Qualified Health Information Network™ Frequently Asked Questions
✅ MedAllies supports rapid onboarding
✅ MedAllies supports Individual Access Services (IAS)
Most organizations never need to apply for QHIN™ designation. You can connect to TEFCA® through MedAllies — a designated QHIN™ — in one of three ways:
- Participant: You sign a direct agreement with MedAllies and connect your systems to the QHIN™ network.
- Subparticipant: You connect through an existing Participant (such as a health system, HIE, or EHR vendor).
- Delegate: A Principal (such as a provider) authorizes another organization to conduct TEFCA® queries on its behalf.
Each path gives you nationwide exchange without going through the QHIN™ application process yourself.
- Participant: Contracts directly with MedAllies and connects to the QHIN™.
- Subparticipant: Connects through a Participant’s agreement rather than contracting with the QHIN™ directly.
- Delegate: Acts on behalf of a Principal through a documented authorization to send or respond to TEFCA® queries.
Delegation is an authorization relationship, not a separate tier of access.
Joining MedAllies as a Participant or Subparticipant typically includes:
- Signing a participation agreement that incorporates the Common Agreement Terms of Participation
- Selecting the Exchange Purposes you intend to support — including Individual Access Services (IAS)
- Completing technical onboarding and connectivity testing
- Being listed in the RCE Directory Service for TEFCA® discovery and query routing
MedAllies is known for rapid, streamlined onboarding, helping organizations connect quickly and confidently.
Connecting through MedAllies provides access to a broad, standardized pool of electronic health information for clinical decision-making, care transitions, and population health work. You can retrieve records from providers your patients have seen elsewhere — not just those in your own system.
TEFCA® exchange uses FHIR, HL7, C-CDA, and IHE profiles (such as XCPD and XCA) for participant-facing exchange, secured through authentication and authorization frameworks.
All TEFCA® participants — QHINs™, Participants, Subparticipants, and Delegates — operate under the Common Agreement and Terms of Participation, aligned with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Only authorized entities listed in the RCE Directory can request or receive information.