Don’t Rule out Direct Messaging as one of your paths to Interoperability

Direct Messaging has experienced its share of controversy since its introduction in 2010 by ONC. HealthIT.gov defines the purpose of Direct Messaging (“Direct”) to “specify a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to know, trusted recipients over the Internet.”

Adoption has been slow, for sure. Various credible sources such as HIMSS point to issues such as lack of education or awareness about Direct, no central method for sharing addresses, lack of EHR vendor support, and disruptive workflow. But its not all gloom and doom; a survey conducted by HIMSS this summer reports “significant progress and optimism” when it comes to the use of Direct as a form of health information exchange.

It is interesting to note that Direct is used mostly for transitions of care and care coordinated use cases.

We all know that electronic communication – emails and texts – are becoming the norm. While Direct may not yet be the perfect way to use these communication styles securely, it’s a start in the right direction and recognition by ONC that these tools are here to stay. It is just a matter of time before disruptive innovators and creative vendors introduce techno-savvy solutions to the Direct problems. A Direct Address national directory is in the works. As organizations and vendors focus on tools and processes to optimize workflow, Direct Messaging and Secure Texting are perfect topics to roll out with these education efforts. And while EHR Vendors may not be specifically incorporating Direct into their workflow, tools such a SMART on FHIR can be used to develop third party tools that could easily integrate Direct functionality into an EHR.

Part of the stumbling block to interoperability is the fact that there is not one consistent tool used by EHR Vendors to share data. Hospitals need to choose a data exchange tool that will support multiple data sharing protocols like Direct Messaging that can be implemented quickly and easily. At the same time, the tool needs to be scalable and have the connectivity options to support the various new data sharing protocols that EHR and HealthIT Vendors could decide to integrate. DigitalOne’s D1Suite supports Direct Messaging, traditional HL7 EMR integration, portal and desktop delivery, and some innovative new ways to share data without time and money intensive interfaces. Check out our offerings at www.digitalonereports.com.