TEFCA Readiness: What Integration Teams Must Build, Fix, and Modernize in 2026
- DevScripts Solutions
- Dec 22, 2025
- 2 min read
TEFCA Readiness: What Integration Teams Must Build, Fix, and Modernize in 2026
TEFCA is the most meaningful shift in healthcare interoperability in the last decade. Unlike previous initiatives, TEFCA isn’t just guidance — it introduces operational and technical requirements that change integration permanently.
But the majority of organizations are still unclear about what TEFCA means technically. This article explains what will actually need to change in your integration architecture.
What TEFCA Is — In Practical Terms
TEFCA formalizes a national health data exchange framework that includes:
standardized security
common data models
qualified exchange networks
FHIR-based exchange
TEFCA moves healthcare from:
isolated integrations
to
federated, scalable data exchange
This is not an interface project — it’s an architectural shift.
What Systems Will Need to Change
1. FHIR Infrastructure
TEFCA assumes:
FHIR R4 or R5
standardized resources
secure REST APIs
If an organization is still:
CCD only
HL7 only
custom messages
it must modernize.
2. Identity + Consent
TEFCA is tied to:
patient matching
consent handling
privacy rules
42 CFR Part 2 and AB352 will increase the complexity.
Integrations must be standardized.Not custom.
3. Event-Driven Exchange
Batch is going away.Streaming becomes necessary.
Event patterns like:
ADT
observation updates
medication changes
must be supported.
4. Analytics Architecture
Regulatory frameworks now assume:
dashboards
common records
cross-system analytics
auditing and traceability
Databricks, Power BI, and Cloud transformation are becoming mandatory.
How to Get TEFCA-Ready
There is a clear roadmap:
Step 1: Inventory interoperability stack
List all systems, formats, and flows.
Step 2: Identify FHIR modernization gaps
What can be converted to FHIR?
Step 3: Build a repeatable ingestion pipeline
FHIR → Delta Lake → Analytics
Step 4: Automate governance
Audit + lineage + PHI masking.
The Architecture Will Look Like This
FHIR Gateway
↓
Databricks ingestion
↓
Delta Lake storage
↓
Analytics and exchange
FHIR handles data exchange.Databricks handles scale. This will become the national standard.
Closing Thought
TEFCA is not a compliance event.It is a modernization framework. Organizations that treat it as an architecture project — not paperwork — will outperform their peers. TEFCA is the catalyst that will force healthcare IT to modernize.
DevScripts Solutions is an IT Consultant Firm Specializing in Interoperability within the Healthcare Arena.
We are a small team solving big interoperability challenges on a daily basis. With our vast knowledge of interoperability we can integrate ourselves as part of your organization just like we are part of your full-time team. We develop a variety of custom interfaces for healthcare organizations such as Healthcare Vendors, HIEs, Health Systems, Hospitals, Medical Practices, Payors and ACOs using Mirth Connect.
We work with businesses in California, Georgia, New York, Florida, Texas and throughout the wider United States.
For more information on our services or to arrange a consultation call please contact us today.
T: 678-861-4682 E: info@devscriptssolutions.com
