A Big Thanks for Attending

This Year's Annual Meeting Was a Huge Success

We wanted to send out a big thank you to all individuals who attended and made this year’s joint Annual Meeting special. Also we’d like to reach out to all speakers and panelists who dedicated their time to provide wonderful presentations and professional insights. Be sure to review this year’s session recordings or download the presentation slides below. 

Meeting Sessions

Wednesday, November 15

Session
1

Welcome, Opening Remarks and Awards Presentation

The Sequoia Project’s CEO will open the meeting, sharing the latest developments and upcoming priorities for 2023. The Sequoia Project’s board chair will present awards to volunteers and staff for exceptional contributions.

Speakers
Mariann Yeager
CEO at the Sequoia Project
Dr. Michael Hodgkins
Board Chairman
Session
2

Keynote:

Perspectives from National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Dr. Micky Tripathi will share the journey of TEFCA development and implementation, and their vision as the first candidate QHINs move toward designation and go-live.

Dr. Micky Tripathi
ONC
Session
3

Public Health Data Strategies

Dr. Jennifer Layden, the Director for the new CDC’s Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, will share the unique perspectives and challenges to health information exchange for public health. Following a keynote highlighting the OPHDSTs public health data strategy, she will join other public health data experts for a fireside chat.

Panelist
Dr. Jennifer Layden
Featured Speaker
CDC
Debbie Condrey
Moderator
The Sequoia Project
LeAnne Lovett-Floom
Independent Consultant
Nora Cox
Texas e-Health Alliance
Session
4

QHINS Aren't Real (Yet)

Candidate QHINs are preparing to go-live by the end of the year, which is just 45 days away. Our panel of Candidate QHINs will discuss the roll-out plans, prospective participants, and turning their attention to future use cases and FHIR.

Panelist
Alan Swenson
Moderator
Carequality
Jay Nakashima
eHealth Exchange
Dave Cassel
Health Gorilla
Liz Buckle
CommonWell
Health Alliance
Session
5

Consumer Voices:

Listening Is Just the First Step

Representing the Consumer Voices Workgroup, Shamekka Marty will share her compelling health IT experience as a patient and caregiver. Then she will join members of the Consumer Voices and Consumer Engagement Strategy Workgroups to discuss how today’s patient experience can be improved leveraging existing technology and investments.

Panelist
Shamekka Marty
Featured Speaker
Consumer Voices Workgroup
Bren Shipley
Moderator
The Sequoia Project
Grace Cordovano
Co-Chair, Consumer Voices
Anna McCollister
Co-Chair, Consumer Engagement Strategy Workgroup
Session
6

The Patient is Knocking

People are rightly demanding access and control to their health data. Our panel of experts discuss the challenges and opportunities of serving patients and caregivers their own clinical data – where, when and how they want it.

Panelist
Chris Dickerson
Moderator
Carequality
Jennifer Blumenthal
Milliman Intelliscript
Glenn Keet
Invitae
Ryan Bramble
CRISP
Session
7

TEFCA: A Living Framework

TEFCA dynamically adjusts to the needs of the community. Our panel of ONC and RCE experts will highlight the changes of Common Agreement v2 and the QHIN Technical Framework (QTF) developed with input from today’s Candidate QHINs.

Panelist
Erin Whaley
Moderator
Troutman Pepper
Lindsey Elkind
The Sequoia Project
Liz Turi
ONC
Mark Knee
ONC
Session
8

Not Another FHIR Pun

A lively discussion of the potential and current reality of FHIR today, and the path we are blazing for the future.

Panelist
Bill Mehegan
Moderator
Carequality
Andrei Zudin
Health Gorilla
Jason Vogt
MEDITECH
David Pyke
PointClickCare
Jeff Taylor
Surescripts
Mike McCune
eHealth Exchange
Session
9

Logging In:

Real World Challenges in a Healthcare Setting

Do tools such as Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) or One Time Passwords (OTPs) help or hurt? Are they appropriate for everyone in a healthcare setting, or should they only be deployed only in select circumstances? This panel will discuss how authentication mechanisms need to balance the need for security with the operational reality of providing care to patients.

Panelist
Johnathan Coleman
Moderator
The Sequoia Project
Ryan Patrick
HITrust
Drew McCombs
Epic Nexus
Elliott Jones
Kaiser Permanente
Session
10

Government Affairs:

What's in Store for '24

Join policy and government affairs experts to reflect on health care and health IT legislative and regulatory activity in 2023 and explore what to expect in 2024. Get the latest scoop on Capitol Hill and Administration activities related to interoperability and information sharing, privacy and security, telehealth, and more.

