Alexandria, Virginia – September 18, 2023 – Spire Communications today announced it will continue its marketing support for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE) under a new five-year contract awarded to The Sequoia Project by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
The Sequoia Project, serving as the RCE, is responsible for developing, updating, implementing, and maintaining the Common Agreement component of TEFCA. The Common Agreement serves as the baseline technical and legal requirements for health information networks to share electronic health information. TEFCA is part of ONC’s implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act.
“TEFCA is approaching critical milestones in the coming months, including the official designations of the first Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) to serve as the backbone for nationwide health data sharing, and communications will be critical to ensure widespread buy-in,” said Mariann Yeager, The Sequoia Project’s CEO. “Spire’s expertise communicating health IT at the intersection of policy and implementation makes the firm an ideal partner to support the RCE’s communications work in the coming years.”
Spire Communications will be working with The Sequoia Project and ONC to create new materials in the coming months to ensure healthcare organizations better understand their roles in TEFCA as well as the benefits it will provide.
“TEFCA is rapidly transitioning from concept to reality with the pending go-live of the initial group of QHINs,” said Ivy Eckerman, Spire’s president. “As the framework rolls out, now it’s time for healthcare organizations of all sizes and types to figure out how they will fit into TEFCA. We are proud to continue our work with The Sequoia Project on this effort to make health data exchange secure and accessible on a nationwide scale.”
Spire Communications has executed high-impact communications initiatives for The Sequoia Project for 11 years, providing health IT communications strategy, content, and design support to a variety projects and campaigns.
About Spire Communications
Spire Communications is a small, woman-owned strategic communications firm that works with government, technology, health, and science organizations to promote the work they do to improve people’s lives. The agency’s senior-level team offers clients a full range of communications services and has earned a reputation for handling complex marketing and communications needs for some of the biggest names in government and industry. Across a portfolio of clients that range in size and complexity, Spire consistently delivers the creativity it takes to bring important stories to life. For more information, For more information, visit www.spirecomm.com.
