Number of Direct Exchange transactions increased 21%, reached nearly 2.3 billion since tracking began in 2014; now averages 57+ million transactions monthly

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DirectTrust today reported continued steady growth in the number of Direct exchange transactions, patient/consumer use, trusted addresses, and network users during the first quarter of 2021. DirectTrust is a non-profit healthcare industry alliance created to support secure, identity-verified electronic exchanges of protected health information (PHI) between provider organizations, and between providers and patients, for the purpose of improved coordination of care.

According to end of first quarter 2021 metrics:

  • Direct exchange transactions: There were more than 172.5 million Direct Secure Messages sent and received within the DirectTrust network during the first quarter of 2021. This is an increase of more than 21%, compared with the same period last year. Direct exchange transactions since DirectTrust began tracking transactions in 2014 reached nearly 2.3 billion at the end of the first quarter; an average of 57+ million transactions per month.
  • DirectTrust patient/consumer use: The number of patients/consumers using Direct Secure Messaging increased more than 19% to more than 655,000, compared with the same period a year ago.
  • DirectTrust trusted addresses: The number of trusted Direct addresses able to share PHI grew slightly more than 9% to more than 2.6 million, compared with the same time last year.
  • DirectTrust organizations served: The number of healthcare organizations served by DirectTrust health information service providers (HISPs) and engaged in Direct Secure Messaging increased just over 7% to more than 257,000, compared with the same time last year.
  • DirectTrust membership: Four organizations joined DirectTrust during the first quarter of 2021. Its total membership now stands at 109. New members since January 1 are:

Scott Stuewe, President and CEO of DirectTrust commented: “We’re delighted to see the continued steady growth in Direct Secure Messaging following a hit to use during the early days of the pandemic. Direct continues to be a reliable means for ensuring safe and secure transport of health information, and its consistent use—now averaging 57+ million per month—confirms our position that interoperability of electronic health information is here and will continue to gain traction as a cost-effective means of improving the coordination of patient care.”

“We look forward to our third annual Summit next month, where we’ll be examining what’s working well and digging deeper into particular use cases, as well as envisioning the future.  We’re especially eager to advance our support of use cases related to Social Determinants of Health,” Scott concluded.

Isaiah Nathanial, Delaware Valley Community Health CIO, offered the following: “Direct Secure Messaging is at the core of patient outcomes for not only local institutions, but the larger context of healthcare and waste. The ability to send patients and referring providers information in a standard, digestible format to impact clinical care and patient health outcomes is at the core of every CIO’s job. Now, there is no need to worry about where you send information out of your system because Direct Messaging has done all the leg work to validate entries, thereby ensuring successful data delivery. In addition, via Direct, the ability to route data appropriately within the EHR, such as NextGen Healthcare, enables providers to take action within their normal workflow and reduces information overload.”

Charts detailing end of first quarter results are available here or by contacting Ed Emerman at [email protected] or 609.240.2766.

About DirectTrust
DirectTrust™ is a non-profit, vendor-neutral alliance initially created by and for participants in the Direct community, including Health Information Service Providers (HISPs), Certificate Authorities (CAs), Registration Authorities (RAs), healthcare providers, consumers/patients, and Health IT vendors. DirectTrust serves as a governance forum, trust community, standards organization, and accreditation body for persons and entities engaged in exchange utilizing the Direct Standard™, supported by DirectTrust’s robust security and trust framework. The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote, and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain security and trust within the Direct Secure Messaging community. DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information. To learn more, visit www.directtrust.org.

Media Contact
Ed Emerman
Eagle Public Relations
609.240.2766
[email protected]

View the full Press Release here.