The Direct Project Goals

The Direct Project and Its Goals In 2010, the Nationwide Health Information Network created something to “specify a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the internet” ("Direct project," 2014). The Direct Project was created and focuses on technical standards and services that are necessary to push content from a sender to a receiver and not the actual content exchanged securely. Using the Direct-Project-specified transport standards may satisfy some Stage 1 Meaningful Use requirements when these services are used by providers to transport and share qualifying clinical content. It is my hope that by reading this, it will

The project makes it possible for providers to securely send email information via their EHR to other trusted providers like specialists, pharmacies or laboratories. Direct, alone, does not produce interoperability. It focuses on the transport of information. Implementation of the Direct Project is responsible for packaging the message content, securing it, and transporting it from one location to another. The goal of the Direct Project is to improve the transport of health information making it faster, more secure and even less expensive.
The project is an important component of an even bigger national strategy to have interconnected health systems through a Nationwide Health Information Network. The network is being developed “to provide a secure, nationwide, interoperable health information infrastructure that will connect providers, consumers, and others involved in supporting health and healthcare” ("Direct project," 2014). The Nationwide Health Information Network initiative has four major

Meaningful Use is a standard by which all doctors and hospitals get money for Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems from the government. “In fact, the term “Electronic Health Record” is really just a synonym for “meaningful use software” (at least in the U.S. market). Meaningful Use is at the heart of what health IT will look like in the United States over the coming decades” (Trotter, 2012). EHRs and other existing organizations like HIOs exchange information in various ways. There are some that use standards related to, but not identical to, those used in the nationwide health information network exchange, and some use other mechanisms. Although a health information organization is not required to support the Direct Project services and specifications. The Direct Project does offer capabilities that can be used, optionally, by the HIO to complement existing approaches. It is my hope that I have given some understanding as to exactly what the Direct Project is and the goals that it