Direct messaging is secure email specifically designed for exchanging patients’ protected health information (PHI). Using a Direct messaging account is no different from using a Web mail account to send messages. Once you login to your Direct account, you compose the message text, add any attachments, and send to another Direct messaging user.
Direct messaging services are provided by Health Information Service Providers (HISPs). In addition to providing the mail client, HISPs ensure that your Direct messages are delivered securely to the correct recipient (see diagram below).
Health Information Service Providers (HISPs)
- Package the message content using Direct protocols.
- Secure the confidentiality and integrity of the content through data encryption.
- Ensure the authenticity of the sender and the recipient.
- Route the message.
What makes Direct messaging secure?
Direct messaging uses an industry-standard technical infrastructure and a legal framework that ensure that sensitive information is transported and delivered securely.
- Message encryption ensures that the message is not compromised during submission.
- Digital certificates—an electronic credentialing system—identify the sender and the recipient to ensure that the message is routed to intended and trusted recipients and can be read only by those intended recipients.
RI healthcare providers also may join the Rhode Island Trust Community, which adds another layer of security when communicating with providers in Rhode Island.
Learn how Direct technology is being used in RI health IT initiatives using Direct.