MedAllies' triple accreditation from EHNAC-DirectTrust ensures exceptional standards of security for providers, patients, vendors

DirectTrust/EHNAC accreditations certify adherence to data processing standards and compliance with security infrastructure, integrity and trusted identity requirements

FISHKILL, N.Y., Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MedAllies, a provider of Direct services and a founding member of the Direct Project, announced today it has attained full accreditation with the Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program (DTAAP) in three areas.

It achieved accreditation for Certificate Authority (CA), Registration Authority (RA) and Health Information Service Provider (HISP) from DirectTrust.org and the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC). Direct Trusted Agent accreditations recognize excellence in health data transactions, and ensure compliance with industry-established standards, HIPAA/HITECH regulations and the Direct Project.

"These accreditations signal to vendors and providers alike that MedAllies Direct provides a very high standard of privacy, security and trust-in-identity," explains David C. Kibbe, MD, CEO of DirectTrust. "This is an important assurance to its customers, but also to information trading partners who know they can trust and rely on MedAllies. That trust translates into cheaper, better, and faster Direct exchange across a national network of accredited Direct service providers," he says.

MedAllies has provided Direct services since the Direct Project's inception. MedAllies Direct Solutions focus on provider adoption and use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems for clinical workflow integration beyond the walls of their organizations over the MedAllies Direct Network. Developed to support the medical neighborhood, MedAllies Direct Solutions are tools to advance primary care models that emphasize care coordination and improved care transitions, and support patient-centered care.

"Inadequate security and the ensuing lack of trust could derail interoperability efforts, and ultimately stall health care transformation. These three accreditations confirm that MedAllies is providing the security and trust assurances necessary for true interoperability," says Pete Palmer, CISSP, MedAllies' chief security officer. "They also show MedAllies' commitment to working with other accredited HISPs in the evolving DirectTrust federation."

Through the consultative review process, EHNAC evaluated MedAllies in areas of privacy, security and confidentiality; technical performance; business practices; and organizational resources as they relate to Directed exchange participants. In addition, EHNAC reviewed the organization's process of managing and transferring protected health information and determined the organization meets or exceeds all EHNAC criteria and industry standards. Through completion of the rigorous accreditation process, MedAllies demonstrates to its constituents adherence to strict standards and participation in the comprehensive, objective evaluation of its business.

"Endorsed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program ensures that organizations such as MedAllies establish and uphold a superior level of trust for their stakeholders," says Lee Barrett, executive director of EHNAC. "The need in the marketplace for guidance and accountability in health information exchange is undeniable, and we applaud MedAllies' commitment to the highest standards in privacy, security and confidentiality."

To find out more, visit http://www.medallies.com/MedAlliesDirectSolutions.html.

About MedAllies
MedAllies, founded in 2001, has extensive experience with EHR implementations and workflow redesign to improve clinical care. It provides unmatched expertise in interoperability, health information exchange and Direct services. As one of the ONC Direct Reference Implementation vendors, MedAllies has provided Direct services since the Direct Project's inception. MedAllies Direct Solutions builds on existing technology to achieve interoperability. It focuses on provider adoption and use of EHRs for clinical workflow integration beyond the walls of their organizations over the MedAllies Direct Network. Physicians use their current EHR systems, allowing information to flow across disparate EHR systems in a manner consistent with provider workflows. MedAllies Direct Solutions is a tool to advance primary care models that emphasize care coordination and improved care transitions, and support patient-centered care. To learn more, go to www.medallies.com.

About DirectTrust.org
DirectTrust.org is a non-profit, competitively neutral, self-regulatory entity created by and for participants in the Direct community, including HISPs, CAs and RAs, doctors, patients and vendors, and supports both provider-to-provider as well as patient-to-provider Direct exchange. The goal of DirectTrust.org is to develop, promote and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain security and trust within the Direct community, consistent with the HITECH Act and the governance rules for the NwHIN established by ONC.
DirectTrust.org is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the Direct exchange of health information. To learn more, visit www.directtrust.org.

About EHNAC
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) is a voluntary, self-governing standards development organization (SDO) established to develop standard criteria and accredit organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data. These entities include electronic health networks, payers, financial services firms, health information exchanges, medical billers, outsourced services, e-prescribing solution providers and direct trusted agents.

EHNAC was founded in 1993 and is a tax-exempt 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization. Guided by peer evaluation, the EHNAC accreditation process promotes quality service, innovation, cooperation and open competition in healthcare. To learn more, visit www.ehnac.org or contact [email protected]. Connect with EHNAC on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOURCE MedAllies