Sending Health Data Safely and Securely Over the Internet

Feb 2 marked another milestone on the Nation’s journey to better health care through the use of electronic health records and health information technology. Two pilot projects were launched -- one in Minnesota and the other in Rhode Island -- for easily and securely transmitting personal health information via the Internet.

These efforts -- combined with others that will soon be underway in Tennessee to support the Department of Veterans Affairs, and commercial providers in New York, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Texas, and California -- mean a very important new tool is on schedule to enable the safe transmission of patient data over the Internet by healthcare providers, instead their having to rely on mail and fax. This is a significant step toward meeting the Administration’s commitment to make health information exchange (HIE) accessible and practical for all the Nation’s clinicians. HIE is one of the primary benefits that can be derived from adopting health information technology. HIE means your records can be shared securely among your doctors without getting lost or delayed. It means your hospital discharge instructions can be provided instantly to your physician -- and to you. It means that if you are in an accident and arrive in the emergency room unconscious, your record can be made available and the care you receive can be that much safer and more effective. Since last year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been supporting a new initiative, the Direct Project, to provide an early, practical option for HIE. The Direct Project aims to rapidly develop a system that providers can use to support the simpler information exchange functions they need the most.