MEDfx announces Direct Project pilot to demonstrate health information exchange among providers

MEDfx Corporation today announced a Direct Project pilot that demonstrates health information exchange among providers using a combination of the standards and protocols supported by the Direct Project and the FHA CONNECT Gateway. MEDfx is participating in, and is a contributor to, the nationally-sponsored Direct Project under the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT.  The MEDfx Direct pilot will be demonstrated in conjunction with Verizon and MedVirginia at the annual HIMSS 2011 conference in Orlando, FL from February 21-24 and will be featured in the ONC Direct Project Showcase.

"MEDfx is bridging the gap of nationwide health information exchange," said Colin Barry, CEO of MEDfx, "by leveraging the strengths of the Direct Project while opening the door to interactions with federal agencies and other Nationwide Health Information Network participants through CONNECT."  

This pilot demonstrates the exchange of clinical Information using the Direct Project-compliant MEDfx Lifescape provider portal to facilitate the secure exchange of referrals from providers to care managers using the MEDfx Patient-Centered Medical Home Information System with a patient summary record to support the fulfillment of Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria.  The Direct Project and CONNECT protocols are used interchangeably to transport each message. Additionally, message routing and security is enabled by Verizon's health care provider registry and certificate authority to help ensure message delivery to authorized recipients.

Michael Matthews, CEO of MedVirginia, stated, "We applaud MEDfx's leadership in Project Direct.  This is an important milestone for the country and for our efforts to enhance interoperability and quality of patient care."

According to Dr. Peter Tippett, Vice President, Healthcare Industry Solutions at Verizon, "The first successful trial of ONC's Direct Project proves that common standards will help support the secure exchange of data among healthcare providers, an important step in transforming health care delivery through information technology."