...
The services currently defined by the Nationwide Health Information Network and implemented within CONNECT are described in the table below.
Table - CONNECT Services
Exchange Service | Description |
|---|---|
Patient Discovery | Locate patients based on demographic information |
| Patient Location Query | Locate communities that may have information about a requested patient |
Query for Documents | Locate electronic health information, represented by documents, associated with a specific patient that conforms to a set of query criteria |
Retrieve Documents | Retrieve specific electronic health information as documents associated with a subject |
Document Submission | Submit patient-specific documents when they become available without the need for a request or query |
| Document Data Submission (Pilot) | Submit document metadata without the need to submit the entire document binaries |
Administrative Distribution | Submit non-patient-specific documents when they become available without the need for a request or query |
| Direct | Submit documents via lightweight directed message (This service is not subject to the Guiding specifications below). |
| Core X12 Document Submission | Submit patient-specific administrative documents when they become available without the need for a request or query |
In addition to the services listed above, the NwHIN also includes a number of specifications that establish the framework for exchange. This framework is described in the table below.
Table - Guiding specifications
Specification | Description |
|---|---|
Messaging Platform | Provide secure messaging services for all communications between NwHIN-enabled health organizations |
Web Services Registry | Provides registry services that enable NwHIN-enabled health organizations to discover the existence and connection information for other NwHIN-enabled health organizations |
Authorization Framework | Articulate the justification for requesting electronic health information for a patient |
Access Consent Policies | Enable patients and their families or care providers (i.e., "consumers") to specify with whom they wish to share their electronic health information |
This set of NwHIN services, along with the framework specifications, are the basis of the functionality of CONNECT and form the organization for the views found in the Architecture Views section of this document.
...
A new initiative, the NwHIN Direct Project, has been launched to explore the NwHIN standards and services required to enable secure health information exchange at a more local and less complex level. The Direct initiative is an attempt to simplify the exchange of medical information and at its core represents a simple concept, which is that the electronic exchange of patient health information and medical data in general can be accomplished by simply using encrypted email. The Direct initiative is an excellent alternative to those enterprises and medical health practitioners that are not part of more formal HIEs that support the NwHIN Exchange transactions (i.e., PD, QD, RD, etc.). For more information about the NwHIN Direct Project, please visit http://nhindirect.org.The Direct Project
CONNECT supports the Direct transport specifications.
...