DirectTrust Reports Steady Growth in Number of Direct Exchange Users, Addresses and Transactions during Second Quarter

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Jul 20, 2017) - DirectTrust today announced continued steady growth in the number of Direct exchange users, addresses and transactions. The organization also announced the addition of five new members since the beginning of the second quarter. DirectTrust is a health care industry alliance created by and for participants in the Direct exchange network used for secure, interoperable exchange of personal health information (PHI) between provider organizations, and between provider and patients, for the purpose of improved coordination of care.

According to end of second quarter 2017 metrics, the number of health care organizations served by DirectTrust health information service providers (HISPs) and engaged in Direct exchange increased 68% to nearly 100,000, compared with the same period last year. The number of trusted Direct addresses able to share PHI grew 15% to nearly 1.5 million. There were 40.1 million Direct exchange transactions in the second quarter of 2017, an increase of 74% over the same period last year. The cumulative total of Direct exchange transactions reached more than 241 million at the end of the second quarter. Direct's nationwide network includes 42 EHNAC-DirectTrust accredited HISPs, 38 Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle HISPs and four Governmental Trust Anchor Bundle HISPs.

"It is very satisfying to see the demand for Direct grow and to witness the physician and provider community further embracing the use of Direct exchange for secure messaging throughout hospitals and medical practices," said DirectTrust President and CEO David. C. Kibbe, MD MBA. "Additionally, vendors across the health IT industry are increasingly enhancing their usability for Direct, while health care providers are broadening their use of Direct beyond clinical messaging to include administrative and research communications."

Since April1, five healthcare organizations have joined DirectTrust. They are:

• Mirah, Inc. - Mirah is "MBC-as-a-service" for behavioral health practices.
• vitaTrackr, Inc. - vitaTrackr is the global leader in organizing an independent health data marketplace that facilitates the movement of health data from point of creation to qualified destinations authorized by the consumer.
• TechSoft, Inc. - TechSoft provides customized practice management and electronic billing solutions to the healthcare industry.
• PatientMD - PatientMD provides a messaging app for patients and doctors.
• Care3, Inc. - Care3 is a leading developer of digital health technology.

These additions bring DirectTrust's total membership to 129 organizations.

"DirectTrust continues to attract organizations that bring innovative technology and deep knowledge in health care information exchange and interoperability. We welcome these new members to our network and I am confident that all of our current members will benefit greatly from their experience and expertise in their mission for effective interoperable exchange," Dr. Kibbe concluded.

Charts detailing results as of the end of the first quarter are available HERE or by contacting Ed Emerman at eemerman@eaglepr.com or 609.275.5162.

About DirectTrust
DirectTrust is a five-year old, non-profit, vendor neutral, self-regulatory entity initially created by and for participants in the Direct community, including Health Internet Service Providers (HISPs), Certificate Authorities (CAs), Registration Authorities (RAs), doctors, patients and vendors, and supports both provider-to-provider as well as patient-to-provider Direct exchange. In the period 2013 to 2015, DirectTrust was the recipient of a Cooperative Agreement Award from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as part of the Exemplar HIE Governance Program. DirectTrust serves as a forum and governance body for persons and entities engaged in the Direct exchange of electronic health information as part of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN). DirectTrust's Security and Trust Framework is the basis for the voluntary accreditation of service providers implementing Direct health information exchange. The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote, and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain security and trust within the Direct community, consistent with the HITECH Act and the governance rules for the NwHIN established by ONC. DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information. To learn more, visit www.directtrust.org.