WASHINGTON, May 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fueled by a migration of message transmissions to its Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle, and a broader use of its network, DirectTrust today reported record growth in the number of DirectTrust network users, addresses and transactions during the first quarter of 2019. DirectTrust is a non-profit healthcare industry alliance created to support secure, identity-verified electronic exchanges of protected health information (PHI) between provider organizations, and between providers and patients, for the purpose of improved coordination of care.
According to end of first quarter 2019 metrics:
- DirectTrust organizations served: The number of health care organizations served by DirectTrust health information service providers (HISPs) and engaged in Direct exchange jumped nearly 49% to more than 167,000 compared with the same time last year.
- DirectTrust trusted addresses: The number of trusted Direct addresses able to share PHI grew 13% to more than 1.9 million compared with the same time last year.
- DirectTrust patient/consumer addresses: The number of patients/consumers involved in using Direct messaging increased nearly 19% to more than 265,000.
- Direct exchange transactions: There were more than 164 million messages sent and received within the DirectTrust network during the first quarter of 2019. This is an increase of almost 54 million messages, or nearly 49%, compared with the previous quarter, and three and a half times over the same period last year. The cumulative total of Direct exchange transactions since its inception in 2014 reached 771 million at the end of the first quarter; a growth rate of 30+ million transactions per month.
- DirectTrust membership: Three organizations and one individual joined DirectTrust during the first quarter of 2019. Its total membership now stands at 109.
Scott Stuewe, President and CEO of DirectTrust commented: “The first quarter of 2019 indicates astounding growth and could very well be a watershed moment for DirectTrust. Not only did members report a general increase in Direct Secure Messaging, but we also see growth driven by the migration of messaging traffic from outside our network into the DirectTrust Accredited Trust Bundle to leverage the value of a strong trust framework. As an example, providers at the Department of Veterans Affairs are now messaging from within the Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle.”
“Additionally, new and novel use cases—beyond referrals and care coordination—are also contributing to our growth,” added Stuewe. “Many of our members report leveraging the DirectTrust network to connect users of certified electronic health record technology to the continuum of care in the broader community. Numerous members are utilizing the network to trigger and communicate notifications of healthcare events as aligned with new CMS proposed rulemaking. This is resulting in double-digit growth in the number of messages transmitted per address. Our goal is to spread the word about these new uses to ensure that everyone across our community can take advantage of these valuable transactions.”
Charts detailing end of first quarter results, plus commentary from DirectTrust members and accredited HISPs Updox and DataMotion, are available here or by contacting Robin Schoen at rschoen@eaglepr.com 215.595.7542.
About DirectTrust
DirectTrust™ is a non-profit, vendor-neutral alliance initially created by and for participants in the Direct community, including Health Information Service Providers (HISPs), Certificate Authorities (CAs), Registration Authorities (RAs), doctors, consumers/patients, and vendors. DirectTrust serves as a forum, governance, and accreditation body for persons and entities engaged in exchange utilizing the Direct Standard™, supported by DirectTrust’s robust security and trust framework. 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 Secure Messaging community. DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information. To learn more, visit www.directtrust.org.
Media Contact:
Robin Schoen
Eagle Public Relations
215.595.7542
rschoen@eaglepr.com