{"id":450083,"date":"2026-03-09T07:39:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T12:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/?p=450083"},"modified":"2026-03-09T07:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T12:40:03","slug":"epic-tefca-revenue-cycle-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/epic-tefca-revenue-cycle-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"EHR Interoperability Reaches a New Milestone as Over 1,000 Epic Hospitals Connect to TEFCA"},"content":{"rendered":"<section  id=\"one\" class=\"section no\"><div class=\"row\"><div id=\"left-side-col-blog\" class=\"wpb_column col-md-3 have-padding\">[vc_empty_space]<div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><div class=\"addtoany_shortcode\"><div class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/epic-tefca-revenue-cycle-impact\/\" data-a2a-title=\"EHR Interoperability Reaches a New Milestone as Over 1,000 Epic Hospitals Connect to 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href=\"https:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/add_to\/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billingparadise.com%2Fblog%2Fepic-tefca-revenue-cycle-impact%2F&amp;linkname=EHR%20Interoperability%20Reaches%20a%20New%20Milestone%20as%20Over%201%2C000%20Epic%20Hospitals%20Connect%20to%20TEFCA\" title=\"Copy Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a class=\"a2a_dd addtoany_no_icon addtoany_share_save addtoany_share\" href=\"https:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share\">Share on your feed<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 style=\"color: #273272;font-size: 22px\"><b>Table of contents<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><section  id=\"left-toc\" class=\"section no\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"wpb_column col-md-12 have-padding\"><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#one\">Why Has Interoperability Has Been So Difficult in Healthcare?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#two\">TEFCA: A National Framework for Secure Exchange<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#three\">Interoperability Matters Beyond Patient Care<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#four\">\u201cThe Patient\u2019s Full Story at the Point of Care\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#five\">Making Interoperability Accessible for Rural and Underserved Providers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#six\">Epic\u2019s Longstanding Role in Interoperability<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#seven\">What Nationwide Interoperability Enables Next?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#eight\">How Interoperability Supports Revenue Cycle Success?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \" ><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><a href=\"#nine\">Interoperability Is the Backbone of Modern Healthcare<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div><div id=\"right-column\" class=\"wpb_column col-md-9 have-padding\"><section  id=\"one\" class=\"section no\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"wpb_column col-md-12 have-padding\">[vc_empty_space]<div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"one\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For years, interoperability has been one of healthcare\u2019s most persistent challenges; the idea that a patient\u2019s health information should move as easily as the patient does.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, a major milestone suggests the industry is moving closer to that reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">More than 1,000 hospitals and 22,000 clinics using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/epic-emr\/\">Epic<\/a> are now live on the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), marking one of the largest real-world expansions of nationwide EHR interoperability to date.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The development reflects growing momentum toward a more connected healthcare system; one where information can be securely accessed across organizations, care settings, and state lines.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"one\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"fourteen\" style=\"color: #ef662f\">Why Has Interoperability Has Been So Difficult in Healthcare?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite decades of EHR adoption, health data exchange has often remained fragmented.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many providers still operate in environments where:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Records don\u2019t easily follow patients outside a health system<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Data sharing requires custom interfaces or regional agreements<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clinicians lack full visibility into outside encounters<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Administrative teams spend time chasing documentation manually<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The result is a system where care is often delivered without the complete patient story \u2014 and where coordination gaps create inefficiencies for both clinical and operational teams.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Interoperability has long been the missing link between digital records and truly connected care.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"two\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"fourteen\" style=\"color: #ef662f\">TEFCA: A National Framework for Secure Exchange<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TEFCA was created under the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act to tackle one of healthcare\u2019s biggest challenges: fragmented information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instead of relying on dozens of one-off connections, TEFCA provides a common framework and governance structure that lets hospitals, clinics, and agencies share data securely and at scale. It\u2019s designed to make health information exchange easier, safer, and more consistent for everyone involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Epic customers connect to TEFCA through Epic Nexus, a federally designated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) that launched in December 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With over 1,000 hospitals now participating, TEFCA is rapidly moving from policy vision into operational reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>[vc_single_image image=&#8221;450129&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;]<div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"three\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"sixteen\" style=\"color: #ef662f;margin-top: 35px!important\">Interoperability Matters Beyond Patient Care<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We often think of interoperability as something that helps doctors and nurses. But it affects the back office just as much. When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/resolving-missing-patient-information-and-charges-related-denials\/\">patient information<\/a> is scattered or incomplete, billing and revenue teams spend extra time chasing records, fixing coding issues, and answering payer questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By connecting systems and sharing data reliably, interoperability gets the right information into the right hands sooner. That means cleaner claims, fewer delays, and a smoother revenue cycle; all while supporting better patient care.