AWS Public Sector Blog
Advancing interoperability: Netsmart becomes first designated QHIN built entirely on AWS Cloud
Interoperability is vital in delivering quality healthcare, allowing communication and data sharing across systems. This enables providers to have access to comprehensive patient information, which leads to better diagnostics and outcomes. According to the American Hospital Association, between 2018 and 2023, the percentage of US hospitals routinely sending patient information to external providers rose from 71 percent to 84 percent. This trend highlights the growing importance of interoperability in delivering efficient, patient-centered care.
Netsmart, an industry-leading healthcare IT platform organization, serving the human services, post-acute care, payers, public sector, physical therapy, and rehabilitation communities, became the first designated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) built entirely on serverless, cloud-first technology in August 2025—and it did so with Amazon Web Services (AWS) technology.
Interoperability and data sharing have expanded well beyond simple buzzwords; they have become elements essential to quality healthcare. With fast-moving, comprehensive data profiles following them, patients can receive informed care that leads to better outcomes.
Recognizing its essential role in health and wellness treatment, Netsmart has served as a longstanding interoperability advocate. Now, the developer of leading electronic health record (EHR) technology for community-based care providers has gained further interoperability credentials as the newest designated Quality Health Information Network (QHIN) under the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). This time is different, however: Netsmart is the first designated QHIN built entirely on the AWS platform.
Opting to build its capabilities on AWS provided Netsmart the opportunity to build the first-of-its-kind cloud-native QHIN. As a result, users can count on enhanced scalability, security, and adaptability. It’s a major step forward on the path to data-backed, person-centered care.
The vision: Netsmart and AWS chart course toward cloud-based QHIN platform
This initiative originally began as a strategic collaboration between Netsmart and AWS. Together, the two would accelerate the innovative cloud-based EHR solutions developed by Netsmart for providers in the human services, public sector, physical therapy, and outpatient rehabilitation and post-acute communities. Once Netsmart committed to becoming a designated QHIN, it chose AWS as the ideal platform for building the required capabilities.
A sharp vision came into focus: create a robust, scalable, and secure QHIN from the ground up. Fortunately, the serverless capabilities of AWS offered the precise architecture necessary to achieve these goals.
The project: Cloud-first, serverless interoperability solution
At the heart of this collaboration is CareConnect, the Netsmart interoperability solution designed to handle billions of transactions with a scalable architecture. Serverless services such as AWS Lambda and AWS HealthLake—a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) eligible service for storing, analyzing, and sharing health data in the cloud—became the foundation upon which Netsmart and AWS built the new CareConnect platform. By choosing a serverless system, Netsmart helped ensure elasticity and scalability with reduced operational overhead.
At the same time, this strategy allowed for high transaction volumes and near-real-time data exchange.
By leveraging AWS to build the QHIN connection within the new CareConnect platform, Netsmart aligns with the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) principles for security and compliance. Given the highly sensitive nature of healthcare data, adhering to HITRUST industry standards helps ensure that this information remains secure and private at every stage.
The process: Augmenting development with AI
Innovation didn’t end with new technology platforms, it also included new solutions and processes woven throughout the buildout process, from initial development all the way through to the end user tools.
The QHIN development process itself was accelerated by the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) tools—particularly Amazon Q Developer. This generative AI tool acts as a coding assistant, which can help developers work more quickly and efficiently. AI assisted in practically every phase of the build, including coding, testing, and deployment. By streamlining the process, AI allowed developers to focus fully on innovation and quality while constructing the QHIN framework to allow data exchange as specified by Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA.)
The result: Achieving QHIN designation
After careful planning, building and testing key interoperability functionalities with internal tools and AWS technology, Netsmart successfully achieved QHIN designation in August 2025. As the first designated QHIN primarily serving community-based care providers (such as post-acute and human services), Netsmart has a unique opportunity to better serve vulnerable populations.
The advanced CareConnect solution is a critical enabler of this progress. Designed to be open and agnostic, CareConnect allows organizations beyond the existing Netsmart client base to join the QHIN, broadening participation across the healthcare ecosystem. This inclusivity paves the way for more diverse partners to benefit from near seamless data exchange and integrated care. Moreover, this platform isn’t limited to just Health Information Exchange (HIE) data sharing; it will extend to other exchanges, such as labs, pharmacies, and payers—bringing the same performance enhancements, security and scalability. This expanded ecosystem will foster more comprehensive, efficient, and coordinated patient care across multiple sectors.
The collaboration between Netsmart and AWS is set to grow even further in coming years. Netsmart will continue to leverage AWS cloud-first technologies to expand its solutions and find innovative ways to serve healthcare communities.