ONC launches Direct Project with pilots in Minn., R.I.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has announced that providers and public health agencies in Minnesota and Rhode Island are securely exchanging health information online as part of the Direct Project. This project aims to establish secure and scalable standards to transfer medical data to trusted recipients over the Web, replacing paper-based mail and fax transmissions. The project is seen as a significant step towards making health information exchange accessible to all clinicians nationwide.