TUESDAY, 4:00 – 4:20PM
WEDNESDAY, 4:00 – 4:20PM
Steps for Getting Started
with the NHIN
Douglas Hill, NHIN Implementation Lead (Contractor),
Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
Vanessa Manchester, CONNECT Program Manager (Contractor),
Federal Health Architecture, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
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Objectives
» Establish the context for becoming a member of the NHIN
Limited Production Exchange
» Understand the relationship between NHIN and CONNECT
» To meet these objectives:
• Walk through of the NHIN On-boarding Process
• Walk through of implementing the CONNECT Solution
HIMSS 2010
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NHIN Overview
The goal for the NHIN is to accelerate and enable secure health information
exchange using the Internet. To that end, ONC is fostering development of four
distinct NHIN components:
NHIN Technical
Assets
NHIN specifications,
standards, registries,
testing tools, and other
supporting products
HIMSS 2010
CONNECT Solution
NHIN Limited
Production Exchange
NHIN Direct
Project
A specific, opensource software
instantiation of the
NHIN specifications
A set of federal
agencies, nationwide
organizations, and
contractors/grantees
that are exchanging live
health information using
NHIN specs and policies.
An initiative that will
develop the
minimum set of
standards, services
and policies that
enable less complex,
local applications of
health info exchange
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Roadmap: Becoming a Member of the NHIN Limited
Production Exchange
NHIN Decision
Self Qualify
Gateway
Implementation
On-Boarding
GO LIVE!
HIMSS 2010
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NHIN Limited Production Exchange: Acceptance
Criteria
• Accepted completed, signed and
notarized application for participation
• Signed DURSA
• Operational gateway
• Successful completion of Conformance
and Interoperability Testing
• Approval by the governing NHIN
Coordinating Committee
HIMSS 2010
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NHIN Limited Production Exchange: Eligibility Criteria
» Eligible legal entity – Federal agency or entity under agreement with
Federal agency
» Existing production exchange capabilities
• Facilitates and governs exchange of health information with participant
users (i.e. a network or governance entity)
» Authority to enter into the Data Use and Reciprocal Support Agreement
(DURSA) and obligate its participant users to abide by these requirements
» Exchange information only for permitted purposes (defined in DURSA)
» Sufficient financial, technical and operational resources to support the testing
and operation of information exchange
HIMSS 2010
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Self Qualify for the NHIN Limited Production Exchange
• Review eligibility criteria
specified in the DURSA.
• Submit a signed DURSA
Joinder.
• Complete and submit the
application.
HIMSS 2010
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About CONNECT
» CONNECT is an open source software gateway that supports health
information exchange – both locally and at the national level
» CONNECT uses Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) standards
and governance to make sure that health information exchanges are
compatible with other exchanges being set up throughout the country
» This software solution was initially developed by federal agencies to
support their health-related missions, but it is now available to all
organizations and can be used to help set up health information exchanges
and share data using nationally-recognized interoperability standards
HIMSS 2010
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Who Can Use CONNECT
Everyone! It’s Open Source
CONNECT can be used to:
• Set up a health information
exchange within an organization
• Tie a health information exchange
into a regional network of health
information exchanges
• Tie a health information exchange
into the NHIN
HIMSS 2010
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Implementation Checklist for
On-boarding to the NHIN
Complete CONNECT
Business Case Worksheet
Determine Implementation Needs
Begin vetting the NHIN DURSA for
Signature
Implement the CONNECT Solution
Execute NHIN DURSA
CONNECT Install Self-Test
Peer to Peer Test
NHIN Conformance Testing
Step to be executed by Organization
Step to be executed by Organization and CONNECT Team
NHIN Interoperability Testing
Step to be executed by Organization and NHIN
Go Live!
Publish Endpoint Information
CONNECT Solution Upgrades
HIMSS 2010
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NHIN On-Boarding Process
On-boarding is an ONC-guided, four-stage process that organizations complete
to take part in production NHIN exchange
HIMSS 2010
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On-Boarding Process: Testing and Validation
• Testing ensures that potential participants in NHIN exchange
operate in a way that conforms with NHIN specifications
– Conformance Testing – tests conformance to the NHIN
specifications
– Interoperability Testing – tests the ability to perform
common business activities with other NHIN gateways
• Validation confirms testing results and is an input to
consideration for approval
HIMSS 2010
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On-Boarding Process
HIMSS 2010
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Thank You
The participation of any company or organization in the NHIN and CONNECT area within the HIMSS Interoperability showcase
does not represent an endorsement by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the Federal
Health Architecture or the Department of Health and Human Services.
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