Covisint Publishes Direct Messaging Toolkit for Healthcare, Clarifies Misconceptions and Outlines Benefits
DETROIT -- Covisint, a subsidiary of Compuware Corp. (Nasdaq: CPWR), announced that it has published a toolkit offering a comprehensive set of resources that outline the benefits of and uses for Direct messaging for key healthcare stakeholders.
Collectively, these items answer common questions, dispel misconceptions and outline how Direct messaging makes healthcare providers eligible for federal monies and Meaningful Use Stage II requirements.
Specifically, the Covisint toolkit on Direct includes:
* a white paper addressing whether Direct replaces HIEs, while also examining redundancies and HIPAA requirements (The Direct Evolution; Why It Will Change How You Communicate);
* a guidebook on workflow integration and internal champions (Steps to Direct Success); and,
* research on why to adopt Direct (Why You Need to Invest Today).
Direct messaging has received a large boost recently in two ways since it:
* is federally driven -- the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) are increasingly requiring Direct to be part of the ecosystems of state Medicaid agencies and health information exchange (HIE) projects; and,
* advances Meaningful Use Stage II qualification -- in order to continue receiving Meaningful Use funds and incentives, individual providers and hospitals are required to use a Direct solution.
"The momentum behind Direct is nearing the tipping point," said John Stanley, Principal, Impact Advisors. "Most healthcare providers and facilities are aware of Direct and are preparing a deployment plan."
The change in Direct's perception and usage has been dramatic, said Dr. John Haughton, Covisint's Chief Medical Information Officer:
"Until now, Direct has been viewed as a kind of a 'poor cousin' -- even a lower cost of means of entry -- for providers to get onto the HIE onramp without needing the technical capabilities associated with large-scale HL7 feeds or XDS-based query and response systems," Haughton aid.
Direct was initially seen as a threat to HIE sustainability -- a way for providers to avoid having to participate in an HIE. In truth, while Direct has a specific purpose and addresses a major gap, it merely plays a partial role in a fully functional HIE or accountable care organization's communication strategy.
The Covisint toolkit also noted that, in spite of these and other misconceptions, Direct messaging will continue to grow, eventually extending to cover clinician-to-patient communications. Other benefits mentioned as Direct adoption grows include the accreditation of health information service providers and for Direct to become an "equal-but-different partner" in how health information is exchanged and care delivered.
The complete Covisint toolkit on Direct messaging is available at http://offers.covisint.com/HLCDirectRegister.html