Panelist
Lindsey Elkind
Moderator
The Sequoia Project
Chantal Worzala
Alazro Consulting
Zoe Barber
The Sequoia Project
Lindsay Austin
Troutman Pepper Strategies

Thursday, November 16

Session
11

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Carequality Executive Director Alan Swenson will open the second day of the meeting.

Alan Swenson
Executive Director at Carequality
Session
12

It Takes Two (or more) to TEFCA

With so many opportunities for health information exchange, why are organizations making the commitment to implement TEFCA? Candidate QHINs talk about their internal decision making, and why other types of organizations may choose to be participants and subparticipants in this new government endorsed paradigm for exchange.

Panelist
Zoe Barber
Moderator
The Sequoia Project
Laura McCrary
KONZA National Network
Matt Doyle
Epic Nexus
John Blair
MedAllies
Travis White
Kno2
Session
13

Data Usability:

Under Construction

After publishing the first-of-its-kind data usability implementation guide, the Data Usability Workgroup is raising the bar for health IT interoperability content, ensuring clinical data is useful to people and machines in development of implementation guide version 2, which expands to new categories such as laboratories, how systems receive data, and payer data exchange.

Panelist
Didi Davis
Moderator
The Sequoia Project
Dr. William Gregg
HCA Healthcare
Session
14

Keynote:

Perspectives from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Andrea Palm is the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Department.

Andrea Palm
Deputy Secretary at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Session
15

Beyond Treatment

Exchange for treatment is just the beginning. Health information exchange can and should support healthcare business workflows. Our panel of experts will discuss how the infrastructure of today’s health information exchange can support the payer community and others.

Panelist
Chris Dickerson
Moderator
Carequality
Justin McMartin
Surescripts
Matt Becker
Kno2
Paul Wilder
CommonWell Health Alliance
Brian Malachowski
CVS Health
Session
16

Payer-to-Payer API:

Playing Outside the Sandbox

Hear how a newly-forming payer community of practice is thinking about advancing implementation readiness for data exchange among and between payers.

Panelist
David Pyke
Moderator
PointClickCare
Desla Mancilla
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Nancy Beavin
Humana Inc.
Rob Alger
Kaiser Permanente
Session
17

Data Usability:

A Movement Takes Root

Hear from members of a community of practice committed to moving data implementation guidance from paper to production over the next 18 months.

Panelist
Mariann Yeager
Moderator
The Sequoia Project
Lauren Riplinger
AHIMA
Dr. Holly Miller
MedAllies
Duncan Weatherston
Smile Digital Health
Session
18

Privacy and Consent:

Mind the Gap(s)

Learn about the approach this new cross-industry workgroup is taking to identify steps to further propel the healthcare community forward around two primary issues: computable consent and data segmentation for privacy.

Panelist
Chantal Worzala
Moderator
Alazro Consulting
Mohammad Jafari
Senior Privacy Consultant
Dr. Steven Lane
Health Gorilla
Nichole Sweeney
CRISP
Session
19

O Canada!

The Sequoia Project is working with Canada Health Infoway as they advance a pan-Canadian trusted exchange framework. Hear about the Shared Pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap, and discover the challenges and opportunities for advancing interoperability in Canada.

Alan Lau
Canada Health InfoWay
Session
20

The Evolving Care Team

Our nation faces a primary care shortage while patients are diagnosed with chronic conditions more than ever before. Pharmacists are trained to provide patient services as part of integrated care teams; however, payment reforms and broader interoperability are needed to help this valuable resource fill the care gap. Listen in as panelists share their perspectives on novel and needed approachesto evolve care teams for the future.

Panelist
Melanie Marcus
Moderator
Surescripts
Lisa Schwartz
National Community
Pharmacists Association
Kevin Nicholson
NACDS
Pooja Babbrah
Pointof-Care Partners

Friday, November 17

Session
21

State of the Framework

From policy updates to patient access, 2023 was a year of change. Executive Director Alan Swenson will highlight Carequality’s role as the leading the industry-led trusted exchange framework, and the innovations we can expect in 2024.

Alan Swenson
Carequality
Session
22

Unconference FOMO Summary

Relieve the fear of missing out (FOMO) on the unconference sessions you couldn’t attend. Facilitators of each Unconference Session will join a panel discussion to share insights and highlights of their group discussions earlier in the day.

Panelist
Alan Swenson
Carequality
Chris Dickerson
Carequality
Bill Mehegan
Carequality
Sully Sullivan
Carequality
A Special Thanks to Our

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