The Sequoia Project
Connected We Stand!
Sequoias are among the oldest, tallest trees on earth. Individually, they cannot reach the great heights of giant sequoias. Together, their complex, interconnected root system helps them withstand nature’s forces and flourish. Only connected can they reach great heights.
About The Sequoia Project
In 2012, The Sequoia Project was chartered as a non-profit 501(c)(3) to advance the implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, transitioned management of its eHealth Exchange to The Sequoia Project for maintenance. Since 2012, the Exchange has grown to become the largest health information exchange network in the country. In 2014, we began to support additional interoperability initiatives beginning with Carequality. In 2016, we partnered with RSNA to develop the RSNA Image Share Validation program. Then, in 2017, The Sequoia Project began supporting the Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE), which can be made available in any geographic area to support healthcare professionals and first responders caring for displaced individuals or volunteer healthcare workers who are deployed to a disaster area outside of their normal health IT environment.
In 2018, The Sequoia Project updated its corporate structure to reflect the continued maturation of the organization and the significantly larger role that The Sequoia Project plays as the central convener for interoperability. The updated corporate structure resulted in The Sequoia Project having two distinct subsidiaries, one for eHealth Exchange and one for Carequality. Following the reorganization, The Sequoia Project continues to bring together industry and government to transparently and inclusively develop solutions to the most pressing challenges of health data exchange. Thought leadership will be transformed into leadership action on topics like FHIR®, patient matching, and supporting disaster response efforts such as the Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE).
We have assembled, through these initiatives, and our engagement with government and industry, experts who can identify the barriers to interoperability and pioneer processes to make health information exchange work on a national level. We are a neutral body, inclusive of diverse participants, which allows us to create practical solutions to data exchange problems. As a nonprofit operating in the public interest, our governance process insures transparent oversight of this work.
Our vision is to make the right health information accessible at the right place and time to improve the health and welfare of all Americans.
We are: Trustworthy. Inclusive. Pioneering.
The Sequoia Project Initiatives
Our work takes the form of independent initiatives, each with its own mission, governance, membership and structure. We are an ideal home for projects that require a collaborative environment in which multiple parties with differing perspectives can work together. We can provide the sustaining management services and governance support required to allow new initiatives to grow and succeed. Our initiatives work independently but draw upon each other’s perspective and expertise as appropriate.
We currently support these initiatives:
- Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE) is a nationwide health IT disaster response platform that can be deployed at the city, county, or state level to authenticate disaster healthcare volunteer providers. PULSE allows disaster workers to query and view patient documents from all connected healthcare organizations.
- RSNA Image Share Validation, developed in partnership with the Radiological Society of North America, is a conformity assessment program that tests the compliance of vendor systems using quality standards determined most effective for accurate and efficient exchange of medical images.
Past successful initiatives include:
- Carequality is a public-private collaborative endeavor focused on interconnecting data sharing networks through a trusted exchange framework and common agreement, designed and maintained by its community.
- eHealth Exchange is a nationwide, public-private health information network supporting more 120 million patients with more than a dozen use cases.
We welcome the addition of new health IT interoperability initiatives. Contact us to determine if The Sequoia Project is a good fit for your next interoperability implementation project.
Become a Member!
Join other organizations as a member of The Sequoia Project and engage as a key contributor in The Sequoia Project-sponsored initiatives and collaborative efforts to advance implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange for the public good.