Health Information Exchange Pilot Projects Paving the Way for Nationwide Exchange

By 2012, you may have access to an easy-to-use Internet-based tool that can replace mail and fax transmissions of patient data with secure, efficient electronic health information exchange (HIE), thanks in part to physicians and other health care providers now testing HIE using specifications developed by the Direct Project.

The Direct Project is a streamlined version of the Nationwide Health Information Network and is designed to help health care providers with limited resources meet criteria for the meaningful use program.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has launched the first pilot demonstrations of the Direct Project for simple electronic health information exchanges in Minnesota and Rhode Island.  Other pilot programs will be launched soon in New York, Connecticut, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, and California to demonstrate the effectiveness of the streamlined Direct Project approach, which supports information exchange for core elements of patient care and public health reporting.

Both large and small health care organizations will have an option for electronic exchange of information, including the ability for a specialist to send a care summary report back to the referring provider.  For more information, see:  http://wiki.directproject.org/Specialist+sends+summary+care+information+back+to+referring+provider