This page is part of the Verifiable Health Links (v1.0.0-comment: Publication Ballot 1) based on FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) R4. This is the current published version. For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions

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Requirements: Create Secure Channel

Official URL: https://profiles.ihe.net/ITI/VHL/Requirements/CreateSecureChannel				Version: 1.0.0-comment
Active as of 2026-06-14				Computable Name: CreateSecureChannel

The VHL Sharer and VHL Receiver SHALL jointly establish a secure connection prior to executing any Verified Health Link (VHL) transactions involving the exchange of sensitive data.

This requirement is satisfied by implementing secure channel establishment as defined in the Audit Trail and Node Authentication (ATNA) Profile, specifically through the Authenticate Node [ITI-19] transaction.

This requirement entails:

• The VHL Receiver initiating a secure connection as the client and presenting valid credentials
• The VHL Sharer responding as the server, presenting its own credentials and validating the client's credentials against a trusted Certificate Authority or Trust Anchor

Establishing this secure channel ensures confidentiality, integrity, and bilateral authentication of all subsequent communications, and fulfills the trust obligations defined in the Establish Trust requirement.