Electronic Health Reporter

DirectTrust announces that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Direct Messaging has joined the association’s Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle, allowing VA personnel access to the full national network of 1.8 million Direct endpoints. DirectTrust is a health care industry alliance created by and for participants in the Direct exchange network used for secure, interoperable messaging of protected health information (PHI) between provider organizations, and between provider and patients, for the purpose of improved coordination of care.

Participating in DirectTrust’s trust anchor bundle means VA providers and staff will be able to seamlessly engage in interoperable Direct Messaging and exchange of patient information with thousands of their counterparts in community hospitals and clinics in all 50 states and US territories, through the use of the providers’ electronic health records (EHRs). Use of the DirectTrust trust framework enables a single trusted “on ramp” for providers exchanging health information across a network that currently connects over 1.8 million providers using over 350 certified EHRs nationally.

“Admission to the DirectTrust Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle certifies that an organization has established and upheld a superior level of trust for its stakeholders, which is a significant distinction. Kudos to VA’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards in privacy, security, and trust in identity,” said DirectTrust president and CEO Scott Stuewe.

Margaret Donahue, M.D., Director of VA’s Veterans Health Information Exchange (VHIE) Program said, “VA Direct Messaging’s participation in the DirectTrust Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle will open significant new opportunities for VA personnel to securely share Veterans’ health information through Direct Messaging in every community in the country. This is a major step to increase care coordination with community (non-VA) providers who also provide care for our Veterans.”

DirectTrust Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle has as participants Health Information Service Providers (HISPs), Certificate Authorities (CAs), and Registration Authorities (RAs) that have achieved accreditation either through the DirectTrust HISP Accreditation Program for HISPs or the DirectTrust-EHNAC Trusted Agent Accreditation Program for CA/RAs (DTAAP-CA/RA).

The key value proposition of the DirectTrust Accredited Trust Anchor Bundle is to facilitate interoperable Direct Messaging between HISPs in a uniform and scalable manner that is consistent with industry best practices for security and trust, thereby avoiding the need for further one-off negotiations between relying parties who are participants in the bundle.