About CareAccord
CareAccord is a Health Information Service Provider (HISP) and Direct secure messaging system administered by the Oregon Health Authority through the Office of Health Information Technology. CareAccord facilitates the secure exchange of health information between Oregon’s health care organizations and providers, enabling the coordination of care for better health, better care and lower cost.
As a HISP, CareAccord manages the security and transport mechanisms of Direct messages, ensuring that messages sent between Direct addresses are encrypted and secure. Orders, records, results, and any other documents can be easily and securely transmitted; there is no loss of quality during transmission and delivery confirmation is included. CareAccord manages the trust between senders and receivers and maintains digital certificates on behalf of its registered users. CareAccord’s web portal allows users to easily send protected health information by either entering a known recipient’s Direct address or by searching for Direct addresses in the provider directory.
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit, federally recognized accrediting body, was “designed to improve transactional quality, operational efficiency, and data security in health care.” EHNAC defines a Health Information Service Provider (HISP) as an organization that provides services on the Internet to facilitate use of Direct.
CareAccord is certified by EHNAC as a Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program (DTAAP) HISP. For health care professionals and others to take advantage of Directed exchange of health information, HISPs must coordinate the roles of Certificate Authorities (CAs), and Registration Authorities (RAs), while carrying out the responsibility for managing the intricate parts of the deployment of digital certificates and of managing public and private keys, which are necessary for Directed exchange subscribers to be assured of consistent privacy, security, and trust. Together, HISPs, CAs, and RAs are known as Trust Agents for the deployment and adoption of Directed exchange.
CareAccord is also a member of DirectTrust, a non-profit collaboration of health information technology and health care providers that supports secure health information exchange via Direct secure messaging. DirectTrust trust network allows providers and other health care professionals to send protected health information with the knowledge that the information will arrive securely at its intended destination.
To help launch and maintain CareAccord, OHA partnered with Harris Corporation, a nationally recognized leader in health care information technology (IT) integration. The first Health Information Exchange (HIE) service offered was Secure Direct Messaging, a secure email system that adheres to national standards while allowing participating health care organizations and providers to push encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet.
Harris offers a full range of interoperability solutions, including IT infrastructure and management, clinical research support, HIE, and application development and support. Harris’ customers include the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, and other state HIEs, including Florida’s.