According to the Pennsylvania eHealth Collaborative, the company responsible for developing health information technology to advance health information exchange (HIE) in Pennsylvania, 3,449 healthcare providers in the state have signed up for DIRECT messaging. This exceeds the 1,000 goal set by the federal government.

"Healthcare providers across Pennsylvania are taking advantage of modern technology that allows them to communicate electronically – and securely – with one another," Alix Goss, program manager for the Pennsylvania eHealth Collaborative said in statement. "Rather than using fax machines and the mail, they can now transmit patient records instantly via a secure email.  It's a simple solution that can lead to better care and outcomes."

DIRECT is a method of transmitting patient care records, referrals, discharge summaries and other clinical documents between healthcare providers, especially those who lack the resources or technical capacity to engage in more comprehensive health information exchange.  Thanks to a grant program from the Pennsylvania eHealth Collaborative, providers received a free year of DIRECT messaging services when they signed up with a certified health information service provider (HISP).