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"four\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"sixteen\" style=\"color: #ef662f;margin-top: 35px!important\">\u201cThe Patient\u2019s Full Story at the Point of Care\u201d<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Interoperability is not just about data movement; it\u2019s about clinical impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stanford Health Care, one of the earliest Epic Nexus participants, has already highlighted the value of TEFCA-enabled exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>\u201cWhen we have the patient\u2019s full story at the point of care, we can provide better-informed diagnoses, fewer duplicate tests, and better care plans,\u201d said Matthew Eisenberg, MD, Associate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/role-of-chief-artificial-intelligence-officer-in-medical-groups\/\">Chief Medical Information Officer<\/a> at Stanford Health Care.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This captures the central promise of interoperability: ensuring that critical health information is available wherever care happens, not trapped inside organizational silos.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"five\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"twenty\" style=\"color: #ef662f;margin-top: 35px!important\">Making Interoperability Accessible for Rural and Underserved Providers<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of TEFCA\u2019s biggest benefits is that it helps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/healthcare-denial-prevention-strategies\/\">level the playing field<\/a> for smaller and rural healthcare organizations.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the past, these providers often faced barriers to participating in large-scale health information networks, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Limited IT resources<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">High costs for building connections<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Complex governance rules<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lack of access to national exchange frameworks<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TEFCA simplifies and standardizes how health information is shared, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/healthcare-providers-using-ai-automation-to-reduce-administrative-work-burnout\/\">reducing administrative hurdles and making it possible for providers<\/a> of all sizes to connect to nationwide networks.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This change helps all providers work together more smoothly, so patients benefit from seamless care.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"six\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"twenty\" style=\"color: #ef662f;margin-top: 35px!important\">Epic\u2019s Longstanding Role in Interoperability<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Epic\u2019s expansion into TEFCA builds on years of interoperability development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Care Everywhere, Epic\u2019s first interoperability network, launched in 2008<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2014, Epic co-founded Carequality, now supporting millions of clinical exchanges nationwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For over a decade, Epic reports that 100% of U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/epic-ehr-adoption-trends-2026\/\">health systems<\/a> using Epic have been interoperable.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Epic leaders view TEFCA participation as the next phase of scaling secure exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>\u201cThe energy around TEFCA adoption is clear, and the Epic community is leading the way,\u201d said Rob Klootwyk, Director of Interoperability at Epic.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>[vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/youtu.be\/469k3lQY_Ug&#8221;]<div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"seven\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"twenty\" style=\"color: #ef662f;margin-top: 35px!important\">What Nationwide Interoperability Enables Next?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While TEFCA exchange initially focuses on treatment-based data sharing, its potential reach is broader.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Epic notes that TEFCA and its customers are already facilitating connections that support:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Public health reporting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Individual access to health information<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Broader federal participation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs are expected to join the network later this year, expanding TEFCA\u2019s nationwide footprint even further.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"eight\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"twenty\" style=\"color: #ef662f;margin-top: 35px!important\">How Interoperability Supports Revenue Cycle Success?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">National standards like TEFCA make it easier for providers of all sizes to exchange data. When your EHRs are connected, your billing processes run more smoothly: fewer missing records, fewer manual checks, and faster, more accurate claims.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Organizations that use these connections to streamline workflows, prevent denials, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/providers-can-cut-costs-by-automating-claims-management-processes\/\">automate claims<\/a> don\u2019t just improve cash flow; they turn connected care into connected financial results.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"text-block \"  id=\"nine\"><div class=\"simple-text \"><h2 id=\"twenty\" style=\"color: #ef662f;margin-top: 35px!important\">Interoperability Is the Backbone of Modern Healthcare<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With Epic Nexus and TEFCA connectivity expanding rapidly, healthcare is entering a new era. Interoperability isn\u2019t just a technical upgrade anymore; it\u2019s becoming the way care actually happens.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When systems can talk to each other seamlessly:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Patient information moves with the patient, not just the chart<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Care teams have the full picture to make smarter decisions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Administrative work slows down less and teams can focus on care<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sharing data across hospitals and clinics becomes the everyday standard<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the years ahead, being able to connect and share data won\u2019t be optional; it will be how healthcare gets done.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_empty_space]Share on your feed Table of contents Why Has Interoperability Has Been So Difficult in Healthcare? TEFCA: A National Framework for Secure Exchange Interoperability Matters Beyond Patient Care \u201cThe Patient\u2019s Full Story at the Point of Care\u201d Making Interoperability Accessible for Rural and Underserved Providers Epic\u2019s Longstanding Role in Interoperability What Nationwide Interoperability Enables Next? [...]","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":450128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[883],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-450083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epic-ehr"],"modified_by":"kiruthika","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450083"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":450134,"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450083\/revisions\/450134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billingparadise.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}