AAFP and Surescripts to Offer Secure Messaging

The American Academy of Family Physicians introduced a new service that will provide secure, electronic communication between up to 75,000 family physicians across the U.S. over the Surescripts network.

The new service, AAFP Physicians Direct is part of a program to help primary care physicians securely share information and data, such as referrals, patient summaries, discharge summaries and lab results. The cost of participating in the new service will be $15 a month per physician user.

AAFP physicians will be able to connect to the Surescripts network and share information securely through the new AAFP Physicians Direct website or via several electronic health record systems (EHRs). Amazing Charts, e-MDs and SOAPware said they will connect their EHR systems to the Surescripts network and collaborate in the Physicians Direct program.

“We are proud to empower physicians with a digital tool that will make their practice run more efficiently while improving the overall quality of care they provide,” “AAFP Physicians Direct will enhance communication among health care providers, and patients likely will experience more seamless coordination and continuity of care,” said Glen Stream, MD, MBI, president-elect of the AAFP, in a statement. “Patients will benefit, and that’s always a ‘win.’”

AAFP Physicians Direct will support all federal and state policies and standards for health information exchange, including privacy and security standards (such as HIPAA and state law), as well as technology interoperability standards and message types such as HL7, CCR and CCD, the organization said.