officer, Bryan Health. “Patients and their care teams need seamless access to health information in life’s most critical moments, and at Bryan Health, we’re committed to making that possible. We look forward to seeing more healthcare providers in Nebraska and across the country participate in TEFCA.”
Bryan Health serves nearly 300,000 patients across every county in Nebraska. Each year, thousands of those patients receive care from other organizations for reasons like specialty referrals, travel and relocation. When providers can access complete patient histories at the point of care, it supports faster and safer decision-making, helps avoid redundant testing and reduces the risk of adverse events. For example, Epic research shows that access to outside records in the emergency department is associated with a 34-63 percent lower likelihood of a code blue event. Successful information saves lives.
“At Bryan Health, we put the patient at the center of all we do, and TEFCA allows us to take the bold step toward a more connected, patient-centered healthcare system,” said Jennifer Jacoby, IT application manager, Bryan Health. “Participating in TEFCA is our commitment to patient safety and higher-quality care, as this integration ensures clinicians have the right data at the right time, reducing delays and providing better outcomes for our patients.”
Bryan Health’s participation in TEFCA is powered by Epic, Bryan Health’s electronic health record for nearly a decade. Bryan Health first began using Epic to exchange patient records in 2018, and has since completed more than 28.3 million record exchanges on behalf of its patients. By participating in TEFCA, both Bryan Health and Epic are working to ensure that more patients benefit from safe, secure health information sharing. To date, 272 health systems, representing 1,800 hospitals and 40,000 clinics, use Epic to participate in TEFCA.
“It’s terrific to see Bryan Health embrace the effort to modernize health information exchange,” said Rob Klootwyk, director of interoperability, Epic. “At the end of the day, this work is about making people’s lives better, not just in Nebraska, but nationwide. We will continue to champion this effort around the country.”
TEFCA’s effect on information sharing at Bryan Health has had a tremendous impact:
- Prior to TEFCA, Bryan Health had roughly 1,500 trading partners; since joining TEFCA this fall, Bryan Health has already added nearly 700 more partners
- Prior to TEFCA, Bryan Health exchanged more than 600,000 records each month; now, that average is north of 800,000 records
About Bryan Health
Bryan Health is a Nebraska governed, nonprofit health system that serves patients throughout Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri-comprised of Bryan Medical Center, Crete Area Medical Center, Merrick Medical Center, Grand Island Regional Medical Center, Kearney Regional Medical Center, Bryan Physician Network, Bryan Heart, Bryan Foundation, Bryan Health Connect, and Bryan Enterprises.
Premiere services include cardiology, neuroscience, orthopedics, vascular, Level II trauma center, emergency departments, intensive care, women’s and children’s health, Level III NICU, imaging, mental health and inpatient rehabilitation.
Bryan’s award-winning network of doctors, hospitals and medical providers offer effective care, introduce leading-edge treatments and serve rural communities through outreach clinics, mobile services and telemedicine care. To learn more, visit bryanhealth.org.
