Direct Messaging
Securely exchange clinical documents like CCDAs, referrals, and ADT notifications with any external healthcare organization over the DirectTrust network. Incoming messages arrive in a dedicated Direct inbox, and CCDA data can be ingested directly into a client's medications and allergies. No fax machine required to share protected health information with outside providers.
Built by Core Engineering
The problem it solves
Providers who need to send or receive clinical records from outside organizations often rely on fax, which is manual, slow, and disconnected from the client's chart. Direct Messaging replaces that with a secure, standards-based channel that delivers structured clinical data directly into Healthie and can be matched to an existing client automatically.
What's included
- Dedicated organization-level Direct address, with separate addresses available for sub-organizations
- Encrypted, identity-verified message transmission over the DirectTrust network
- CCDA ingestion that automatically updates a client's Medications and Allergies
- Support for referrals, lab orders, imaging results, and ADT notifications as structured documents
- API access to send, receive, and track Direct messages (receivedDirectMessages query)
How it works
Once enabled, an EMR Direct tab appears in the Healthie dashboard's left-hand navigation. To send a message, navigate to that tab, click Send Direct Message, and enter the recipient's Direct address, subject, and message body, attaching a CCDA or other clinical document as needed; the message is encrypted and transmitted over the DirectTrust network. Incoming messages appear in the Received Messages tab. If the sender matches an existing client, staff associate the message with that client, which saves the CCDA in .xml format to the client's Documents; from there, staff can ingest the file to update Medications and Allergies. If the attachment isn't tied to an existing client, it can be saved locally and uploaded to the correct client's Documents manually. The same functionality — sending, receiving, and tracking delivery status — is also available through the API, including the receivedDirectMessages query for incoming messages. Messaging is asynchronous and available in Production only.
Direct Messaging lets providers and organizations securely send and receive clinical documents, referrals, and protected health information with any outside healthcare entity that holds a registered Direct address. It's built for organizations that regularly exchange records with EHRs, hospitals, or referring providers on the DirectTrust network. Each organization receives its own unique Direct address, and sub-organizations can have separate addresses to properly route documents like ADT notifications. Incoming CCDA attachments can be matched to an existing client and ingested to automatically update that client's medications and allergies.