TEFCA enables Epic, Social Security to ramp up interoperability

Epic customers will now be able to send patient data to the Social Security Administration (SSA) through TEFCA, the federally sponsored interoperability network that debuted in 2022. 

The connection enables secure electronic data exchange between Epic health systems and the SSA, which can slash benefit determination times by more than 50%, the SSA says. 

“TEFCA provides a new, streamlined option for data exchange with SSA that will improve outcomes for millions of people by making it easier for more organizations to connect,” said Rob Klootwyk, Epic’s Director of Interoperability.  “As the first health systems to share records with SSA through TEFCA, our customers continue to champion interoperability.”    

Epic customers have been able to exchange data with the SSA in the past using other interoperability networks such as Carequality and the eHealth Exchange.  However, TEFCA is designed to keep pushing the standards of interoperability with a “network of networks” approach that further streamlines and simplifies the process.  

“The SSA connection is good for our patients’ physical and mental wellbeing,” said Dr. David Kaelber, Chief Health Informatics Officer of the MetroHealth System, one of the handful of Epic customers currently live with the SSA through TEFCA.   

“Interoperability makes it possible for people to receive SSA benefits much faster, allowing them to focus on getting well, managing chronic conditions, and planning for the future. We once had someone’s benefits approved within one business day of submission. It was amazing. We are excited to see TEFCA accelerate adoption of the SSA connection at health systems across the country.”  

Epic has been a long-time TEFCA supporter and has collaborated with federal authorities to develop the framework.  The company was among the first to announce it was endorsing the framework by becoming a Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) to provide infrastructure and guidance around conducting data exchange. 

The SSA announced its participation in TEFCA in February of 2026, choosing the eHealth Exchange, an established partner for the agency, as its QHIN. 

“By leveraging national interoperability frameworks like TEFCA and collaborating with Electronic Health Record providers to receive patient records electronically, SSA’s digital-first approach is ensuring that Americans receive the service and benefits they need, when they need them,” said SSA Chief of Disability Adjudication Jay Ortis.  

Around the same time, HHS announced that TEFCA had successfully exchanged nearly 500 million electronic records, a huge leap from the 10 million records flowing through the network in January 2025.  Accelerating government benefits determination is one of the six core use cases for TEFCA, alongside other key goals such as supporting healthcare operations and clinical decision making, smoothing out reimbursement processes, enabling broader patient access to personal data, and improving public health. 

The new Epic connection to the SSA demonstrates that TEFCA can have a measurable impact on interoperability – if organizations are willing to trust that the network can create value for them without exposing them to compliance risks. 

That part is still a work in progress, according to the Office of the National Coordinator, but milestone sharing agreements between influential entities like Epic and government agencies may be able to build trust, encourage participation, and keep interoperability moving in the right direction over time.

Jennifer Bresnick is a journalist and freelance content creator with a decade of experience in the health IT industry.  Her work has focused on leveraging innovative technology tools to create value, improve health equity, and achieve the promises of the learning health system.  She can be reached at [email protected].