Brings Real-World Standards & Data Interoperability Implementation Experience

(Vienna, VA – February 21, 2018) – Eric Heflin, CIO/CTO for The Sequoia Project, has been appointed to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee’s (HITAC) U.S. Core Data for Interoperability Task Force (USCDI). Established by the 21^stCentury Cures Act (P.L. 114-225) the HITAC and its taskforces inform the work of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) by making policy, standards, and implementation specification recommendations for local and national health information access and exchange.

“Through its independently governed initiatives, The Sequoia Project has significant experience implementing national-scale health data exchange common agreements and trusted exchange frameworks that leverage the technical standards of others,” said Mr. Heflin.

The Sequoia Project supports multiple, independent health IT interoperability initiatives, most notably: the eHealth Exchange, the oldest, national public-private health data sharing network that includes four federal agencies, 75 percent of U.S. hospitals and 47 regional and state health information exchanges; and Carequality, an interoperability framework for trusted exchange among existing data sharing networks covering more than 600,000 physicians.

Prior to the Cures Act and HITAC, ONC was advised by both the Health Information Technology Policy Committee and the Health Information Standards Committee, the latter of which Mr. Heflin was an active member. The new USCDI Taskforce will provide recommendation and feedback on the USCDI structure and processes, such as classes, categorization, objective characteristics for promotion, and expansion plans.

“The Sequoia Project is honored to support ONC, from providing subject matter expertise to supporting the goals of the draft trusted framework proposed this winter,” continued Mr. Heflin.

In addition to Mr. Heflin’s appointment to the USCDI, The Sequoia Project’s experience is also represented on the HITAC by Board of Director Members John Kansky, of Indiana Health information Exchange, and Dr. Steven Lane, of Sutter Health.

About The Sequoia Project

The Sequoia Project is a non-profit, public-private collaborative focused on advancing implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The Sequoia Project supports multiple, independent health IT interoperability initiatives, most notably: the eHealth Exchange, the oldest, national public-private health data sharing network; and Carequality, an interoperability framework for trusted exchange among existing data sharing networks regarding technical specifications and best practices, much like the telecommunications industry did for linking cell phone networks. For more information about The Sequoia Project and its initiatives, visit www.sequoiaproject.org. Follow The Sequoia Project on Twitter: @SequoiaProject.

Dawn Van Dyke
Phone: (571) 346-2439
Email: dvandyke@sequoiaproject.org

Validation Program Pilot a Success, Now Open to All

CHICAGO, IL (November 28, 2016) – The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), in collaboration with The Sequoia Project, announced today the first seven vendors to successfully complete the RSNA Image Share Validation program that rigorously tests the compliance of vendors’ systems to accurately and efficiently exchange medical images. The approved vendors include: Agfa Healthcare, AMBRA Health (formerly DICOM Grid), GE Healthcare, Lexmark Healthcare, LifeImage, Inc., Mach7 Technologies, and Novarad.

“From X-rays to mammograms, medical imaging is a critical component of patient care today,” said David S. Mendelson, M.D., FACR, vice chair of radiology IT at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, N.Y.  “CDs as a means to exchange exams were an improvement on film, but it’s time to move to a modern more efficient mechanism, web-based exchange. Safe, secure internet-based image sharing benefits the clinical provider, radiologist and, most importantly, the patient.”

Vendors who earn the RSNA Image Share Validation seal are demonstrating commitment to improve access to imaging records and enabling better-informed decisions about patient care, while also improving patient safety by eliminating redundant radiology procedures, reducing operational costs and relieving the burden of responsibility from the patient.

Launched in 2016, the Validation program encourages the adoption of image-sharing capabilities by imaging vendors and radiology sites, expanding access to medical images and reports whenever and wherever they are needed. All imaging vendors are invited to apply.

“Validation provides a number of benefits to providers and patients,” explained Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project. “Vendors who achieve the RSNA Image Validation seal are empowering their physicians to more readily exchange medical images with other providers and their patients across multiple technology platforms to enhance quality of care, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. There is also synergy created among the approved vendors to spur standards-based interoperability innovations.”

The program is ideal for vendors of imaging systems, such as Reporting Systems, RIS and PACS, that wish to enable those systems to connect to networks for sharing images with providers and patients, or vendors of health information exchange systems that wish to enhance their systems to exchange medical images and reports. Physicians and radiology sites are encouraged to look for the RSNA Image Share Validation seal when considering imaging technology purchases.

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RSNA is an association of more than 54,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists, promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

The Sequoia Project is a non-profit, 501c3, public-private collaborative chartered to advance implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The Sequoia Project supports multiple, independent health IT interoperability initiatives, most notably: the eHealth Exchange, a rapidly growing health data sharing community of exchange partners sharing under a common trust framework and a common set of rules; and Carequality, which is a national-level, consensus-built, common interoperability framework to interconnect and enable exchange between and among existing data sharing networks, much like the telecommunications industry did for linking cell phone networks. For more information about The Sequoia Project and its initiatives, visit www.sequoiaproject.org. Follow The Sequoia Project on Twitter: @SequoiaProject.

Contact: Dawn Van Dyke
Phone: (571) 346-2439
Email: dvandyke@sequoiaproject.org