JACKSON, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--West Tennessee Healthcare (WTH) is the first comprehensive healthcare system in Tennessee to participate in the Health eShare Direct Project that integrated Direct secure messaging technology within its electronic health record (EHR).The Health eShare Direct Project is a new initiative that helps healthcare providers safely and securely share electronic health information.
The Health eShare Direct Project is spearheaded by the Tennessee Office of eHealth Initiatives (OeHI) and the Tennessee Regional Extension Center ( tnREC), a division of Qsource. Qsource works with healthcare providers to familiarize them with Direct technology, a secure email-like service that will be the infrastructure that facilitates health information exchange (HIE) in Tennessee. Providers who register for a Direct email address can securely send and receive messages containing patient health information to each other and, in the near future, to patients.
“We are eager to begin establishing relationships with community providers to more effectively and securely share health information,” said Jeff Frieling, VP and CIO of WTH. “One of the biggest benefits of this technology is to transmit patient discharge information and follow-up information for patients discharged from one of our hospitals to other entities such as home health agencies, nursing homes, primary care doctors. Direct is a much more effective tool than the traditional secured mechanisms we’ve used in the past such as mail and FAX. We’re excited to be part of the Health eShare Direct Project, and we are encouraging other providers to join us.”
“Having WTH as a partner in the Health eShare Direct Project will add much-needed momentum to our efforts,” said Amanda King, Direct Project Manager at Qsource. “We are working to improve patient care by bringing more technology solutions to providers.”
Direct also helps healthcare providers meet federal standards, known as Meaningful Use, for electronically sharing patient records. Starting in 2014, providers will need to demonstrate to the federal government that they are effectively using electronic health records and securely sharing patients’ health information with other providers. Direct is a simple, affordable and secure way to satisfy these requirements by allowing doctors access to various healthcare data sources and offering data exchange at transitions of care.
“Once providers begin using Direct services to communicate and share information, we hope they will be excited about how easy it is to use and will quickly see the time and cost-saving benefits,” said King.
Those interested in learning more about Direct should visit www.HealtheShareTN.com or call Qsource at (866) 514-8595.
About the Office of eHealth
The mission of the Tennessee Office of eHealth Initiatives (OeHI) is to facilitate improvements in Tennessee's healthcare quality, safety, transparency, efficiency, and cost effectiveness through statewide adoption and use of electronic health records (EHR) and health information exchange (HIE). OeHI received grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to support this Direct Project and other projects to implement secure health information exchange. Through these stimulus funds, ARRA enables Tennessee the opportunity to advance the secure exchange of health information and to expand the adoption and Meaningful Use of EHRs and HIE. For more information, please visit http://www.tn.gov/ehealth/.
About Qsource
Qsource is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) healthcare quality improvement and information technology consultancy headquartered in Tennessee since 1973. Qsource provides a wide range of expert services to assist organizations and providers in improving healthcare quality and delivery with better patient outcomes and cost savings. Qsource consulting services are offered through our Divisions/Subsidiaries/Affiliates, Tools & Resources, and associates staffing offices in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn., as well as Little Rock, Ark. For more information, please visit www.qsource.org.