If you were asked what the healthcare industry has been chasing for years, you’d likely say “connectivity.” The industry buzzwords have long centered around building the infrastructure, policies, and partnerships that make true interoperability possible.
But data exchange is growing up. It's time for the next generation under TEFCA. And with that maturity comes a question. What’s the return for playing nicely with others in the data exchange game?
The answer lies in the data dividend, which is a fancy way to say the reward is collected through measurable improvements achieved when trusted, interoperable data is put to work. Healthcare’s next chapter isn’t about sharing more data. That book’s been written. It’s about transforming that data into actionable and valuable intelligence.
The End of Compliance Thinking
Until recently many organizations had been feeling like interoperability was about compliance. Healthcare organizations got busy checking the boxes and following the rules as they focused on connecting systems and aligning with frameworks. This was noble, under-belly work; it’s what made nationwide data sharing a reality.
Obviously, better care doesn’t come from compliance alone. Connectivity was only the first step. The second step, the one we are on now, is where the data exchanged across networks begins to drive smarter and more personalized decision-making.
As the data flows through TEFCA, and CMSAligned Networks, via FHIR APIs or other means the natural progression is to jump from exchanging information to understanding the information. This is the leap that will turn information into intelligence.
Beyond that, we must sort out how to meaning fully measure interoperability’s impact and that can’t be done with a compliance rubric.
AI Intelligence is the New Frontier
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times, “Garbage in produces garbage out.” AI is only as good as its inputs. And if the input is outdated, incomplete or fragmented, it cannot produce trustworthy insights.
This is where we feel TEFCA’s momentum. TEFCA and FHIR provide the comprehensive high-quality fuel AI needs to grow from concept to capability. AI, at its finest, transforms that premium data into intelligence. And it’s from this new vantage point where the dividends are within reach:
● Predictive care: Spot risks before symptoms appear
● Operational efficiency: Reduce clinician burden and streamline workflows
● Population insights: Plan and allocate resources proactively
AI intelligence isn’t replacing interoperability; it depends on it.
If intelligent AI is the movie star, interoperability is the backstage crew that gets it to the red carpet. This collaboration is what will help smart data touch every level of healthcare, from the front desk to the pharmacy to the bedside.
Why is the Elephant in the room so quiet?
Intelligent, actionable data, interoperability, enforced standards, it's an exciting time to be in healthcare tech. But what about the elephant in the room? What about trust? This entire system collapses if the entities exchanging data which includes the people behind it, don’t trust each other. Have we ensured that ethics have kept pace with supersonic data exchange? Trust is the human component, and in healthcare data, it is what ultimately turns information into impact.
Patients must believe that their information is used ethically, securely, and for their benefit. Providers and developers must be confident that the systems they connect to are compliant and credible.
TEFCA’s national framework introduces governance and accountability at scale. But trust isn’t created by fiat; it’s what emerges from good policies, transparently, consistently and effectively applied.
The True Return on Intelligence
The real payoff of interoperability will come as AI transforms connected data into tangible dividends: treasures like sharper insights, earlier interventions, and more efficient care delivery. These returns are only possible when trust underpin every exchange. When AI runs on reliable, ethical data, the dividend compounds, yielding not just smarter technology, but a more intelligent, human-centered healthcare system.
