The national Direct Project was launched in March 2010 in response to the growing need for a single standard for exchanging health information electronically. The ONC set the stage for collaboration within the private sector to create a secure, simple, cost-effective mechanism to send health information directly to known, trusted recipients using the Internet. Now that Direct Messaging has been successfully tested by several pilots in the United States—including one in Rhode Island, where the first provider-to-provider message was sent in February 2011—the Project is ready to be rolled out to a broader community.
RI REC is the only one of the 62 RECs nationwide that has created a program, the Direct Program: Secure e-mail for the exchange of healthcare information, to help providers adopt Direct Messaging. RI REC also implemented a marketplace solution, RI REC’s Vendor Marketplace, for Direct Messaging adoption.
Direct Messaging functionality is simple in concept and yet provides many benefits. Essentially, Direct Messaging is secure e-mail for the exchange of patient health information (PHI). Regular e-mail is not appropriate for the exchange of PHI because it has the inherent risk of information being compromised or accessed by unauthorized users during transmission. The Direct Program combats these risks by providing an easy work-around to help you communicate electronically in a secure way, regardless of whether you have an EHR.
If you are comfortable using regular e-mail, then you will be comfortable using Direct Messaging.