What is the Direct Project
The Direct Project, launched in March 2010, is developing standards and services to improve the transport of health information. Today, communication of health information among healthcare organizations, providers and patients is most often achieved by sending paper through the mail or by fax. The Direct Project will enable secure, direct health information exchange, and a more local and less complex transfer among trusted providers in support of stage 1 of Meaningful Use incentive requirements. For example, a primary care provider sending a referral to a local specialist electronically, or a physician requesting lab tests electronically. To learn more, scroll down to the Resources section below.
What it means to Oregon
Messaging services provide a way for all providers to exchange health information across organizational and geographic boundaries: a private and secure email network for health care. Oregon’s messaging services will be implemented using the Direct Project, which specifies a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based transportation mechanism that enables participants to send encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the White House have endorsed the Direct Project as a mechanism for rapid innovation in achieving nationwide health information exchange.
Why it is important
The Direct Project will expand the existing National Health Information Network (NHIN) standards and services to enable the simple, direct, and secure transport of health information between health care providers.
Resources
Use these resources to learn more about the Direct Project: