Direct

Overview

The Direct Project is a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet. More information on Direct can be found here: http://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/direct-project

Available Options

EMR Direct phiMail

This service enables Direct messaging functionality integrated directly into OpenEMR. Users can send clinical data in CCR or CCD format. Users can receive Direct messages, with or without attachments. OpenEMR communicates with an EMR Direct phiMail Direct messaging server to complete the transactions. The phiMail server back end is used by over 100 EHR vendors to add Direct messaging support to their products and has been integrated into OpenEMR since February, 2013. OpenEMR users can connect to the EMR Direct HISP (Health Information Service Provider) via the secure OpenEMR-to-phiMail edge-client channel. If you are interested in using these messaging features, please sign up at https://www.emrdirect.com/subscribe. Production accounts allow OpenEMR users to exchange Direct Messages on the DirectTrust network including over 1.6 million trusted addresses, or with other trust communities of their choice.

The screenshots below show the basic Direct functionality added in Version 4.1.2 and as updated in version 5.0.1. Other OpenEMR contributors may have modified or extended this functionality in the version you are using, if a whitelabeled or modified version of OpenEMR is used.

Sending: When enabled, a Transmit button will appear in the Continuity of Care Document section after selecting the Report link on the main patient information pane. Clicking the Transmit button will reveal the Recipient field. After first configuring a test or production phiMail address into an OpenEMR instance using the documentation linked at the end of this page, enter a valid Direct Address in the text box and click the Send button. The same interface will also appear in the Patient Portal. Note that if a separate Patient Portal is used to meet regulatory requirements, a different Direct Address would be needed.

Receiving: When enabled, messages are processed and a new Patient Note is delivered to a specified user and appears in that user's Message and Reminder Center. These Patient notes are sent without an assigned patient.

When the new message is opened, the administrator can review the message content and any attachments, assign the message to the correct patient by clicking "Patient: Click to select", assign a Type and forward the message on to the correct clinician or staff member.

Full Documentation on this feature can be found here:

• http://raw.github.com/openemr/openemr/master/Documentation/Direct_Messaging_README.txt