While most of the nation watched Keith Urban perform with Lainey Wilson at the 59th annual Country Music Awards, a quiet revolution was stirring just across the street at the eHealth Exchange and Sequoia Carequality Annual Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.
Health Gorilla’s CEO Bob Watson, CMO Dr. Steven Lane, SVP Derek Plansky, and CRO Tom Visotsky, attended the three day event. They were in like company with federal agency leaders, EHR vendors, networks and other health tech leaders.
The Surprising Theme of the Annual Meetings
Their mission? They came to discuss policy, network governance, and the next era of nationwide exchange. I know what you’re thinking. “Next era” blah, blah blah. You’ve heard it all before, right? Not so fast.
All the usual suspects in healthcare tech have been trudging across the nation and back to attend spectacular healthcare tech conferences that concentrate on AI’s pragmatic transformation, TEFCA’s stringent oversight in data sharing , and the difference between data quantity and data quality.
But the Nashville gathering stood out due to a hard-to-define five-letter word: trust. The smaller, and therefore, more intimate annual meetings are notable for their collegial relationships built through shared meals, working groups, and even lighthearted moments like Family Feud competitions. (Health Gorilla’s CMO was on the winning team for what that’s worth).
It was within this warmer, open attitude where trust emerged as the star attraction. If trusted exchange is built on transparency, consistency, and showing up together, then eHealth Ex and Sequoia/Carequality conferences showcased the broader ecosystem in miniature.
What does Trust Look Like and How is it Measured?
There were some serious discussions about full landscape engagement including federal agencies, EHRs, QHINs, network participants and collaborators. And the annual meetings allowed for visibility and voice in the growing and competitive world of interoperability where the smaller players can be jostled out or silenced. Attendees were offered a chance to be seen and heard by the people shaping healthcare data exchange. This is a marker of trust, being seen, being heard. Trust grows through collaboration and community.
But how does one measure trust? The participants answered that in the form of shareback. Shareback is the timely return of data back into networks and is emerging as one of the clearest indicators of responsible participation in trusted nationwide exchange. When done well, shareback represents good stewardship, reciprocity, and data liquidity (how easily and efficiently data can move, be accessed, and shared). When done poorly (meaning not done at all), shareback smells an awful lot like information blocking.
This is why Health Gorilla, its partners, and even its competitors are working to improve shareback through automation, auditing and visibility tools.
Does CMS have Anything to Add on the Topic of Trust? (Correct answer: Yes)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) used its stage time to reinforce that trusted, high-quality data will be foundational to the 2026 expectations and the development of CMS-Aligned Networks. CMS emphasized that the value of exchanged information depends on its accuracy, consistency, and governance, principles that will guide this next phase of national interoperability. As an active contributor to the CMS-Aligned Network effort, Health Gorilla will continue supporting partners with transparent communication, strong data practices, and a clear path to navigating this evolving alignment.
How Did it End?
In short, it didn’t end. The eHealth Exchange and Sequoia/Carequality Annual meetings successfully sparked a beginning of collaborative and responsible participation in the nationwide exchange. Trust that is baked into policy and governance will produce actionable information at the point-of-care.
In case it got lost in the evolution, that’s what this whole game is about: patient care. And optimal care can only be achieved through trust, transparency, and continuous improvement. Data usability and accuracy must be core expectations in order to build a trusted exchange.
Health Gorilla is prepared to answer the call to action heralded by the Nashville meetings. We commit to continue to lead with integrity, transparency, and technological excellence.
