Secure Online Messaging
GeorgiaDirect is a secure email messaging service that lets providers send and receive authenticated and encrypted patient health information over the internet to other authorized and trusted recipients – both within Georgia and nationwide. Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN) offers GeorgiaDirect at no charge to authorized, credentialed providers. Using GeorgiaDirect, providers will have more timely and effective communications between each other which can lower costs and improve patient care quality.
How It Works:
Providers use the GeorgiaDirect email service on the internet to send and receive authenticated, encrypted health information directly with other trusted recipients, both within Georgia and nationwide.
Benefits of GeorgiaDirect include:
- Eliminates the administrative burden and costs incurred with phone calls, faxes, and couriering paper files
- Improves coordination of care by securely sharing patient health information between providers such as referrals, treatment summaries and discharge instructions
- Meets interoperability requirements for health information exchange of electronic summary of care records and other patient records
- Provides connections to public health registries
Examples of Patient Information Shared Between Providers using GeorgiaDirect:
- Patient referrals between providers
- Discharge summaries sent to the Primary Care Provider (PCP)
- Lab reports transmitted to the ordering physician
- Data sent to public health organizations
- Prior authorizations for patient treatment services
- Care Summaries transmission
Meeting federal mandates
The Quality Payment Program’s Promoting Interoperability category requires Health Information Exchange of electronic summary of care records for receiving and sending patient referrals. You can find information for QPP in the CMS Resource Library.