Number of patients/consumers using Direct Secure Messaging increased by 7% over the same quarter in 2021

WASHINGTON, DC – February 21, 2023 – DirectTrust™, a non-profit healthcare industry alliance created to support secure, identity-verified electronic exchanges of protected health information, today announced fourth quarter 2022 metrics, as well as the cumulative number of 3.7 billion Direct Exchange transactions since 2014. The alliance collects these metrics on a quarterly basis from Accredited HISP members to measure the use of the DirectTrust national network for interoperable, secure Direct exchange of health information.

According to fourth quarter 2022 metrics:

  • Direct exchange transactions: There were more than 213 million Direct Secure Messages sent and received within the DirectTrust network during the fourth quarter of 2022. This brings the total Direct exchange transactions since DirectTrust began tracking transactions in 2014 to more than 3.7 billion; an average of more than 72 million transactions per month in 2022.
  • DirectTrust organizations served: More than 282,000 healthcare organizations were served by DirectTrust health information service providers (HISPs) and engaged in Direct Secure Messaging.
  • DirectTrust patient/consumer use: The number of patients/consumers using Direct Secure Messaging increased 7% to nearly 700,000, compared with the same quarter in 2021.
  • DirectTrust trusted addresses: The number of trusted Direct addresses able to share PHI dipped slightly (4.7%) to nearly 2.7 million, compared with the same quarter in 2021.
  • DirectTrust membership: Recent new members include:
    • Bitfocus
    • Carillon
    • UltraVisit
    • WellBeam Inc.
    • ZeOmega

“The DirectTrust Network continues to show growth in messages sent and received,” said Scott Stuewe, DirectTrust President and CEO. “There are also other indications that the healthcare industry increasingly relies on Direct Secure Messaging as an alternative to fax. In the most recent Data Brief from the Office of the National Coordinator, the most common mechanism used to send or receive summary of care records between hospitals is Direct Secure Messaging edging out fax for the first time in 2021. There was a significate uptick in the percent of hospitals saying they were receiving messages this way.”

For more information on these metrics, contact [email protected].

About DirectTrust
DirectTrust™ is a non-profit, vendor-neutral alliance dedicated to instilling trust in the exchange of health data. The organization serves as a forum for a consensus-driven community focused on health communication, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards development organization, an accreditation and certification body through EHNAC (the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission), and a developer of trust frameworks and supportive services for secure information exchange like Direct Secure Messaging and trusted, compliant document submission.

The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote, and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain privacy, security, and trust for stakeholders across and beyond healthcare. In addition, DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information while promoting quality service, innovation, cooperation, and open competition in healthcare. To learn more, visit: DirectTrust.org.