Rochester RHIO Advances Interoperability Using Best-in-Class Direct Secure Messaging

Source: HealthcareIT Today

Effective Health Information Exchange (HIE) requires a secure and reliable Health Information Service Provider (HISP) infrastructure to provide HIPAA-compliant delivery of healthcare information.

Thanks to the regulations included as part of meaningful use, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), every healthcare provider using certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) has access to Direct Secure Messaging. These regulations have made Direct Secure Messaging the most widely adopted transport method for securely sharing health data between trusted entities.

As the industry standard, Direct Secure Messaging continues to expand nationally. However, some HIEs have realized the value of transferring their HISP infrastructure to a trusted technology partner. Transferring HISP responsibilities can help to reduce administrative burden and increase the capacity to deliver better quality healthcare. This is what Rochester RHIO decided to do. 

Rochester RHIO transferred its HISP infrastructure and started using Secure Exchange Solutions (SES) for clinical data exchange and HISP services.

To learn more about this move, we sat down with Sara Abrams, MPH, VP, Data Analytics and Quality Assurance at Rochester RHIO. Sara managed the HISP migration process and shared her perspective about the decision to move to SES and what it took to make this transition seamless. The HISP transfer wasn’t a small project since it had to transition 160 healthcare organizations and providers, representing over 1,000 Direct-enabled endpoints. 

Abrams also discussed the impact of Direct Secure Messaging on their participant organizations. She shares several popular and impactful use cases, including how they’re looking at provider and payer collaboration. We also ask her for success stories of patients that have benefited from Rochester RHIO sharing their health information appropriately. Finally, Sara gives us a glimpse of what’s next for them on their roadmap.

Check out our interview with Sara Abrams from the Rochester RHIO to learn more about the value of Direct Secure Messaging and their transition to the Secure Exchange Solutions HISP.