MEDfx to Harmonize the Direct Project With CONNECT

WARWICK, R.I., Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MEDfx Corporation today announced a Direct Project pilot that demonstrates health information exchange among providers using a combination of the standards and protocols supported by the Direct Project and the FHA CONNECT Gateway. MEDfx is participating in, and is a contributor to, the nationally-sponsored Direct Project under the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT.  The MEDfx Direct pilot will be demonstrated in conjunction with Verizon and MedVirginia at the annual HIMSS 2011 conference in Orlando, FL from February 21-24 and will be featured in the ONC Direct Project Showcase.

"MEDfx is bridging the gap of nationwide health information exchange," said Colin Barry, CEO of MEDfx, "by leveraging the strengths of the Direct Project while opening the door to interactions with federal agencies and other Nationwide Health Information Network participants through CONNECT."  

This pilot demonstrates the exchange of clinical Information using the Direct Project-compliant MEDfx Lifescape provider portal to facilitate the secure exchange of referrals from providers to care managers using the MEDfx Patient-Centered Medical Home Information System with a patient summary record to support the fulfillment of Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria.  The Direct Project and CONNECT protocols are used interchangeably to transport each message. Additionally, message routing and security is enabled by Verizon's health care provider registry and certificate authority to help ensure message delivery to authorized recipients.

Michael Matthews, CEO of MedVirginia, stated, "We applaud MEDfx's leadership in Project Direct.  This is an important milestone for the country and for our efforts to enhance interoperability and quality of patient care."

According to Dr. Peter Tippett, Vice President, Healthcare Industry Solutions at Verizon, "The first successful trial of ONC's Direct Project proves that common standards will help support the secure exchange of data among healthcare providers, an important step in transforming health care delivery through information technology."

About MEDfx Corporation

MEDfx Corporation is a privately-held company with a long history of embracing emerging technologies in collaboration with other innovative healthcare organizations. Over the course of its 25-year history, MEDfx Corporation has established itself as a leader in professional services, systems integration, and software engineering.  MEDfx provided the engineering and architectural resources responsible for evaluation, selection, integration, and the successful deployment of the first production CONNECT gateway (CONNECTfx).  MEDfx has successfully established connectivity with Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), VA and Department of Defense (VLER), and other NHIEs.  For more information on MEDfx Healthcare Solutions, please visit www.medfx.com.

About MedVirginia

MedVirginia LLC, established in 2000, is a provider-owned physician organization based in Richmond, VA.  Its organizational purpose is to provide quality, safety and efficiency through the use of health information technology. At its core is MedVirginia Solution, a community-based health information exchange linking clinical data from physicians, hospitals, labs and pharmacies.  In January 2006, MedVirginia's health information exchange became operational, making it among the first operational community-based systems in the U.S.  In 2007, MedVirginia was selected as one of the original Nationwide Health Information Network participants. In 2009, MedVirginia became the first HIE to exchange live patient health information across the Nationwide Health Information Network and the first to deploy the open-source CONNECT gateway.  For more information, visit www.medvirginia.net.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 93 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

SOURCE MEDfx Corporation