A Leader in Nationwide Interoperability

KONZA National Network announced today that it has been designated as a Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN^TM) to facilitate the exchange of health data on a nationwide scale. QHINs will be instrumental in expanding provider and consumer access to health information to improve care coordination, decrease costs and enhance health outcomes overall.

Harnessing its 14 years of experience in interoperability, KONZA earned its QHIN designation by demonstrating how health information exchange can be scaled nationwide with the highest level of privacy and security and by delivering high-quality health data. With a footprint across nine states, 92% of KONZA’s members have already joined the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA^TM) through the KONZA QHIN, demonstrating their commitment to improving patient care.   

“We are proud to be a key technology partner for KONZA,” said Russ Thomas, CEO of Availity. “QHINs like KONZA, that prioritize data accuracy and completeness, help to ensure the value of national data exchange. “The collaboration between Availity and KONZA means that healthcare stakeholders have access to high-quality, longitudinal patient information, enabling them to improve operational efficiencies, and, more importantly, deliver better, smarter care.”

TEFCA and QHINs: A network-of-networks approach
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and The Sequoia Project, the Recognized Coordinating Entity^® (RCE ^TM), launched TEFCA last year to bring together health information networks as QHINs to serve as central data exchange partners. In a network-of-networks approach, QHINs will allow providers, patients and payers secure, seamless access to complete patient health records regardless of location.

A total of five organizations were named as QHINs in this designation, demonstrating their shared commitment to meeting the highest standards of privacy and security for national health data exchange.

Serving the needs of providers and patients
Healthcare is local until it isn’t. Care is usually approached on a local level by patients, but circumstances can dictate otherwise, such as traveling out of state and an injury or illness occurs. The necessity for access to health information records becomes critical when medical care must extend beyond local care teams.

“KONZA’s mission is centered around serving the needs of providers and patients regardless of their location,” said KONZA’s CEO and President, Laura McCrary, Ed.D. “Ensuring the information we deliver is valuable and convenient is essential to our operations. Our QHIN designation is an important milestone as we remain determined to push boundaries to transform national access and improve patient care.”

Showcasing that commitment, KONZA will be one of the only QHINs to offer a consolidated longitudinal care summary as a part of their QHIN services. This will minimize the redundancy of health data by providing access to a single comprehensive document that includes the patient’s entire medical history, including labs, pathology, hospital stays, test results and other health conditions. This will optimize decision-making efficiency for providers by only needing to consult one all-inclusive document rather than navigating multiples sources. 

As a technology partner of KONZA, The SSI Group, LLC (SSI) is passionate about data strategy, having played a pivotal role in KONZA’s achievement of the QHIN designation. SSI’s longstanding collaboration with KONZA—spanning over fourteen years—positions SSI and KONZA as pioneers in this space. Our shared vision and combined strengths facilitate a streamlined approach to data exchange,” said Diana Allen, Ph.D., CEO of The SSI Group.

QHIN Designation and TEFCA go-live
KONZA and the other named QHINs received their QHIN Designation during a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C. earlier today. They were recognized by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm, the National Coordinator for Health IT Micky Tripathi and other federal leaders for willingly adhering to and meeting the rigorous eligibility criteria, stipulations and conditions required for participation in TEFCA. 

This week, KONZA and the other designated QHINs will begin working together to configure their production systems for connectivity. 

“The QHIN designations indicate a significant accomplishment for the healthcare industry,” added McCrary. “QHINs will pave the way for healthcare transformation through improved patient care, increased efficiency and enhanced data security. KONZA is proud to be at the forefront of this development, and we remain committed to providing innovative solutions for the advancement of healthcare.”